Evaluating, Identifying, Pricing, Collecting, Care of

BAUER, OUACHITA, NILOAK, MUNCIE AND GARDEN CITY POTTERY & YONA CERAMICS

(See below for information on MY BOOK and how to obtain free value or ID help for your listings)

Because one may be deluded by well-intentioned but misinformed or confused fellow collectors, researchers, dealers or sellers, it's good to truly know what you're considering purchasing (how to discern if the item is, in fact, authentic) is of top quality.

I was raised in the "Bauer family", so to speak.  My great uncle was Mattison Calhoun Carlton; my grandfather was Fred Lee Johnson; and my father was James Rowland Johnson, all of which were noted Bauer, Niloak, Ouachita, Muncie and Garden City Pottery artists.  In addition, I had nine other close family members who worked at one or more of these former potteries, including my Mother Anna Mae Johnson who was a finisher at Bauer and later worked at Yona Ceramics as well).  Likewise, I was protege' (at the wheel) of my father & grandfather, and continued discussions & amassing information/documentation, throughout my life with my them as well as my mother, an uncle, and two aunts (all Bauer folk), until their deaths (the latest of which was in 2002).  So, based on all the exposure, experience, information and documentation I have gathered during my 68 years from first-hand accounts, I believe I have more workable knowledge on these particular products than just about anyone alive today.

Helpful DEFINITIONS & Hints & Myths

(There IS a difference in quality/value!)

SECONDS: Any fired item that has one or more of the following: Pin holes, glazed-over chips, cracks, crawling, crazing, 'rub' (glaze spot from nearby pot), uneven wall thickness, misshapen or not level, rough stilt marks, or glaze runs (this includes WWII items).  These items were sold originally as seconds (except for the WWII items as they had no choice at the time), and except for the WWII items, should now be considered seconds when purchasing.  Current value should be based on the same conditions as when originally manufactured unless the item is EXTREMELY rare.

DAMAGE: Chips, cracks, crazing, un-original decorative painting, clear over-glazing, etc, that has happened after production, and extreme everyday ware, should likewise be taken into account.  Chips, if not too large, are acceptable though they may detract from the appearance but should devalue only to some degree.  The same is true of crazing (if not intense), but cracks are not acceptable as air/moisture has penetrated the body and weakened it considerably. (Keep in mind...these are old.  A van Gogh, though crazed or missing a corner is still worth million$!)

MARKS, INCISIONS, "SIGNED" pieces:  Many items are listed/sold as "signed" (which implies the artist hand-signed the piece), when in fact there is only ONE signed piece of Bauer and I own it.  It is a large turquoise Rose bowl, hand-thrown by my grandfather specifically for my grandmother, in 1937, whereas my great-uncle Matt and my father, James, never signed anything.  Nor did my grandfather before or after the above mentioned Rose bowl.

Bauer, Niloak, Muncie, Garden City and Yona were all either incised (the name was pressed into the clay mold), stamped using an indelible ink, or left blank.  Some Muncie has ink/wax-signed artist initials/date/or item number, or incised with the word "Muncie"..All of the above occasionally used glued-on stickers with either marked or unmarked items.  Therefore, it is not correct to use the term "signed" unless the ARTIST hand-signed the item.

ASSUMPTIONS: Items marked "USA" are not Bauer.  Plagiarism did, in fact, exist in "the good ol' days" the same as today, and many/most potteries copied one another's product...hence, near perfect color comparisons/design/etc.  No matter!...they are still knock-offs.  ADDITIONALLY: Be careful of bogus/fake product.  When Bauer 2000 was first produced it was not marked and untrained eyes will think they've discovered a perfectly preserved piece!  Also, "Mexican" painted (or other painted) designs pretty much looked alike, and normally have considerable ware as they were "cold" painted and not clear-glazed over..  If an item looks too good to be true or rather "modern"...it's probably bogus. 

HINT #1: Many, many pottery's then, as now, used a three-pronged "stilt" when firing.  So, just because an unmarked item has three stilt marks on the bottom, does not a Bauer make! And....there were V-E-R-Y few unmarked pieces.  Repeat: VERY few!

HINT #2: Niloak produced solid/plain 'beige' Missionware (aka: swirlware....the multi-colored stuff).  Also, solid pinkish, solid blue, solid brown, solid ivory, etc.  Also, they made combinations of only beige/brown and beige/ivory (without the blue, etc) which looks very much like Evans or others of the general era.  Many pieces of Niloak went unmarked because they utilized the stick-on stamp for many years.

HINT #3: Just because something is the same color, similar design or liken to another doesn't mean it's of a particular pottery.  Be especially wary of the animals/figurines.  Gladding McBean, Hall, Bybee, Shawnee, Bauer, Garden City, Fiesta....just to name a FEW, all made similar items & sizes, similar glazes, etc.  So do your research and don't believe everything you hear or read.  Some people have argued an item "is a such n'such" when I know emphatically it isn't, and I've given up trying to convince otherwise.  I can only tell you what I lived, what I witnessed, what I was taught, what documentation was provided me via these wonderful, talented artisans...and family members.  Use my "hand-fed" information/knowledge...or not.  It's your money your (hopeful) investment, and your pleasure.....But remember, you deserve to get what you pay for...the real thing!

It's a myth that you can not wash your pottery in the dishwasher.  You can not only serve on and bake in your pottery, (as I do and have all my life), but you can utilize the dishwasher...just rinse everything well first, then set the washer on "China" or lower.  Make sure you use the least amount of detergent and never use any abrasive pad!  REMINDER: Never put a chipped, and especially a cracked item in the dishwasher.  In fact, wash those items seperatly and do not "soak", but rather wash as quickly as possible under running water, and dry immediately.

Lastly, whether an item is first or second quality, rare or not...if it's something you love, need to complete a collection, or simply find interesting, then whatever price you pay is "fair".  I personally love the WWII watery/drippy/uneven GPK glaze.  I love the physical feel and simplicity of GPK, anything with a handle...and of course my families hand-thrown items! 

IF INTERESTED IN MY BOOK on the subject of the above five manufacturers and the families/employees that built them, which includes many personal photographs, personal history, previously left-out talented individuals and thusfar unknown facts.  It is entitled...

"BREAKING BAUER...Myths!"

 It is available on CD; written in Microsoft Word; 124 MB; 306 pages in length; over 500 photographs including old family and other Bauer/Niloak employees never credited previously.

ORDER via my eBay email address

Or: cobina 60 (at) comcast. net

Or: bauerbauerbauer (dot) blogspot (dot) com

 Soon, I will also have available on DVD, a "history" of MOVIE scenes taken at Bauer Pottery.  It was originally made by my mother and father using an 8 mm movie camera during the 1940's -1950's.  It "stars" Wat Bockman & Office Staff; of course my grandfather, fther, great uncle, and other family pottery workers, as well as scenes of the Plant, front entrance/office buildings and back lot!

Keep collecting! "raggedjane"

Brenda Johnson-Escoto

[E-mail me via my eBay account and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have concerning products from the above pottery's or information about availability of my book]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT MY GUIDE...FOR CONTINUALLY SEEKING INFORMATION ABOUT BAUER...BUT MOSTLY FOR APPRECIATING THIS GORGEOUS MEDIUM AND IT'S CREATORS

PS: If you're into GENEALOGY or would like to be, I'm a genealogist with 45 years experience and my book NEW~GEN~TOLOGY may be right up your alley!  It's an easy as pie, 1,2,3's approach, yet comprehensive format to finding those long lost ancestors of yours!

Shake your family tree and see how many nuts fall out!