Roseville Pottery has quite a following of collectors.  Many pieces are sold everyday on eBay.  I have found that if a piece has been declared  restored,  people seem to shy away.  This should not be the case!  I do admit that there are many levels of restorations and of restorers.  A way one can be assured of a nice piece of restoration is to ask the restorer what their credentials are. 

Have they experience in restoration methods?  If so, how long have they practiced and what is their ability of color determination?  Color is the one thing that can separate the beginner from the professional.  There are many things about determining the color that is present on a piece of Roseville.  The amatuer restorer does not have the eye for seeing the depth of color present.  Just as an amatuer artist rarely can produce a masterpiece, an amatuer restorer has not learned to see the colors or mastered the techniques necessary to do the best job. 

There are many techniques that must be used to correctly prepare the piece, put the pieces together, fill, prime, and prepare for painting.   Anyone can fill the cracks and the chips.  Smoothing the restoration is another matter.  With plenty of 'elbow grease' and sanding supplies, one can smooth the place rather well.  Now comes the part that many people struggle with.  What colors am I going to use??   What is my base color? How do I get the effect that I am looking for?  Why is my paint shiny in the restored place?  As you can see, painting is a very exacting thing when one tries to match the colors that are present in Roseville.  Many restorers "repair" the entire side of the piece in trying to cover up the restored spot with paint.

Enough about that!  My reason for writing this guide is to encourage collectors to buy well restored  pieces of Roseville.  The company has been out of business for a long time, and pieces are becoming harder to find.  As more and more people start to collect Roseville, there will be more restored pieces seen in their collections. 

 A good piece of restored Roseville can be displayed with pride as you will not be able to tell it from one that has never been restored.  Oh yes!  You can remove the restoration and  prove to the eye that the piece has been restored!  But then all you have accomplished is that you have shown that the piece has been restored!  The professional restorer has spent many hours lovingly putting the piece into pristine condition.  A small amount of acetone can remove that artist's work in a few seconds.  What did you accomplish?  If you can't see the restoration with the naked eye, or a magnifying glass, why destroy what the professional restorer has done? There are other methods to use to prove that a piece is restored that does not destroy the piece in the process.

As a restorer myself, I find that restoring these pieces of Roseville to be very fulfilling.  I also know that they are every bit as valuable as the ones that were never in need of restoration.  There are  many good restorers who are selling on eBay.  They should  be given every opportunity to provide you with an excellent piece that you will be proud to own and display in your collection.

Here is a guide to helping you find the best restorers out there.

• Ask many questions.
• What is their return policy!
• Do they guarentee their work?
• How many years have they been restoring Roseville or any pottery?
• Are they self taught or have they taken classes from a professional restorer?
• What other pieces have they restored.
• Check their feedback.  Is it good?
• Are they honest as to whether the piece has been restored?
• Ask for more pictures of the area restored.
• Ask for how to care for your prize.

I truly hope that this guide has helped you decide to start collecting restored pieces of Roseville as well as the ones you deem as perfect.  These are vintage pieces and very few are in perfect condition.