"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Spot on Torquay Pottery ~Accidental Collection

This is a post about accidental collections. Yes, accidental. I never set out to collect Torquay pottery. We were given a few pieces of this pottery . A beloved Great Aunt of my husband's thought we would like it. She never said much more about it than that she bought it on one of her tours to England. I thought it was cute and kept it safe in a cupboard for a time when our kids were growing up. On a trip back from a visit to family in Oregon my sister Joni and I stopped at a garage sale in a very small, by-the-way town. The garage sale was one of those many would pass by quickly. Lots of plastic stuff , lots of junk. However, against my better judgment my sister encouraged us to stop and lo and behold, there was a piece of Torquay pottery for sale~ 75 cents! I knew enough to know this was a good deal! Joni paid for it and gave it to me. ( What can I say, I had no change on me at the time!) Joni began collecting Torquay pottery and later sold me her collection. So you can say this is an accidental collection. A happy , cheerful little accidental collection! Thanks Joni and Aunt Marion! Each piece of pottery has a little motto , or saying on it. Hence it's other name "motto ware". "The Devon Motto Ware is by far the most popular of the Torquay wares in the united States and Canada." ....The patterns, quaint rhymes and proverbs have attracted public attention in the twentieth century and still into the twenty-first century the pottery continues to delight visitors seeking souvenir items." "early Motto Ware carried inscriptions written in normal English but later on an exaggerated Devonshire dialect was adopted to appeal to the tourist trade. Motto Ware got the reputation as being the "bread and butter" of the Devon ( England) pottery industry. Each piece is unique in its' own way even though many bear the same decoration, because each is "custom made" being hand-made and hand-decorated." Torquay Pottery by Gerry Kline

19 comments:

Susie said...

I've never heard of seen of this pottery before. It's really cute with those little sayings in it.

Anonymous said...

How lovely!

Amy

Vickie said...

I'll have to keep my eye out for Torquay. I might have seen some before but didn't know what I was looking at! I love the little Devonshire quips on the pieces!

Andrea said...

I haven't seen this pottery before, but it is beautiful. I love pottery.
Blessings, andrea

KathyB. said...

Susie, it is small and is not one of those items that "jumps" out at most people when displayed with many other kinds of pottery.

Amy ( goatpod2) it is lovely, and each piece is unique.

Vickie, I think the little Devon violets are my favorites. I only have one of those, but the sayings are truly quaint.

Andrea,these pieces are all small, so any collector can find a place to display them.

Paula said...

Oh Kathy- those are beautiful!! I love the colors in them- and how wonderful that you found some more pieces to add to your "accidental collection"! *LOL*
I am the same way about teapots... I bought one a long time ago, got two more for gifts, then another for a wedding present, then started finding whimsical ones I just couldn't live without, (you know the ones with ROOSTERS on them..) before you know it, I had a whole collection of them!

Julie Harward said...

I just love them...Torquay..I have never seen it but I think they are really cute! :D

Deanna said...

Hi Kathy,
I've not seen this type of pottery before.
Like it.
The little houses had my attention.
God bless,
d

Thistle Cove Farm said...

I love the name "motto wear", how adorably clever! Beautiful pottery as well.

Dolores said...

Oh how sweet and special.... sometimes these accidental collections are the best....
Hugs,

Nancy M. said...

I've never heard of it before, but it sure is lovely!

LindaSue said...

what a fun way to begin a collection - and to add to it! I'm not a collector - seemed to have inherited a few collections and would willingly part with most of them for lessening of "stuff" in my house - but I no longer entertain as much as we did so probably has altered my thinking (I kid myself - little thinking going on now - mostly just getting through things remembering to praise God for everything!)

Connie said...

Pretty pottery collection, Kathy! I have an accidental collection of little cat figurines.

KathyB. said...

Paula, teapots! Now there is a collection that seems to be gathering at my house lately, probably due to all the tea parties we have here!Did you happen to notice the little rooster piece of pottery in the first picture?

Julie, you have probably seen but never noticed these little pieces of pottery. They are popular souvenirs for Americans to bring back from their travels in England. Glad you are on the mend!

Deanna & Nancy M., when we were given our first pieces of pottery it was the houses we especially loved!

Sandra, maybe another time I will post all the mottoes, they are fun to read.

Delores, do you have any accidental collections?

Linda Sue, you sound like me as far as the sentiments about stuff! I am thankful to be able to actually have to consider getting rid of "stuff", we in this country definitely have abundance of stuff...may I remember true abundance rests only in HIM.

Daisy, I have an accidental and on purpose collection of cat pins! We should compare cat stuff~

BT said...

I used to buy pottery from a local auction and sell it on ebay so I handled quite a bit of this motto ware. It was very popular. I love your accidental collection. I had one of those of hedgehogs. My first husband bought me a silver one (which I still have) and after that, various people bought them for me and so did I. I've 'pruned' it a bit now.

Cynthia said...

This is a very sweet, and also slightly familiar story! I stumbled onto this blog quite accidentally. I have been a devoted Torquay pottery collector for over 25 years. My collection was spurred by the discovery of a small, patched creamer in my local Veterans' Thrift store. It was love at first sight! I would be the first to admit that my collecting has gotten somewhat out-of-control over the years! I feel that collecting the pottery has enriched my life beyond measure---and it has brought several dear friends into my life, as well!

Torquay holidays said...

I never expected that there is a pottery business in Torquay also. i thought theyre only known for their beautiful beaches.

RaeG said...

Lovely story...��... Psst I collect it as well.Rae from Torquay.

Cynthia said...

Thirty-five years and over 800 pieces later, I am still collecting. Yes, I am obsessed! In fact, I am waiting today for the arrival of two large vases. My infatuation with this pottery is a true love affair, which has not dimmed through the years. I mainly collect the art pottery side of Torquay ware, which is very different from the motto-ware, but all are equally wonderful.