Dating a piece of yellowware becomes easier if you brush up on a few key pieces of information. The first bowls were thrown by hand on a potter s wheel, but the majority of yellowware from the late 19th and early 20th centuries was produced with the use of molds. Molds led to a variety of embossed and impressed designs with floral, geometric, and scenic motifs. American potteries seldom marked their goods, making the origin of some bowls hard to pinpoint. Many potters hoped that their wares would be taken for English exports.
Many collectors focus their energies on finding graduated sizes of the same pattern for nesting.
Not only do they enjoy the thrill of the hunt, but sets of bowls also bring more money than individual ones. Though bowls are commonly seen in nests of 5, many were actually produced in 8 to 12 different sizes, ranging from about 4 inches in diameter up to 17 inches or more. The most valuable pieces generally fall at the extreme ends of the size spectrum. Yellowware pieces with a deep-yellow or orange appearance are generally more valuable than paler examples. All rights reserved.