Collectible is Mmm, Mmm, Good
Q. I have had this porcelain Campbell soup bowl for many years. It is 4 inches in diameter and in mint condition. There is a gold seal on the label with the inscription "1900 Exposition Universelle Internationale." I found no information about its history on the internet. Could you help me determine its value? I would like to sell it.
A. Campbell Soup Company was awarded a gold medal seal by the Exposition Universelle de 1900 in Paris, France. Its red and white label includes the gold seal. The 1900 exposition was to celebrate the achievement of the past and showcase future developments in art and technology. In the seven months of the exposition, over 50 million people visited the pavilions sponsored by 40 countries. Campbell Soup Company was founded by Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson in Camden, New Jersey, in 1869. Their condensed soup was introduced by Dr. John T. Dorrance in 1897. Your soup bowl was made by McCoy Pottery around 1969 and is stackable. Over the years, there have been bowls in a variety of shapes and sizes, some with handles.
Your late 20th-century bowl has been seen selling on the internet in the range of $10 to $15.
Q. I have a covered casserole dish, a sugar bowl and a matching cream pitcher that I would like to learn more about. Each piece is marked with the enclosed mark. The dishes are all that is left of a set of dinnerware that my grandmother had in the 1950s. They are decorated with red-orange roses and gold bands around the edges. They are in very good condition.
I would appreciate anything you can tell me about their history and value.
A. American Limoges was founded in Sebring, Ohio, in 1901 by F.A. Sebring as Limoges China Co. It made earthenware and semiporcelain products. It was one of several potteries the Sebring family owned. Interestingly, they founded two American cities, Sebring, Ohio, and Sebring, Florida. The family's goal was to produce high-quality porcelain to compete with European dinnerware. In the 1940s, Haviland Co., located in Limoges, France, brought charges demanding that the company cease using the name Limoges. The name was changed to American Limoges.
"Vermillion Rose" is the name of the pattern. It was made in the late 1940s and 1950s. Both Triumph and Belvedere relate to the basic shape of the dishes.
Your covered vegetable dish, sugar bowl and cream pitcher set would be worth around $35 to $65.
• Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters.
© 2017, Creators Syndicate