Collector is losing sleep over Sanka set
Q. Enclosed you will find a photo of a Sanka coffee set. It includes an individual-sized ironstone coffee pot, two matching cups and saucers, an orange tray and two gold-plated spoons. The set belongs to a friend, who said that his father-in-law owned it in the 1960s or early 1970s. It is in very good condition.
We don't think it is worth much, but wondering about its value has been keeping us up at night.
A. Sanka decaffeinated coffee was developed in 1905 in Germany. The name is based on the French words "sans caffeine," or "without caffeine." By 1923, Sanka was offered in two coffee houses in New York City. General Foods began marketing Sanka in 1928. Both Hall China Co. and a Japan porcelain firm produced the ironstone pot and matching cups and saucer. Orange was the accent color on the package label, and it became associated with decaffeinated coffee. Eventually, restaurants began making their coffee pots with bright-orange handles or lids so restaurant workers could easily recognize which was decaf and which was regular. Currently, Sanka is distributed by Kraft Foods.
Your circa 1970 Sanka coffee pot set would probably be worth $50 to $75.
Q. This mark is on the bottom of a round pottery vase that I own. It stands 7 inches tall, has small handles and is decorated with a pine cone and tan pine needles in relief against a matte-tan background. Also included with the mark are the numbers "745-7." It has been sitting on the shelf in my curio cabinet for years and is in mint condition.
What can you tell me about the maker, vintage and value?
A. Roseville Pottery Co., located in Zanesville, Ohio, from 1892 to 1957, made your jardiniere. It is listed and described in the pottery's catalogs as a jardiniere, rather than a vase. The pattern is "Pine Cone," and the design was created by artist Frank Ferrell in the early 1900s. He offered the design to several potteries, all of which rejected the prospect of producing it. Finally, in 1931, a Roseville salesman named Charles Snyder saw it on the shelf and had second thoughts. His decision was a smashing success. Roseville produced at least 93 shapes of the pattern with backgrounds in green, tan and blue. It introduced a glossy version in the 1940s. The numbers "745-7" represent the design and the height of your jardiniere.
Its might sell in the range of $125 to $150.
• 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.
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