Most of you have heard of Fiestaware, but have you heard of Bauer Pottery? J.A. Bauer Pottery was established in Los Angeles, California by Andy Bauer in 1910, over thirty years before Fiestaware. Some collectors of Bauer Pottery are drawn to its wonderful earthen tone colors, while others prefer the speckled pastel colors of the 1950’s. I love the rich browns, greens, yellows and orange-reds, the colors of Autumn. Including Bauer pieces in your Fall décor can add a wonderful richness of color not found in many pieces produced today.
Bauer Pottery, especially the older pieces are highly collectible. An uncommon shaped or colored piece can fetch prices in the thousands. If you fall in love with the beautiful shapes and colors of Bauer, now would be a great time to start collecting because prices are down as with most collectibles in this economy.
Bauer Pottery closed its doors in 1962 making any piece you find over 50 years old. Although Bauer Pottery is not abundantly available, you can usually find at least a few pieces at larger antique stores.
Here is a brief overview of the J.A. Bauer Pottery Company.
Established in 1910 the Bauer Company produced item such as butter churns, crocks, mixing bowls, pitchers and red clay flower pots. Within a couple of years they introduced a “Fancy” design to their flower pot line. Around 1930 they introduced “plain” dinnerware along with new colored glazes. By 1933 rings were combined with the “plain” ware and became the California Colored Pottery line which proved to be the company’s greatest achievement. In 1942, War time restrictions caused the company to create new glazes which did not contain lead. The new glazes turned out to be very popular. Speckled glazes were added to many items starting in 1955. In 1962, J.A. Bauer Pottery was closed because they were unwilling to meet the union worker’s demands.
Recently, the Albany Antique Mall acquired a large lot of colorful Bauer pieces. The table in the photo is set with many different shapes and colors of Bauer Pottery. The drinking glasses are “autumn leaf.” My favorite piece is the cute orange pitcher holding the flowers. Start or add to your own Bauer Pottery collection at The Albany Antique Mall in Historic Downtown Albany.
