Ever wonder what our great-grandmothers used in the kitchen before the advent of Tupperware? The wonder of the 1800s was called yellow ware. This very durable pottery has resurfaced with a vengeance in the collecting world. In today's antiques market, it is one hot item! (It is also correct to refer to this ware in one word: yellowware.)

Yellow ware was exceedingly durable and present in almost every household. True yellow ware is yellow-bodied clay with a clear glaze over it. It is the clay that provides the color - not the glaze. The color varies from a very pale yellow to an almost pumpkin hue. The weight of each piece is lighter than other similar pieces made of stoneware. (Stoneware is what crocks and jugs were made of.) The clay items were baked at a very high temperature before being coated with the clear glaze. Because they were so durable, they often were used in the oven, and because they were so pretty, they often graced the farm table. In fact, you can put your collection to use today.

The earliest American yellow ware dates to about 1830. The clay needed to produce this durable ware was abundant in New Jersey and most of the early potteries were located in that area. Later, potteries sprang up in Pennsylvania and a few other states. Some of the earliest pieces produced in the U.S. were decorated with color sponging in blue, green and brown - sometimes all three mottled together. In the world of antiques we separate these pieces from plain yellow ware by calling them "spongeware", "Rockingham" or "Bennington" ware. (But that is another story.)

England shipped literally tons of yellow ware to the U.S. until about 1870 when the production shifted here from the country potter to large gas-fired commercial kilns. These kilns were largely located in Ohio. Many English immigrant potters had settled in the mid-west, and they put their talents to work mass-producing a variety of objects. It is at about this time that yellow ware started to appear in mail-order catalogs.

The early imported English pieces were quite plain. They were hand made on a potter's wheel and generally sported a simple rolled lip around the top. They have a very mellow yellow color bordering on a soft tan. The earliest American molded pieces were decorated with bands of color and later featured a sponged decoration. The edges of mixing bowls tend to have a flat edge - not rolled. Mixing bowls, cups, baking dishes and milk pitchers were some of the earliest wares sold - all being hand thrown on a potter's wheel - one piece at a time.

More decorative molded pieces were being mass-produced by the late 1800s. The utilitarian line increased to include many different shaped jelly (our modern day "Jell-O") molds, bowls with a batter spout for easy pouring, pie plates, canisters, colanders, covered salt dishes, plates and even cookie jars. Matching mixing bowls were available in nesting sets. The bowls measured from 4 to 16 inches. It is fun to try and assemble a complete set! A lot of the sets have a mere inch difference from bowl to bowl. The smallest and the largest bowls seem to be the hardest pieces to locate, as these were the ones most often used, abused or broken. It is not unusual to find slight differences in color within a set. This was due to the variables in the batch of clay used and the firing process. This does not affect value.

Some of the more difficult items to search for (and more expensive to acquire) are soup tureens, washboards, inkwells, flower pots, spice jars and loads of miniatures. Merchants used inexpensive yellow ware as "give-aways" to their customers. Rolling pins, canisters and jars sported the name and address of the merchant. These pieces also appeal to collectors of advertising, making them very desirable.

Many of the mid-west potteries such as Brush-McCoy and Ransbottom continued to manufacture yellow ware well into the 1900s. A lot of the newer pieces are actually made of a combination of yellow clay and the heavier white clay used in the production of crocks and other stoneware. The manufacturers also began to decorate the pottery with colored glazes. Discerning collectors do not consider these pieces "true" yellow ware, however.

Today's collector should look for pieces that show signs of wear on the bottom since many pieces are being reproduced today - some for the Martha Stewart Company. Minor chips are to be expected and only slightly affect value. Cracks are to be avoided. More damage is tolerated in the more rare pieces. Not all pieces are marked. I recommend you become familiar with the weight of the product, comparing it to the heavier-bodied newer pieces and stoneware bowls. Once you compare the two, you will not be led astray.

Most local antiques shops stock this lovely ware. Select a reputable dealer and ask questions. Shop estate sales for hidden treasures and set aside a corner of your kitchen for your growing collection. Once bitten by the mellow color, you will be hooked!

Prices run from about $50 for a medium bowl to over a $1,000 for an illusive sponged piece. The smallest and largest mixing bowls command the highest prices. Rare decorative yellow ware mantle dogs can run well over $1,000. There is a price-range to suit everyone so why not pack away that tacky plastic storage ware and get started collecting the lovely yellow storage pieces of yesterday?

Gull Cottage Antiques - 2096 S. Lakeshore Rd. Open Mid- April through November.