The pottery aisle can be easy to walk past. There are usually so many random mugs, vases, planters, and dishes crammed onto the shelves that it’s tempting to give everything a quick glance and keep moving.
But this is one section I wouldn’t rush through. Some of those pieces that look like old pottery can actually come from makers collectors specifically look for. A name, stamp, signature, or marking on the bottom can tell you that the $5 vase sitting among dozens of others deserves a quick search before you put it back.
Age, pattern, condition, rarity, and even the glaze can make a huge difference, but there are certain names I’d never leave behind without looking them up first. Here are 10 vintage pottery names worth remembering the next time you’re at the thrift store.
Roseville Pottery
Roseville is one of those names worth remembering, especially when you come across older floral vases, bowls, and planters with detailed designs. Some patterns and harder-to-find pieces are highly collectible, but reproductions exist, so don’t rely on the Roseville name alone to determine whether you’ve found something valuable.
McCoy Pottery
McCoy produced plenty of everyday pottery, including planters, vases, bowls, and those wonderfully nostalgic cookie jars, which means pieces can still turn up at thrift stores and estate sales. Not every McCoy find is worth much, but certain older designs and harder-to-find pieces can be surprisingly collectible.
Hull Pottery
If you spot a colorful vintage vase covered in flowers or an interesting old planter, check underneath for the Hull name before leaving it behind. Certain patterns, shapes, and glazes are more desirable than others, making this one worth researching when you find it for a few dollars.
Fiesta by Homer Laughlin
Vintage Fiesta can easily blend into shelves of ordinary secondhand dishes, especially if you’re unfamiliar with its recognizable bright colors and simple shapes. Plenty of newer Fiesta isn’t particularly rare, but older colors, discontinued pieces, and certain vintage items can be much more collectible.
Haeger Pottery
Haeger produced everything from simple planters to large sculptural pieces, so it’s a name you may actually encounter while browsing secondhand stores. While plenty of Haeger pottery is affordable, unusual vintage shapes and certain Royal Haeger designs can be more desirable to collectors.
Van Briggle Pottery
Van Briggle is one I’d definitely stop and research if I spotted it cheaply, particularly because of the company’s beautiful matte glazes and distinctive Art Nouveau-inspired designs. Older pieces can be especially collectible, and the markings underneath may provide important clues about when and by whom a piece was made.
Rookwood Pottery
Rookwood is one of the more exciting names to discover underneath an old thrift store vase because the company has a long history of producing highly regarded American art pottery. Older artist-decorated examples can be particularly collectible, so look for dates, numbers, markings, and artist initials on the bottom.
Weller Pottery
Weller produced a huge range of pottery, from decorative vases and planters to large jardinières, in many different patterns and styles. Values vary considerably, but certain older, unusual, and harder-to-find Weller pieces can attract serious collector interest.
Red Wing Pottery
Red Wing may be best known for its vintage stoneware crocks, but the company also produced bowls, pitchers, planters, and plenty of other pieces worth watching for. Age, markings, decoration, size, and condition can all influence value, so don’t overlook smaller Red Wing pieces just because they aren’t the big crocks collectors often recognize.
Charles Counts Pottery
Charles Counts produced handmade pottery for decades, and his work was influenced by Appalachian pottery traditions and Nigerian ceramics. Look for handmade-looking pieces with the Charles Counts name and markings such as Beaver Ridge and Rising Fawn, which were associated with his pottery studios.
