A symphony in ginger!

The other day I dug out some of my original Crown Lynn collection. A disturbingly huge array of ginger mugs, more correctly known as honey glaze. There is also the occasional ginger jug, and of course this kitchen canister, a real classic. It came in various sizes with matching jug and mugs.

 

Honey glaze ware was made in the Titian factory (owned by Crown Lynn), mainly in the 1970s.

I started collecting these mugs at 50c or even 20c each, as a bit of a joke. I thought they were ugly. Then my friends started buying them for me and now I have three boxes full... But fortunately I have seen the light and now I love them. Look at the lovely glow of the glaze,  they are actually quite well made and have their own beauty.

I also have this jug, once hidden in a top cupboard in George's house. It's a classic Crown Lynn shape, jaunty and cute. You see this shape decorated with all sorts of transfers and glazes, utilitarian but also with its own charm. It's 11 cm tall.

Then there's the Ballins jug. A bit collectible for historic reasons but they must have made lots because they're not that hard to find. There is also a plain honey glaze version of this jug. The commemorative version was issued to all Ballins staff in 1978 to mark the company's first 100 years.

Each jug came with a certificate. 

Ballins was bought out by Coca-Cola in 1975.  Anyway. That's a diversion. Here are a couple more of my ginger mugs for you to enjoy.

I particularly like the way the glaze thins out on the raised parts of these patterns which creates lovely highlights. This beer stein (slightly taller than the rest and not so common) is especially outstanding.

For the record, the base of these mugs looks like this:

Or more occasionally like this - the Titianware mark. Both of these marks were used on products from the Titian factory after it was progressively bought out by Crown Lynn in the mid-1960s. Each shape had a different number.

Re value, these mugs are still easy to find but the price has crept up a little. Expect to pay around $5, though you can often pick them up for less. Look out for chips and cracks. They are more fragile than most other Crown Lynn.
More next week
Take care
ValM