Two c1950 11" tall porcelain black boxers - Research tip - eBay forums

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Posted By: CarltonHendricks

PERSISTANCE PAYS: Keep on punching!
Below are two c1950, just under 11" tall, black porcelain boxers I got on eBay last month. The seller said they were her Dad's and he got them in El Paso TX, and was deceased. I don't usually collect things after 1940 so I knew nada about them, only that they looked killer. When I got them they about floored me they were so great. They had no makers marks and I was very curious who made them, when they were made, etc. But I knew next to nothing about 1950ish kitchy porcelain. I went to an antique store that had a lot of porcelain books, looked thru about five and got nowhere, and gave up. I started seeing the light that it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I emailed active antiques dealer friends, one in West L.A., the other in Seattle who I could see dealing in them, but they didn't know about them. I'd never been on an eBay forum but decided to post my inquirery on the eBay Porcelain/glass/pottery forum....got a few weak replies but got no where. So decided to post it on the eBay Antiques Forum...there I got some pretty good input, then someone tipped me off to a guy named Jack Chipman...continued below




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You might also ask Jack Chipman, who is an authority on California Pottery. Not sure if he'd answer you, but he has a website. Couldn't hurt
http://www.jackchipman.com

Good Luck!
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I wrote to Jack Chipman and got a reply right away that positivly I.D.'d them as being sculpted by Carol Safholm and produced by Brayton Laguna. Below, I've copied Jacks very interesting and informative email. Thanks to Jack we can all rest easier now!
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Hello Carlton,

You have a set created by sculptor Carol Safholm for the Brayton Laguna Pottery (Laguna Beach, CA) in the early 1950s. These figures are not easy to find.

I have the actual set that she herself owned; they were obtained after she moved into a retirement/convalescent home in Taos, NM a few years back.

Anything else you need to know?

Jack

www.jackchipman.com
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Outstanding, Carlton! Glad Jack ID'd them for you. He is a very nice fellow. I knew him years ago when before he started writing the California Pottery books and he was always glad to share information with everybody.
Good going, and if Jack says those are scarce, you can double dog bet they are!

Zip
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Thank the Lord for Jack, I don't think I could have found a more sound authority. Collectors... the squeeky wheel gets the grease! PERSISTANCE PAYS