Anyone Collect Stanford Pottery Banks?

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Posted By: Brock G.

I have the Indians Gold Tooth bank and a rare Detroit Tigers Human head bank and would like to add a third soon. The Pirates bank is probably next in line as it is the most affordable. Anybody else have any? I would love to see some pictures if you do.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

This is one of my favorite areas of collecting. The Stanford Pottery Banks are an artistic and terrific set, which are all attainable (with the exception of one nearly impossible piece).

Here is the pecking order, in terms of commonality and desirability...

Indians
Pirates
Braves
Generic Man Face - No Team
Tigers Man Face
Brooklyn Bum
Tigers Mascot Head
Philadelphia Athletics

The Athletics White Elephant is seldom-seen, and I know of only 4 to surface in the past 10 years. I have been an under-bidder twice, and this item is at the very top of my want-list. If anybody reads this, and has this A's piece for sale or trade, PLEASE email me.

Stanford Pottery also made lamps in the '50s, with team Names embossed in script, on the base. They typically sell pretty cheap ($75 - $150, depending on condition...)
Hope this info is helpful.

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Posted By: Brock G.

I did not know they made lamps as well. I'll have to check in to those. If you know where I can see one please let me know. I have seen photo of the A's elephant bank and it is awesome looking. The Braves bank with the full head-dress is also up there with the A's bank in terms or rarity and value.
I would love to someday get the entire set but i'll have to take it one at a time for now.

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

There was a period during my Indians collecting life when I, shall we say, went a little overboard on the Stanford Pottery Chief Wahoos:



I picked this up at an auction in Columbus, Ohio, about 10 years ago. I've always considered it to be either a salesman's sample or some kind of prototype. It is significantly smaller than the standard size Stanford Cleveland Indian and has markings from the factory on the underside:



It's not unusual to see decals on the bases of the Gibbs-Connor Cleveland Indians (ones that read "Souvenir of Cleveland" or "Souvenir of World Series"), but I rarely come across them on Stanford Pottery statues. This one reads "Souvenir of Cleveland, Ohio" (sorry for the poor photo):



Finally, on about 199 out of 200 Stanford Pottery figurines (I'm guessing), you'll find the typical manufacturer's stamp on the right. The round stamp, pictured on the left, is rarely seen:



One final note: I picked up my first Stanford Pottery Wahoo in the pre-eBay days of 1991. At that time, Cleveland Indians collectors considered them pretty darn rare. Even in the early days of eBay (10-11 years ago), you wouldn't expect to pick up a Stanford Pottery Indian for less than $300. Now, I bet you can always find at least five or six for sale at any one time.

Hope some of this is remotely interesting and/or helpful.

Rob

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Posted By: Brock G.

That little one is cool looking. Here is my photo with just one lousy Indians bank. Nothing compared to the DOZEN or so in your pic.
Photo is not great but the best I had.
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By the way Rob, is that a black Mazzolini figure behind the mini SP bank?

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Here's a photo of my Stanford Pottery Indians lamp. The shade is modern.

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Here's the story on the black Mazzolini figure:

In the 1990s a gentleman in northeast Ohio had the original Mazzolini molds. To his credit, he didn't use them to deceive anyone, and the small number of statues he produced were easily identifiable by their modern, glossy finish (although I do see them pop up on eBay and represented as being original).

Anyway, this gentleman was contacted by a native American group that was meeting with Cleveland Indians management to discuss their disapproval of the Chief Wahoo mascot. They placed an order for a number of modern Mazzolinis but asked that some of the statues be colored black and others a light yellow. They used these statues in their presentation to the team, using the reasoning that management wouldn't think of using a black Chief Wahoo or yellow version because blacks and Asians would find it offensive. That was their thinking, for what it's worth.

The gentleman agreed to make the statues with the understanding that he'd do it at no charge and the statues would be returned to him. They were, and he in turn sold them to a mutual friend, who passed one of the black ones along to me.

Sounds kind of wild, I know. But if you followed the Indians during their return to prominence in the mid-1990s, you'll remember that native American protests outside Jacobs Field were almost a daily happening for awhile. And the source of this tale is a person of unquestionable integrity.

The bottom line is the statue is kind of neat and a small part of my collection, so I've never agonized about the story I received with the figurine. (And best of all, the Mazzolini molds eventually were destroyed.)

Rob

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Posted By: Brock G.

Thanks for posting the picture of the lamp Rob. I have seen those before but never knew they were made by Stanford Potery.

That is a very interesting story about the Mazzolini figure. I always like items such as that statue that tell a story and have meaning. Very cool piece. Thanks for sharing.

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Posted By: Rob Dewolf

Brock,

I should add that I've never seen proof that these lamps were made by Stanford Pottery. There are no markings on the outside of the lamps that attribute them to S.P., and I've never removed the metal base to see the insides. Given that the Indians figurines are clearly marked Stanford Pottery on the outside, I find it at least a little strange that the lamps aren't.

I've wondered whether the Stanford Pottery heritage simply was repeated enough times that it came to be accepted as fact. Given that the lamps don't sell for much, I've never worried too much about it, but I have questioned whether these indeed were made by Stanford Pottery. For what it's worth ...

Rob

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Posted By: Mike H

Mark. Can you please post some pics of the banks you listed. In particular, the non-Indians pieces which havn't been shown in this post. I have never collected them and am intrigued.

There was a Cubs lamp listed recently but I don't believe is was promoted as a Stanfor piece.

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Posted By: Anonymous

The Athletics banks and the Boston Braves bank with the full headress in the first picture are the crown jewels of the collection. They both sell for BIG $. The braves bank has sold for $8,500 and the A's bank $4,000. The second picture is a better photo of the man head bank I have.
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Posted By: Mike H

I'm amazed at the prices these fetch.

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Posted By: Brock G.

Here is a photo that shows the Tigers mascot bank, Braves Gold tooth, and Pirates bank. The braves and Indians bank are exactly alike, only the name is differnt but the Braves bank sell for about twice as much as the Indians. This collection of four sold in a Robert Edwards auction a few years back for approx $2300.
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Posted By: Clint

I think these banks are great. I don't collect them but sure like seeing them. Thanks for sharing the pictures and info.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Forgot I had these two... Here are a couple of very rare Stanford Pottery prototype pieces. They are solid statues, and are not banks. Both are quite heavy, and made up of more of a chalk-type material than the typical hollow ceramic.

These are widely believed to have been salesman's samples, but I am not so sure that this true. The colors are more muted than the common banks, and they are not glossy (more of a matte finish). These two are interesting and rather mysterious, to say the least.

One final interesting note... the Braves version of the Stanford Pottery Bank simply has the name "Braves" painted on top of the embossed "Indians" on the chest. You have to look rather closely to see it. This Braves variation is not embossed at all.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Mike:

I have to uncover my other Stanford Pottery pieces, which are still packed away. In addition to those 2 prototypes, I have the Indians, Pirates, Brooklyn Bums, Braves, Tigers Mascot, Tigers Man Face and Generic Man Face. Once I unpack those, I will post pics.

It took lots of time, money and research to "complete" this much of the set. The Braves Full Headdress and Athletics White Elephant are Figural Collectors' Holy Grails, and are the equivalent to the T-206 Wagner and Plank (to state it in overly dramatic terms...)

In all seriousness, I think it would be easier obtain the Wagner and Plank than these 2 statues (albeit A LOT more expensive!)


Rob... Thanks for posting those pics of your Stanford Pottery Collection. I always liked the fact that no two statues are quite the same, and that the shading and detail can actually vary quite a bit. I'm guessing that nobody knows this better than you!

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Posted By: Brock G.

I cant wait to see the pictures of your collection Mark. I could of held on to your banks for you instead of keeping them packed away(wink wink). Do you have any other figural items or do you stick to Stanford Pottery?

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Brock... The Stanford Pottery pieces are among my favorites, but I collect the whole gamut of figurals baseball items. Figurals and vintage Pennants are the two areas I love the most.

In addition to the Stanford pieces, I collect Hartlands, Bobbing Heads, early Baseball Statues (1870s - 1950s), early Trophies, and things like the Babe Ruth Clock, Trophy Baseball Radio, Darktown Battery Bank, etc.

After getting the rare Mickey Mantle Lamp, I was finally done with Hartlands. It was a real challenge to collect a nice unrestored exemple of each, before the days of Ebay (would have been a lot less expensive today!)

Tops on my current wantlist... Spalding Catcher and Pitcher Trophies, the Walter Johnson Trophy, Ty Cobb Stall & Dean Trophy Cup, and those two impossible Stanford Potteries mentioned above. Even though these are high-ticket items, I love the less-expensive figurals just as much.

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Posted By: Brock G.

Sounds like you have a very impressive collection Mark. Seems that you and I have similiar taste in memorabilia. That Babe Ruth clock you mentioned is one of the best looking pieces out there if you ask me. Would love to get that someday down the road.

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

It took me a looooong time to finally get mine. The Ruth Clock is just such a popular piece, and so many people seem to want one. I had to fail in about a dozen Catalogue Auctions before I finally snagged one on ebay this year (at a price I could live with).

Try to be patient, and go the Ebay route, as you'll pay about $1,000 less than via the Catalogue Auctions. It is a visually stunning piece when you see it in person, and is a staple item for collectors of figural pieces.

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Posted By: Josh Evans

Regarding two of the above mentioned pieces I once saw the Trophy baseball radio in the original box at the Pier Antiques Show in New York City about 15-20 years ago. The radio was mint, the box was nice, yet it is a somewhat generic brown carton (has the trophy logo on it). It was priced for $2,000 which was a ton of money at the time but it sold during the set-up (I was shocked). Back then the radio alone brought about $600 in that close to mint shape which is pretty much what it brings now. Remember to always look for the “trophy” metal logo on top of the speaker. It’s usually missing.

The best variation I ever had of that radio was a version presented to the Homestead Grays for winning the 1946 (?) Negro National League Championship. I have seen two of them. The first one was found in Maine (my mom and dad found it) about 25 years ago for about $200. It as presented to Raymond Brown, although it did not have his name on it. I do know it was his because it came with a sterling silver plaque presented to him for pitching 13 or 14 scoreless innings against the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. I ended up getting them both back years later when the guy I sold it to sold me his Negro League collection.



By the way, there was a cherry of a Darktown Battery bank in my last monthly internet auction. Sold for $4,863 which I think is a great deal. Have you ever seen a nicer one?




Josh

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Josh...

Thanks for posting those pictures. The Trophy Radio picture is mesmerizing. I always love to see these treasured antique items pictured "back in the day" as everyday items.

Another thrill is seeing old pictures of fans in the stands waving Pennants from days gone by. It is great when a photo is dated, and you can tie the given antique piece to a specific date.

Your Darktown Battery Bank was indeed spectacular. Perhaps the most vibrant and colorful one I have ever seen. Thanks again for posting, and be please sure to include lots of Antique Figurals in your next auction

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Posted By: Brock G.

That Darktown Battery bank has 10X more original paint than any I've ever seen.
I was actually really close to bidding on the Brooklyn Bums Stanford Pottery bank in your last auction Josh. I'm a 21 year old college student so I am constantly having to debate with myself whether I am spending my money practically. This was one of the times the price got the better of me. Maybe next time I'll pull the trigger.