It wasn't so long ago that many pieces of Frankoma pottery languished on antique shop shelves collecting dust. Although Frankoma did have a few admirers, the company's older items produced during the 1930s were the main focus for pottery lovers for many years. Now the more common Frankoma pieces are getting more attention, and prices are starting to rise accordingly. Finally, it's fashionable to take another look at Frankoma pottery.
Frankoma's OriginThe founder of the company, John Frank, came to Oklahoma in 1927 as an art and pottery teacher at the University of Oklahoma. Working on various geological digs, he discovered the rich clays of the region and set up a studio using a butter churn to mix the clay and a fruit jar to grind the glazes. It wasn't long till he left his teaching position to further his love for creating pottery, according to the company's Web site.
Frankoma pieces made since 1954 sport a red clay from Sapulpa, Okla.
in comparison to the older pieces formed with a tan colored clay dug at Ada, Okla. Using these source names of Sapulpa and Ada, along with glaze colors and item styles, collectors are able to identify and date Frankoma Pottery.
Frankoma's Inspiration and Colors
The Great Southwest served as inspiration for many Frankoma works. The factory formed pitchers shaped like wagon wheels, attractive boot-shaped vases and interesting Native American masks over the years. Even their dinnerware patterns have a western flair.
Two of their most recognizable glazes are named Prairie Green and Desert Gold. In fact, many people associate Frankoma entirely with their medium green glaze that seemed rather dated and unattractive until recently. Since both these colors were used extensively over the years, it's the type of clay used in the piece rather than the color of the glaze, which determines value in this instance.
Many of their works, such as their dated political mugs shaped like elephants and donkeys, feature a wide variety of colors. Other series pieces, including bicentennial plates, were also very colorful. And most of these pieces are still relatively affordable, even for the beginning collector.
Pricing Frankoma
The colorful political mugs range in price from about $10-60 and bicentennial plates generally sell in the $15 range with a couple of exceptions for rarities. A 1974 Nixon/Ford elephant mug can sell for several hundred dollars because so few were produced. And a 1972 plate, with the word "states" spelled as "statis" because of a mold flaw, usually sells for more than $100. Many of the Wagon Wheel dinnerware pieces still sell for less than $20 apiece, with only the serving pieces pressing into the $30-75 range.
With the older Frankoma pieces being hard to find and priced quite high, listing in the $1,000-$5,000 range per piece when sold by a knowledgeable dealer, the more recent Frankoma works have garnered some interest during the past couple of years. The dusty treasures once ignored by pottery shoppers have taken on a new light as collectors make a place for them in their homes.
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