MIJ Red Dotted Heels #055
A small porcelain shoe made in Japan (MIJ). This is a knock-off of a shoe that was available from “The Home of Gifts, Mayer’s, Arlington Va.” in the early 1950s. The details of the hand-painted flowers on the last and on the top back of the slipper have been changed, and all the flowers are painted on slightly raised surfaces instead of being individually attached as in the original. However the overall dotted pattern found in the original heel has been hand-applied and is raised on the copy.
3 1/8 inches in length and 2 1/8 inches in height, 1 1/8 inch in width. The shoe is in excellent condition, with no cracks, chips or other damage.
The heel is stamped MADE IN JAPAN in red ink on the sole. A post WWII shoe, produced after 1952.
This shoe is noted in Collectible Glass Shoes Second Edition by Earlene Wheatley, Scroeder Books Publishing Co., Inc. 2001. It’s estimated collectors’ price in 2001 was $20.00 according to the Wheatley reference. Approximate collectors’ value now is $30.00.
MIJ Lustre Shoe with Clown #054
A beige lustre shoe with a minimalist clown figure on the last.
The shoe has the imprint JAPAN and a double diamond above the heel on the back of the shoe. There is an imperfection at this site in the ceramic – a factory imperfection, not a chip. (Factory imperfections do not lower the value of collector shoes). There are no cracks or crazing.
The shoe also has a stamp on the sole, simply JAPAN, in black ink.
Estimated date of manufacture, pre-WWII shoe. Estimated collector’s value is $40.00 – $45.00.
Information from Collectible Glass Shoes Second Edition by Earlene Wheatley, Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc. (2001) and personal interviews and papers.
Elves on Shoes, Made in Japan #047
This is a pair of ceramic high heeled shoes manufactured in Japan. They are dated from the 1950s kitschy era. Each shoe is decorated with an elf, one dressed in yellow, the other in pink. Much of the paint has worn off, notably the clothing and the bows which were once red. Each elf has a large brown bump on its forehead. (?) The faces, however, are in excellent condition.
The shoes each measure 3″ in length, 3″ in height and 1 5/8″ in width. There are no chips, cracks or crazing. The detailing is not sharp, but the outlines are evident.
Note the odd brown forehead ‘bump’, but also notice the delicate painted eyelashes.
The stamp in red reads JAPAN. This pair of shoes is part of the original Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and dates from the early 1950s.
The estimated collector’s value is $18.00 to $24.00 for the pair.
Information from The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carole Bess White published by Collectors Books, a division of Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc. in 1996 and personal records.
Blue Souvenir Baby Shoe #030
This light blue baby shoe has an open tongue and mild impressions of eyelets on the upper edge of the shoe. It also has impressions of creases on the vamp or upper and lines where the individual “leather” pieces would have joined. It is made of a moderately good grade of porcelain and it lightweight. There are no chips, cracks or crazing on the shoe.
The shoe measures 4 5/8″ in length, 3 7/8 in height and is 2 1/8″ wide. Although it looks as if it could have been used as a planter, it is clean and unused in the interior.
The shoe is decorated with flower sprigs on both sides. On the vamp is a souvenir picture of a building and street scene. The shoe is marked NEW ORLEANS, LA above the scene and LACE BALCONIES below the scene. This is a well visited tourist stop in the French Quarter of New Orleans. These balconies are very lovely. To see an actual photograph of a set of them in New Orleans go to http://www.frenchquarter.com/uploads/imageThumbs/zhm9c03unq2k3w6r.jpg
The abbreviations for the states were established in October of 1964 by the United States Postal Service. This shoe is marked with the LA abbreviation for Louisiana so it was made after 1964.
The label is intact and on the sole of the heel. Silver and black, it says “TOPS IN QUALITY JAPAN SPIN original.” There is no information regarding the SPIN original name on the internet or in the research books. However, recently there are two pieces of this brand’s products on eBay – a girl figurine in very good condition that sold for $8.50 and a figural dog with a small chip that sold for $5.00. Neither, however, were souvenir pieces.
This shoe is in excellent condition and has souvenir value as well. With its intact mark and the name of the Japanese maker labeled on the shoe its value will be higher than shoes without these features. Estimated collector value is $15 to $20 dollars. Its manufacturing date is probably in the late 1960s and 1970s, making this shoe approximately 35 to 40 years old
Information regarding porcelain versus pottery figural and shoes in in Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001. Other information from personal papers of BP.
“Made in Occupied Japan” Shoe #014
This is a small earthenware shoe measuring 2 1/2″ long, 15/16″ wide, and 1 3/8″ tall at the heel. Although it looks like a porcelain product, all occupied Japan novelty pieces were made from a very white earthenware even if the piece looks translucent. The duties on earthenware were less than on porcelain and this allowed costs to remain lower. This particular earthenware is white-bodied, sturdy and smooth in texture, but not vitreous, fine or as hard as porcelain. To test for earthenware, an old Customs Agent trick, one can place the tip of a ball-point pen to an unglazed area. The ink will lightly dot the earthenware.
Hand-painted, including orange flowers, 3 blue dotted circles and a gold dotted flower and toe marks on the vamp (or upper.) The edge is outlined with gold which is excellent condition. The shoe is in excellent condition with no glaze flakes or flaws, no crazing, cracks or chips.
The shoe has some discpolring on the sole, as to be expected with an earthenware piece that is 50 years old. It has a “MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN” stamp on the sole in red ink. This stamp was required on all imports from post WW II Japan from 9.2.45 to 4.28.52.
This is a new purchase for the collection, purchased at auction for $2.75 in December of 2007. Estimated value has yet to be determined.
Information from private records and The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carol Bess White, published by Schroeder Publishing Co, 1996.
Japanese Blue-Eye Dragonware Shoe #002
Dragonware is a type of Japanese pottery that has an embossed or raised Oriental dragon design on a background of multiple gradations of gray. The pottery’s embossed designs are made with moriage, a slip that gives a 3-D appearance. This is the approximate size of the shoe in the collection.
Dragonware pottery is a popular design in functional pieces such as dinnerware, tea-pots, vases, trays and incense burners, less commonly seen in purely decorative items such as miniature shoes. Interesting to note, this Japanese pottery shoe was designed in the shape of a typical Dutch shoe.
The dragon’s detail shows the typical blue eyes and pink tongue which complement the grays, though the technique indicates a production date in the 1950s, as does the silver/black paper label reading MADE IN JAPAN. The style was introduced in the 1890s and the early specimens are more delicately crafted and have a red potter’s stamp for identification.
This shoe is from the original collection of Lillian P. Wood and was purchased by her. As was her custom, she wrote on the heel of the shoe ‘bus trip’ and on the sole she wrote in very light pencil ‘St. Louis, June 8 1955.’ The original price is indicated on the bottom ~ $1.79.
Even the best quality of dragonware is quite inexpensive and this specimen is not ‘best quality’ though it is an interesting piece. Considering the china is an unusual shape (Dutch-Japanese?) without any chips, cracks or crazing and the paper label is affixed, it’s estimated value is $15.00 to $20.00.
Information from personal papers.
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