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.
Vaseline Opalescent Slipper by Mosser #052
The Mosser Glass Company was started in 1959 by Tom Mosser who had worked extensively with the Cambridge Glass Company when it was in operation. The Mosser brand is well known for their authentic reproductions of early American slippers and boots using moulds perfected in the 1900s and others designed by Mosser.


Hip Wader Boots with Fish Ornament #050


The boot is filled with a life-like vinyl trout, a fishing pole and string, and fly fishing lures with feathers.
Ski Boot Ornament I #049

A Christmas Tree Ornament of a single ski and attached ski boot. The boot is made of poly-resin and the ski is wood. There is a narrow elastic cord used for tie-up laces.
The bottom of the ski ornament has a gold oval sticker and black writing which indicates MADE IN CHINA.
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.
Pale Green Ceramic Baby Shoe #045
This is an art pottery baby shoe from an unknown maker, circa 1940s to early 1950s.
The shoes are in excellent with no cracks, chips or crazing. Good overall glazing Measurements are 4 1/4″ long, 2 5/8″ high and 1 15/16″ wide,
This shoe was purchased at auction in 1994 for $4.00. This estimated collector’s value is $10.00.
Information from the reference book, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001. Other information was recorded from personal papers.
H Kato Pottery Shoe #044
This is a china shoe made in Occupied Japan between the post WWII years 1946 through 1952. The manufacturer H Kato was a well-known producer of US imports
The shoe measures 2 7/8″ long, 1 1/8″high and 1″ wide. It is in very good condition with no cracks, chips or crazing. There is some minor paint fading.
Marks from Occupied Japan routinely do not carry the maker’s name, so this is an unusual mark. The shoe is an acquisition of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection, purchased at auction in December 2007 for $12.60.
Estimated collector’s value is $15.00.
Information from The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carol Bess White, published by Schroeder Publishing Co, 1996. Also from personal records.
Ottawa Moccasins #043
These moccasins are unusually shaped and utilize three piece construction of pale, natural leather. There are tufts of rabbit fur on the toes of the shoes. The moccasins are pieced together with a tight machine sewn stitch.
They were purchased in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada and given to Lillian P Wood as a gift by Dr. and Mrs. Carl Lamb, her family friends. Purchased in the early 1940s. These are authentic miniature moccasins made for souvenirs by the Native Tribes.
Measurements for a single moccasin are 2 1/2″ in length, 1″ in height and 3/4″ in width. There are lined with cotton material.
These miniatures are 70 years old and in very good condition. They are well made, but the leather has discolored due to exposure and age.
Information obtained from personal papers.



















