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.
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.
Blue Slag Hobo Shoe #006
This hobo shoe is also referred to as a tramp or baby shoe and was sold as a novelty toothpick holder. The shoe, a blue slag color, is slightly smaller than the below photograph and measures 3″ long and 2 1/8″ high. It was a popular design when introduced, first in the 1900s and then again in the 1960s.
It features three toes protruding from ‘holes’ in the unlaced vamp and has a definite protruding sole around the shoe. This shoe is blue slag and has a round depression on the sole. This shoe model was introduced and reproduced by the Degenhart Glass Company between 1962 and 1978. The company began marking the shoe with their trademark (a heart with a capital D) in 1972.
This shoe was an acquisition purchased August of 2000 at the Michigan City Antique Mall. The shoe’s purchase price was $14, now estimated collector value is $25 to $35.
Information from Collectible Glass Shoes, 2nd Edition, by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing Co., 2001 and Gene Florence’s book, Degenhart Glass and Paper Weights, with permission from the Degenhart Museum. Also information from private papers of BP.
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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