SPODE--COPELAND

In 1749,Josiah Spode was apprenticed to Thomas Whieldon and in 1754 worked for William Banks in Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire, England. In the early 1760s, Spode started his own pottery,making cream-colored earthenware and blueprinted whiteware. In 1770,he returned to Banks' factory as master,purchasing itin 1776 Spode pioneered the use of steam-powered, pottery-making machinery and mastered the art of transfer printing from copper plates. Spode opened a London shop in 1778 and sent William Copeland there in about 1784. A number of larger London locations followed. At the turn o the 18th century,Spoke introduced bone china. In 1805,Josiah Spode ll and Wiliam Copeland entered into a partnership for the London business. A series of partnerships between Josiah Spodell,Josiah Spodelll and William Taylor Copeland resulted. In 1833,Copeland acquired Spode's London operations and seven years later,the Stoke plants. William Taylor Copeland managed the bussiness until his death in 1868. The firm remained in the hands of Copeland heirs. In 1923,the plant was electrified; other modernization followed. In 1976,Spoke merged with Worcester Spode.Ltd

FIESTA COLORS

From 1936 to 1972,Fiesta was produced in 14 colors(other than special promotions). These colors are usually divided into the "original colors" of cobalt blue,light green,ivory,red,turquoise,and yellow(cobalt blue,light green,red,and yellow only on the Kitchen Kraft line,introduced in 1939); the "1950s colors" of chartreuse,forest green,gray,and rose(introduced in 1951); medium green(introduced in 1959); plus the later additions of Casuals, Amberstone, Fiesta Ironstone,and Lustre pieces. No Fiesta was produced from 1973 to 1985. The colors that make up the the "original" and "1950s" groups are sometimes referred to as "the standard 11." In many pieces, medium green is the hardest to find and most expensive Fiesta color. FIESTA COLORS AND YEARS OF PRODUCTION TO 1972 ANTIQUE GOLD-------DARK BUTTERSCOTCH--------------------(1969-1772) CHARTREUSE-------YELLOWISH GREEN------------------------(1951-1959) COBALT BLUE------DARK OR"ROYAL"BLUE---------------------(1936-1951) FOREST GREEN-----DARK"HUNTER" GREEN---------------------(1951-1559) GRAY--LIGHT OR ASH GRAY---------------------------------(1951-1959) GREEN--OFTEN CALLED LIGHT GREEN WHEN COMPARING IT TO OTHER GREEN GLAZES;ALSO CALLED "ORIGINAL" GREEN---------------------------------(1936-1951) IVORY---CREAMY,SLIGHTLY YELLOWS-------------------------(1936-1951) MANGO RED--SAME AS ORIGINAL RED-------------------------(1970-1972) MEDIUM GREEN--BRIGHT RICH GREEN-------------------------(1959-1969) RED--REDDISH ORANGE-------------------------------(1936-1944 and 1959-1972) ROSE--DUSTY,DARK ROSE-----------------------------------(1951-1959) TURF GREEN--OLIVE---------------------------------------(1969-1972) TURQUOISE--SKY BLUE,LIKE THE STONE----------------------(1937-1969) YELLOW--GOLDEN YELLOW-----------------------------------(1936-1969)

MICKEY MANTLE

A Mickey Mantle checked dated July 11, 1949 sold at auction for $286,800 dollars.

A FEW NICE FINDS

URBAN FARMING