Dear Helaine and Joe:
I have been looking for information on an old ABC plate. I do not know its age and am hoping you might be able to tell me a little about it. Is it worth anything? The artwork has faded and it has a few small chips around the back edge. The back is stamped “D. E. McNichol Clarksburg, W. Va.” Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you,
L. M.
Dear L. M.:
Children’s dinnerware incorporating the alphabet has been around since at least the early 19th century. These items became popular because our Victorian ancestors (and a bit earlier) believed playtime and mealtime could and should be learning experiences for their young children.
Most children’s plates and mugs were made from ceramic, glass or metal. The plates range in size from 4 to 9 inches in diameter, and they generally have the alphabet around the edge with some sort of interior design that could be used either for entertainment or educational purposes.
A good example of the ones with educational impact might be the plates that have an image of a clock in the center. Not only was the youngster taught the alphabet while he or she ate, but could also learn to tell time. Other educational plates had maxims from Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” and still others might have images of birds or animals to enable lessons about the natural world (“See, it’s an elephant, and elephants are found in Africa and India” or some such dialogue).
The plates also can be found with nursery rhymes, sports scenes, Aesop’s fables and many other decorations that have attracted collectors until quite recently, when the interest has noticeably waned. Over the years, many companies have turned out ABC plates, but many are unmarked. L. M. is fortunate that this is not the case with her particular example.
The D. E Nichols Pottery was founded in 1892 in East Liverpool, Ohio, and remained in that location until the 1920s. At that time, they moved their operation across the Ohio River to Clarksville, W.Va., where they remained in business until the 1960s.
In the beginning Nichols made whiteware and yellowware, but after moving they concentrated on hotel wares (a thick durable white pottery) and manufactured some odds and ends such as children’s plates. They did not concentrate on fine products, but mass-produced useful ones, of which this ABC plate is a good example.
It is a pity the central decoration on this particular plate has been worn down and (practically) obliterated — so much so we cannot identify what it might have been when it was new. Add this to the chips and it means collectors will have little interest in the piece, and its only remaining virtue is it is American from a known maker. This does add some interest, but the value now is almost entirely sentimental and there is no monetary value of any consequence.
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Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item you'd like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 Seymour Ave., Knoxville, TN 37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If you'd like your question to be considered for their column, please include a high-resolution photo of the subject, which must be in focus, with your inquiry.
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