Planter, Shawnee Pottery, Asian Couple, Ceramic, Vintage

• Pattern:  #573 - Asian Couple with Mandolin
• Made in Zanesville, OH, USA
• Vintage:  1949
• Details:  A really sweet collectible planter from Shawnee Pottery.  This was part of a series of Asian / Oriental theme planters dressed in their stereotypical native costumes.  This is mold #573, an Asian couple sweetly leaning on each other, the man playing the mandolin, actually this instrument is called a 'shamisen' but not well known.  Lately Shawnee Pottery items have been increasing in price and there's a renewed interest in collecting these small planters, perhaps because they are still affordable and not a lot of space is needed to display them.  This piece is marked on the bottom: "USA 573", we were able to date it to 1949 by sourcing a Shawnee catalog from that  year.  This one is in absolutely perfect condition, great gift for a Shawnee Pottery collector!
• Material: Ceramic
• Dimensions:  3.5 inches Tall, 4.25 inches Wide and 3.25 inches Deep
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Excellent Condition.  We were unable to find any issues on this piece.  Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are VINTAGE and ANTIQUE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections. 

Shawnee Pottery was started in August of 1937 in the former American Encaustic facility in Zanesville, Ohio.  At first they made decorative items like figurines, cookie jars, flower pots, novelty items and vases and sold them at very low prices at the "five and dime" stores.  However, when Sears Roebuck and Company asked Shawnee Pottery to design a line of dinnerware known as Valencia, (from 1938 to 1940), exclusively for their stores, their brand grew and they became a very successful company.  then in 1941 they released their White Corn line that proved so popular it was increased, and slightly changed in 1946, to brighter yellow kernels, named Corn King and the line expanded to include mugs, cereal bowls, relish trays, butter dishes, and lidded casserole and much more.  The Shawnee cookie jars remain highly collectible and priced accordingly.  Unfortunately, due to increased foreign competition after WWII, sales declined. The business was finally closed in 1961.