In , the plant was briefly closed before being sold to antiques collector Joe Ragosta. He operated the Frankoma Pottery until the spring of It remained closed until During the summer of , the building was sold to a manufacturer in a different industry. Frankoma Pottery Reboot In December , pottery pieces began being produced under the Frankoma Pottery name once again. Identifying Characteristics of Frankoma Pottery Marks While many antiques and collectibles have a single definitive mark, that is not the case with Frankoma Pottery.
For example: Earliest pieces: The earliest pieces are marked with the phrase "Frank Potteries. This mark was used for only a short time, so pieces marked in this way are considered rare. Impressed - round O: The rubber stamp was quickly replaced with a hand-impressed mark of the name Frankoma, using a distinctive round shape for the "o.
Cat mark: Some larger pieces produced from until the fire were marked with the company's original logo. This graphic featured a ceramic vase and a cat. Collectors refer to it as the company's cat mark. Impressed - oblong O: After the fire, the marking continued to be a hand impressed representation of the word Frankoma until the s.
However, the shape of the "o" became oblong. Mold marking: During the s, many of the molds were modified to include the trademark, so the company stopped using hand impressions. Some molds included the mold number in addition to the trademark. Unmarked pieces: Some molds were not modified, so some pieces made after hand-impressing stopped do not have any marking. Personalized pieces: John Frank sometimes personally etched his name into pieces he created to give as gifts. Pieces marked this way are the most valuable.
Until , Frankoma Pottery was made using light tan clay transported from the town of Ada, Oklahoma a significant distance from Sapulpa. Pieces made during this timeframe will have a light, sandy hue.
This red brick color is definitive of pieces made from this time through early Examples of values and prices include: Dinnerware: Frankoma produced several dinnerware patterns. Porcelain: Key Differences in Dinnerware. By Kate Miller-Wilson. Rubber Stamp Storage. Identifying Roseville Pottery Marks and Patterns. Eventually, demand for Frankoma pottery grew and began to flourish in the s. Frank discovered another clay deposit near Sapulpa and began extracting it from Sugar Loaf Hill in Building on the success of his traditional pieces, Frank also began to utilize his marketing acumen and developed an entirely new line of commemorative pieces, which have also become sought-after collectibles.
Some collectors of Frankoma pottery are drawn to its southwest flavor. The colors are punctuated by molds created with Western motifs such as wagon wheels, buffalo and American Indian figures.
I understand that. It tells you a story. The value of a piece of Frankoma Pottery is determined by the mold, clay and glaze used. The rarer, the more expensive. Lighter clay extracted from the Ada location is more valuable than the darker Sapulpa clay because of. This photograph of Frankoma Pottery in Oklahoma City, circa , shows a thriving enterprise. ABOVE: Visitors from three states give Joniece Frank, right, their attention during this tour, as she explains the processes by which pottery is made.
Made of thousands of hand-glazed tiles and bricks — painted by the Franks themselves — each room features a remnant of Frankoma Pottery, organically balanced with natural materials and ornamental fixtures.
The centerpiece is a tiled fireplace, constructed in a shape reminiscent of an ancient pottery kiln. Every aspect of that house has Frankoma in it. The home also features a swimming pool and a ceramic studio where Steeples continues to produce Frankoma Pottery in small quantities. Each has a piece in the other. The Franks' daughter, Donna, always credited her mother Grace for having the business sense to realize that open stock dinnerware would be an ongoing source of business rather than a one-time purchase.
It helped that they placed a large billboard along Route 66, hoping to entice buyers to their Frankoma pottery and showroom. In , Frankoma introduced the Wagon Wheel Line of dinnerware, and in , introduced the Mayan-Aztec line of dinnerware. Later, they introduced the Oklahoma Plainsman, Lazybones, and Westwind dinnerware patterns. John Frank's principle of having a one-firing process that kept production costs low.
Of great importance to those who continue to use Frankoma dinnerware is the fact that the type of glazes used on Frankoma dinnerware continues to be free of any lead or metal poison. In addition to their lines of dinnerware, Frankoma produced jewelry, plaques, wall pockets, vases, animals, souvenirs, and historical, political and religious commemoratives. An entire article could be devoted to collecting the adorable Frankoma Kids that were first issued in Collectors prize Frankoma Christmas "cards," which are miniature, flat, ceramic pieces bearing a Christmas message and the year.
The Franks began sending the Christmas "cards" in using miniature items from their current stock, but from special Christmas card molds were developed to be sent to the Frank family members, friends and Frankoma dealers. Since the cards were never intended to be for sale, no records exist on how many Christmas cards were produced. The Christmas cards from the s and s are rare finds.
Dating Frankoma pieces is fairly simple. Look at the bottom of the piece. First, if the clay used appears to be a tan color, then it was created pre from Ada clay which was mined near the southern Oklahoma town of Ada. After , most pieces were produced from the local Sapulpa red clay.
Keep in mind that most popular dinnerware pieces were reissued a number of times. Donna Frank has written a wonderful book Clay in the Master's Hands which I recommend to those wanting to know more about John and Grace Frank and the history of their business. A strong sense of faith always guided their decisions. Frankoma, like most vintage and antiques, has suffered a drop in values from the current economy; however, that said, many of their early pieces have increased in value.
John Frank died in , but his generosity to his community, his faith and willingness to help those in need, and his pottery are a fine legacy. The Frank family sold the pottery in , and several other companies have bought and then sold the plant. The Frank sisters, Donna and Joniece, have produced some special ceramics using their mother Grace's former studio.
Question: I have 4 green and brown Plainsman bowls. I'm not really interested so much in the value, but I am curious as to what decade my pattern dates? Bottoms after marked 4xl. Answer: I'm not an expert on the Plainsman pattern but I believe that as a general rule, that in the early s the light colored clay from Ada Oklahoma was used for dinner patterns, but after the red clay was being used.
Try looking for the Frankoma Collectors Society on line and asking them if your mold mark can be traced to a particular year. Sorry, I don't know. I have tons of their dinnerware and vases, but only a few of their political.
Check the color of clay on the bottom of the piece. If it is light beige, it could be , but if the clay is red then it is probably newer.
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