Thinking back on what sells and what seems to linger on antique shop shelves, it wasn't so long ago that most wall pockets sat gathering dust.
Of course, the dusty discoveries up for discussion here don't include the pottery versions made by Roseville and Weller in the early 1900s.
Those pieces have been sought by pottery lovers for quite some time and can be quite pricey.
For example, a Dogwood II double wall pocket lists for $300 in Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide. A Weller Brighton double bud wall vase featuring a bird amid two branches lists for $1,250 in the same publication, and that's for an unmarked version of the piece.
Other unmarked American wall pockets and imports from Germany, Czechoslovakia, China, and Japan weren't nearly as popular as the big names until just a few years ago. It was just a matter of time until the collecting cycle caught up with these interesting wall decorations, however.
Fervently crafted until the 1950s, there were thousands of wall pocket styles made over the years. These popular decorative accessories were shaped like teacups, parrots, irons and flowers, just to a name a few themes, and hung on the walls of the most fashionable homes of the day.
For collectors just being drawn to these space-saving trinkets, the display alternatives far outweigh the selection of reasonably priced pockets out on the market today. Even plain wall pockets can be hard to find and fairly expensive these days.
Different glaze variations on the same piece can also result in variations in price. Some of the numerous wall pockets made by McCoy fall into this category.
In a collectingchannel.com article on this topic, Tammy Springer mentions a McCoy grape model that can vary from $40-200 depending on whether the color of the leaves are green or brown. For this reason, a good reference book on the topic can make a world of difference when pricing items for sale or shopping to add to a collection.
Look for Collector's Encyclopedia of Wall Pockets by Betty and Bill Newbound and Collector's Guide to Wall Pockets, Affordable and Others by Marvin and Joy Gibson as good references.
Once the research is done, then the fun begins. Part of the appeal of wall pockets comes with the multitude of clever groupings that can liven up a bare wall.
Look at coordinating colors, styles and shapes for eye-pleasing group possibilities and you'll see why so many collectors and decorators have come down with wall pocket fever during the last few years.
And don't think they're just for holding miniature ivy and silk flowers either. Springer suggests using wall vases to holding small items such as hair clips and jewelry.
Just be sure to secure your wall pockets steadfastly to avoid a broken vase and a broken heart. Nothing hurts quite like losing one of your prized collectibles, especially when they're getting so very difficult to replace.
Unmarked grape and Occupied Japan duck wall pocket photos by Pamela Wiggins
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