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RESEARCH
- PERSISTANCE PAYS
Keep on
Punch'n
By
Carlton Hendricks
I
bought these c1950 porcelain boxers on eBay November 11th 2007.
The seller told
me they were her Dad's and he got them in El Paso TX, and that
he was deceased. I don't usually collect things after 1940 so I knew nada about them, only that they looked killer. When I got them they about floored me they were so great. They had no makers marks and I was very curious who made them, when they were made, etc. But I knew next to nothing about 1950ish kitchy porcelain. I went to an antique store that had a lot of porcelain books, looked thru about five and got nowhere, and gave up. I started seeing the light that it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I emailed antiques dealer friends, one in West L.A., the other in Seattle who I could see dealing in them, but they didn't know about them. I'd never been on an eBay forum but decided to post my inquirery on the eBay Porcelain/glass/pottery
forum....received a few weak replies but got no where. So decided to post it on the eBay Antiques Forum...there I got some pretty good input, then someone tipped me off to a guy named Jack
Chipman...
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You might also ask Jack Chipman, who is an authority on California Pottery. Not sure if he'd answer you, but he has a website. Couldn't hurt
http://www.jackchipman.com Good Luck!
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I wrote to Jack Chipman and got a reply right away that positivly I.D.'d them as being sculpted by Carol Safholm and produced by Brayton Laguna. Below, I've copied Jacks very interesting and informative email. Thanks to Jack we can all rest easier now!
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Hello Carlton,
You have a set created by sculptor Carol Safholm for the Brayton Laguna Pottery (Laguna Beach, CA) in the early 1950s. These figures are not easy to find.
I have the actual set that she herself owned; they were obtained after she moved into a retirement/convalescent home in Taos, NM a few years back.
Anything else you need to know?
Jack
www.jackchipman.com
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Outstanding, Carlton! Glad Jack ID'd them for you. He is a very nice fellow. I knew him years ago when before he started writing the California Pottery books and he was always glad to share information with everybody.
Good going, and if Jack says those are scarce, you can double dog bet they are!
Zip
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Thank the Lord
for Jack, I don't think I could have found a more sound
authority. Collectors... the squeeky wheel gets the grease!
PERSISTANCE PAYS
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ADDITIONAL
NOTES |
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Seller
replies to my request for more background info:
I called my mother and she told me they were a gift from
my father back in the 1950s. They were living in El Paso, Texas at the time. I
do not know if these were purchased there. I remember that he thought
these pieces may have been modeled after actual prize fighters. Joe
Lewis comes to mind but I am not certain. If you find out more I hope
you will let me know what you find out. Most of all I am glad that
you are happy with your purchase.I have not seen figurines like these before. I think it is going to
be hard to research. Best of luck to you.
Sandra
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My dad was in the Navy during WW II and was trained as a medic. After the war he used the GI Bill to go to dental school. During the Korean War he was in the Army as a pharmacist. After the War he finished Dental School and became a peridontist (sp?) Although dentistry was his job his real passion was history and art. He collected lots of western art and was friendly with some wonderful artists. He also wrote articles for the El Paso historical society. He loved books and tried to start a book business at one time but did not do well with it.
Sandra
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