Nemadji Pottery, need some input please-thanks!

Hi everyone,
I did some research and got some info on this type of pottery, but here is where I am confused.

The prices are all over the place.
Are the prices lower or higher depending on height, colors markings etc?
What makes some more desirable than others price wise.

I know condition is most important, but beyond that it is so confusing.

Here is a link to one on Etsy (not mine) of one vase I found (sorry no pics yet)
and this one has the same stamp on the base as mine and is the same height with similar colors.
I think mine is way cleaner though.

Any input would be appreciated. I mostly deal with glass, so this is not my area.
Thank you!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/552656..._query=nemadji pottery vase&ref=sr_gallery_17

 

It is nice, Pearls.
I am intrigued by the line "Indian Pottery (From Native Clay)". I take it this person means NA, but maybe it isn't NA? And would anyone use foreign clay in the US, surely they have enough clay? I guess I am being too European again.

 

Thanks Any Jewelry, yep, I was thinking about importing some foreign clay but there is a travel ban going on here.

Need to buy some groceries, BBL.

 

Ah, yes, that foreign clay, couldn't do without it myself.

 

The clay is only native to the region where the pottery is produced, but, duh.

 

Nothing Indian about it - never was - just a marketing gimmick

 

It certainly isn't like any NA pottery I know, and the 'Indian head' mark doesn't look very NA either. The description is desparately trying to suggest something without actually naming it, for legal reasons probably.
Why don't they just call it what it is, there is no shame in a product being non-NA, the problem starts when you suggest a non-NA product is NA.

 

99% of Nemadji is worth what you can get for it ...... not much. There are collectors and the unusual pieces can bring a bit more. Large is also good. Early pieces can be identified by a more buff tone clay base and a clear lacquer coated interior. I have yet to see collectors make much of a distinction between the old and the new. The pottery closed in 2001 so values might increase over time.

Checking ebay just now, I see that prices have increased a tiny bit over what they were a few years ago. Now see some selling over $10.00 which would a rarity in the past.

 

Thank you everyone for your input. I didn't pay much for the vase... $1, so I will give it a go when I can take some pics and see what happens.

I almost forgot my pottery class in college... attempted to make an ashtray and it looked like a 2 year old made it. No offense to 2 year old kids.

 

I've also noted more customers at the mall interested in Nemadji. It's selling a bit quicker. Still not get many $$$ but before we couldn't give it away.
Don

 

Thanks Don.
I watch my competitors on Etsy a lot. I noted a few successful sellers sold this pottery (though the shapes and colors were different) so I figured why not try if I found a piece that I could get for not to much money. For a dollar, I can take a chance.

 

In my experience no two Nemadji pieces are exactly the same - the shape may be identical but not the decoration.

If you can get something for $1 and sell it for $9-$12 that's not a bad return. I take $1 chances all the time. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it ends up in the Goodwill box, but each $1 piece has proved a valuable learning experience. It's gotten so the auctioneers look at me when they're trying to get that $1 bid.
Don

 

Nemadji was souvenir pottery made by the Nemadji Tile and Pottery Company of Minnesota, and called "Indian" pottery by the company until the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 made it illegal to sell anything as "Indian" unless it was actually made by an enrolled member of a U.S. tribe.

According to "The Myth And Magic Of Nemadji Indian Pottery" by Michelle D. Lee, the idea that it is Indian or Native American is one of the best examples of how the public can be deceived for years by deliberately misleading and deceptive advertising.

Meaningless terms like "Native Clay," (it wasn't even local, after 1970 the clay came from Ohio and Kentucky), and stamps featuring arrowheads, canoes, and the ubiquitous Indian head profile, helped create the idea it was Native American.

Nemadji would even produce specialized stamps for some wholesale customers. Dozens of different stamped marks were used, from 1929-2002, and for those who collect it, the older and more "rare" marks may have an impact on price.

The actual process of decorating with the distinctive swirling colors (from Pittsburgh Paint) was developed by a Danish potter, Eric Hellman, who went on to work for Van Briggle and Broadmoor, before starting his own pottery, Garden of the Gods (which looks like Nemadji pottery), in Colorado. He also made the original hand-thrown pots used to create the molds that Nemadji pottery was made from.

 

Thank you for your info!