Muncie Pottery Later Arts and Crafts Shapes

Muncie Pottery had been producing art pottery for only 5 years when 1929 came to call. The four lines by Reuben Haley nearly bankrupted them due to staggering failure rates in the production process. The bright spot was that the company was getting large orders from retailers across the country such as L.S. Ayers, Charles Mayer, The Zangs Company, and Marshall Fields for their arts and crafts work. Most of the other major pottery companies such as Roseville Pottery had abandoned the style, leaving a solid niche for Muncie Pottery. In an effort to expand their market share, Muncie Pottery produced approximately 50 more arts and crafts designs around 1929. The majority were hand-thrown and jigged pieces, establishing their niche as one of the last producers of arts and crafts pottery in the United States. By 1932 they had added another 50 or so, their final offerings before eventual bankruptcy.

Shapes 400 through 449 were introduced in 1929, with a small selection of un-glazed garden ware designated as 450 through 459. Most of the garden ware pieces deteriorated quickly in the weather, and little more than shards remain for collectors to sort through.

Shapes 460 through 495 were released in 1930, 1931, and 1932. With the depression in full swing, even the inexpensive ceramics of the Muncie Pottery could not sell to a public with massive unemployment. The final effort included water sets offered barely above production costs.

The following shapes have common names associated with them by collectors and dealers which were not designated by the company originally:

1. 403 The UFO

2. 432 Floppy Vase

3. 446 4-fold Vase

4. 448 Two-Cups

5. 468 Snowman

6. 472 Ball Vase

   Every color and combination in the Muncie book were used on these final lines. Most common are white, black, and sprayed matte green over lilac, the cheapest glazes to manufacture and apply.

   Below is a guide to the Later Muncie Pottery arts and crafts shapes. Those listed as "No Image" do not occur in any known catalogs and await the discovery of additional catalogs to identify them. If you are in possession of original catalogs, advertisements, or other paperwork relating to Muncie Pottery, please contact The Kings Fortune to help us keep our information as accurate as possible.