Saturday and Dishes

Saturday. Cloudy and raining, stayed in today to catch up on computer maintenance chores, cleaning, backups and upgrades. Went shopping late, groceries, nothing exciting there. Got in to the store, and they had buckets in every aisle, some, like the main aisle had 10 or 15, with caution signs leading around them, guess the roof has sprung a few leaks! Problem is the store can't be more than 6 years old! Winter will be interesting in bad weather, might need the umbrella indoors, so much for bad luck.

Well on to a more interesting subject - Dishes! Did I mention I love dishes? Granted, not really fancy stuff, but practical and useful. Just the kind of thing that is fun to collect, something you can actually use.

Dishes, actually china and tableware, are an interesting collectible as there is such an array and abundance of them, yet some sets take years to collect every item available in a pattern. Many companies made them, from inexpensive everyday items, to the "good" china; you know the ones your Mother or Grandmother only brought out on the Holidays.

Well today I have a the following to present to you, in it's time it would have been considered everyday stuff, but now you'd use it only occasionally. Here's a picture.

Yep, It's a carafe set with 4 cups!

A first glance I was thinking, well I was thinking COOL! - I like this stuff, very modern and stylish and in a great color to boot! Possibly Forties or Fifties design, with ceramic, metal and wood elements, very chic, and did I say, modern. The handle on the Carafe is wood attached to the neck with a black metal band, between the band and the metal is a rubber gasket. The handles on the cups are also metal an wood. Fiesta? Bauer? Vernon? Could it be one of those?

Well, some of the pieces are marked and I thought I recognized it, but wasn't positive, so off to do the other thing I love - RESEARCH!

There are two pieces that are marked, the carafe and one cup. Here is a photo of the mark on the carafe:

 

I know, it's a bit fuzzy, but here's what is says: GMcB in an oval/made in/USA

The GMcB stands for the Gladding-McBean company, they are probably most well known for their FRANCISCAN line of dinnerware, but that was made a few years after this was. This is their earliest mark used from 1934 till 1938, this was definitely earlier than Franciscanware. This is an EL PATIO Carafe set, the first dinnerware line this company designed and produced to compete with Bauer. It was produced in eight colors, this one is Golden Glow,  and the pattern was designed by Mary K. Grant.

Now, did I mention modern! This design is from 1934 and still looks fresh today, that's good design! Want to see more good design, check out the following picture.

The handles on the cups are removeable for cleaning! They just slide down to remove, then you can slip the cup back in for service. It stuff like this that satisfies the gadget geek in me!

Gladding-McBean was the first company to market "starter sets".  You know, four place settings in a single box, the way most of us buy china and tableware today! See what research turns up, and you thought dishes would be boring! I'm still finding more information, which I'll pass on to you later.

Well that's it for right now, 'nuff educatin' for tonight!  Good Night!