A small porcelain shoe made in Japan (MIJ). This is a knock-off of a shoe that was available from “The Home of Gifts, Mayer’s, Arlington Va.” in the early 1950s. The details of the hand-painted flowers on the last and on the top back of the slipper have been changed, and all the flowers are painted on slightly raised surfaces instead of being individually attached as in the original. However the overall dotted pattern found in the original heel has been hand-applied and is raised on the copy.

3 1/8 inches in length and 2 1/8 inches in height, 1 1/8 inch in width. The shoe is in excellent condition, with no cracks, chips or other damage.

The heel is stamped MADE IN JAPAN in red ink on the sole. A post WWII shoe, produced after 1952.
This shoe is noted in Collectible Glass Shoes Second Edition by Earlene Wheatley, Scroeder Books Publishing Co., Inc. 2001. It’s estimated collectors’ price in 2001 was $20.00 according to the Wheatley reference. Approximate collectors’ value now is $30.00.

A beige lustre shoe with a minimalist clown figure on the last.

The shoe has the imprint JAPAN and a double diamond above the heel on the back of the shoe. There is an imperfection at this site in the ceramic – a factory imperfection, not a chip. (Factory imperfections do not lower the value of collector shoes). There are no cracks or crazing.

The shoe also has a stamp on the sole, simply JAPAN, in black ink.

Estimated date of manufacture, pre-WWII shoe. Estimated collector’s value is $40.00 – $45.00.

Information from Collectible Glass Shoes Second Edition by Earlene Wheatley, Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc. (2001) and personal interviews and papers.

The Mosser Glass Company was started in 1959 by Tom Mosser who had worked extensively with the Cambridge Glass Company when it was in operation. The Mosser brand is well known for their authentic reproductions of early American slippers and boots using moulds perfected in the 1900s and others designed by Mosser.

This fragile glass ornament stands 2 1/4″ high and 1 1/2″ long. It has no identifying marks. Purchased circa 1995 for $4.00. Value approximately the same.

The boot is filled with a life-like vinyl trout, a fishing pole and string, and fly fishing lures with feathers.

A Christmas Tree Ornament of a single ski and attached ski boot. The boot is made of poly-resin and the ski is wood. There is a narrow elastic cord used for tie-up laces.

The bottom of the ski ornament has a gold oval sticker and black writing which indicates MADE IN CHINA.

]]> http://theshoecabinet.com/2008/01/09/elves-on-shoes-made-in-japan/ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:33:27 +0000 Bo Mackison http://theshoecabinet.com/2008/01/09/elves-on-shoes-made-in-japan/

This is a pair of ceramic high heeled shoes manufactured in Japan. They are dated from the 1950s kitschy era. Each shoe is decorated with an elf, one dressed in yellow, the other in pink. Much of the paint has worn off, notably the clothing and the bows which were once red. Each elf has a large brown bump on its forehead. (?) The faces, however, are in excellent condition.

The shoes each measure 3″ in length, 3″ in height and 1 5/8″ in width. There are no chips, cracks or crazing. The detailing is not sharp, but the outlines are evident.

Note the odd brown forehead ‘bump’, but also notice the delicate painted eyelashes.

The stamp in red reads JAPAN. This pair of shoes is part of the original Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and dates from the early 1950s.

The estimated collector’s value is $18.00 to $24.00 for the pair.

Information from The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carole Bess White published by Collectors Books, a division of Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc. in 1996 and personal records.

This is an art pottery baby shoe from an unknown maker, circa 1940s to early 1950s.

The shoes are in excellent with no cracks, chips or crazing. Good overall glazing Measurements are 4 1/4″ long, 2 5/8″ high and 1 15/16″ wide,

This shoe was purchased at auction in 1994 for $4.00.  This estimated collector’s value is $10.00.

Information from the reference book, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001. Other information was recorded from personal papers.

This is a china shoe made in Occupied Japan between the post WWII years 1946 through 1952. The manufacturer H Kato was a well-known producer of US imports

The shoe measures 2 7/8″ long, 1 1/8″high and 1″ wide. It is in very good condition with no cracks, chips or crazing. There is some minor paint fading.

Marks from Occupied Japan routinely do not carry the maker’s name, so this is an unusual mark. The shoe is an acquisition of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection, purchased at auction in December 2007 for $12.60.

Estimated collector’s value is $15.00.

Information from The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carol Bess White, published by Schroeder Publishing Co, 1996. Also from personal records.

These moccasins are unusually shaped and utilize three piece construction of pale, natural leather. There are tufts of rabbit fur on the toes of the shoes. The moccasins are pieced together with a tight machine sewn stitch.

They were purchased in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada and given to Lillian P Wood as a gift by Dr. and Mrs. Carl Lamb, her family friends. Purchased in the early 1940s. These are authentic miniature moccasins made for souvenirs by the Native Tribes.

Measurements for a single moccasin are 2 1/2″ in length, 1″ in height and 3/4″ in width. There are lined with cotton material.

These miniatures are 70 years old and in very good condition. They are well made, but the leather has discolored due to exposure and age.

Information obtained from personal papers.

These cream colored moccasins with gray rabbit fur on the uppers. Simple scalloped bead work around the openings and at the base of the front flap. A ten bead cross is on each vamp. The beads are multi-colored and glass.

These shoes were purchased at the Rockefeller Center in New York City in 1944. They were given to Lillian P Wood by daughters from a train trip they took to NYC. The two girls, aged 18 and 22, were invited to NYC to attend a Ships’ Ball at the Hotel Astoria. According to private papers, the daughters were in a train car loaded with servicemen and so they took turns sleeping throughout the trip.

The moccasins each measure 3″ long x 7/8″ wide x 1 1/2″ high. They were made by Native Americans as souvenirs.

Unknown purchase price and origin. Estimated collector’s value is $25.00 to $35.00.

Information from private papers and personal interview.

This intricately beaded pair of baby moccasins from the Oglala Tribe Sioux in Pine Ridge, South Dakota was given to Lillian P Wood by Edith Keane. The two women were well acquainted as they were both members and Past Presidents of the Home Extension Services of Adams County in Illinois. The moccasins had been in the Keane family for over 50 years when they were gifted in the 1950s.  circa 1880.

There are 17 rows of various colored glass beads on the vamps and tops, and 5 rows of white and brown beads in a pattern of crosses. Each shoe is approximately 3″ long, 1 3/4″ high and 1 1/4″ wide.

These are very fragile but intact, brain-tanned leather except for a 1/4″ tear on the left toe flap. Moccasins were originally tied together with sinew through pierced holes in each of moccasins but is only attached to one shoe now. Moccasins are stuffed with white wool. The shoes are constructed totally of soft leather and are sewn with throngs of hide.

These shoes in their current condition are valued at $120.00 to $150.00. Prices for Native American items at auction including many variations are found at http://www.livingstonandassociates.com/

There is further information about the Oglala Sioux at www.nativeamericans.com/Sioux.htm Information also from private papers and interviews.

This pair of vintage ceramic Dutch-style clogs are in very good condition and have no cracks, chips or crazing. There is some glaze discoloration on the openings on each shoe.

Each measures 1 3/8″ tall x 2 9/16″ long x 1 3/8″ wide.

They are marked “HORTON SPECIALTY CO. Liverpool, O.” The O is an abbreviation for the state of Ohio. The Horton pottery was in existence from 1932 through 1938.

The shoes were purchased at auction for $12.00 in December of 2007. Collector’s estimated value is $20.00 to $24.00.

Information on the Ohio Potteries found at www.themuseumofceramics.org/pottery

Miniature ’stirrup’ cup with rare attached handle. Very thin glass and very delicate, with no chips or cracks.

Hand-blown glass boot is approximately the size of this photograph and measures 1 5/8″ long, 1″ wide, and 1 7/16″ high, not including the handle. Circa 1880s.

The second photo is a better indication of the color of the boot.

This was purchased in the early 1990s at an antique store in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin and was a part of a 30 piece shoe collection begun by a woman in her eighties 50 years earlier. Five of these shoes were aquisitioned for the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection, the oldest and most valuable being this little treasure. Purchase for $18.00 in 1992, not its estimated collector’s value is $50.00 to $60.00.

This crystal Cinderella slipper rests on a red crystal cushion. It is a lovely, well-crafted piece and is of heavy leaded glass. It was made in Italy, specifically for Walt Disney World.

This was purchased at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in Epcot’s Italy village. The crystal shop sells fine crystal imported from Italy.

Purchase price was $25.00 in June, 1993. Current estimated collector’s value is $40.00.

This is a Vaseline Opalescent slipper from the Mosser Art Glass Company located in Cambridge, Ohio. It is one of a dozen pieces of Vaseline Glass that are in the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection. Some of the other Vaseline shoes in the collection are catalogued #007 through #013.

This shoe pattern was introduced in 1973 and listed in the Mosser line as “Rose Slipper #117″. It is still in production, and is made in several colors including, frost, pink and blue. The shoe measures 5 3/4″ long and 3″ high. This shoe has no cracks, chips or crazing.

The shoe was purchased at auction for $15.oo in December, 2007. Its current estimated collector’s value is $30.00 to $35.00. It is featured on pages 158-9 in the book Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001.

The Block Pottery was a family-owned business that operated in Los Angeles, California from 1940 to 1949. They made some of the best in California Pottery in that era.

The shoe is finished in a very smooth matte in an off-white with pink and blue trim. It measures 4 1/2″ long, 2 1/2″ high and 2 1/4″ wide. There are a pair of these shoes in the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection. The shoes have no cracks or chips, but there is a moderate amount of crazing.

This vintage shoe is typical of the major potteries’ production lines in the 1940s and 50s. Nearly every art pottery had a baby bootie planter in their catalogue offerings.

Although it is difficult to see in the photo, the pottery is identified “BLOCK POTTERY CALIFORNIA” on each shoe. These shoes are from the original collection. Unidentified gift.

The collector value of the pair is in the $75.00 to $85.00 range. They were valued at $60.oo in the reference book, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001. Other information was recorded from a personal interview with BJ.

Post-WWII Japan made a great deal of ceramics as it was one of the industries encouraged as it was considered safe and non-military. It has a “MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN” stamp on the sole in red ink. This stamp was required on all imports from post WW II Japan from 9.2.45 to 4.28.52.

It was less expensive to copy an existing shoe rather than design originals, and the practice was accepted and pervasive. Note these two shoes are similar. They are each a copy of a single shoe maufactured by two Japanese companies. The shoes are approximately the sizes shown in the photograph. The right shoe measures 1 7/8″ long, 1 1/4″ high and 15/16″ wide. The left shoe has slightly different dimensions: length is 1 15/16″, height is 1 1/2″ and width is 1 1/16.” Obviously, they are nearly the exact size.

But there are many clear contrasts. The right shoe has more delicate features – a better quality of ceramic material, a nicely detailed rose, and the pink flower is painted and shaded nicely. The gold has been applied with a steady hand, and totally rings the rim. The left shoe is made with less care. The white ceramic has stained and cannot be cleaned. The pink rose is inferior in quality, though the blue flower and leaves are nearly alike. The gold has rubbed off on half of the rim.

They each have a “MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN” stamp on the sole in black ink; they are obviously two different imprints. This type of stamp was required on all imports from Japan during post-WWII, dating from 9.2.45 to 4.28.52. All Occupied Japan collectibles have the distinct advantage of accurate dating. These shoes are between 55 to 62 years old. There are no chips, cracks or crazing on either of these shoes.

Occupied Japan collectibles are sought after, since there are a finite number of items, and will only become more valuable. However currently these are not expensive shoes. Estimated collector value of the right shoe is $6 to $12 and of the left shoe, $4 to $8.

Information about the shoes was found in the books, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001 and and The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carol Bess White, published by Schroeder Publishing Co, 1996.

This is a delicate porcelain shoe of very good quality, very light and very strong in a matte pink.  Open  eyelets and nice detail are features of this little bootie.

The shoe measures 3 3/8″ in length, 1 3/4″ in height, and 1 7/16″ in width.  There is a pink porcelain rose and green leaves affixed to the toe.  There are no chips, cracks or crazing.

There is a pink porcelain rose and green leaves affixed to the toe.

The bottom of the shoe has no manufacturing marks, but has information regarding acquisition to the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection.  It was given to Lillian P Wood in July of 1956 by family.  It was purchased in Park Rapids, Minnesota, a resort town on the MN/ND border.

Proof that nearly any type of shoe can be a part of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection. This hand-made shoe was fashined by an elderly friend of Lillian when she was in her late 80s.

The shoe is made of two pieces of thin plastic with a lace pattern imprinted on it. It has been sewn together using blue embroidery floss. If you look carefully, you can observe that the eyelets are punched hearts. There is a piece of curling ribbon for the bow.

Approximately 3″ long and 1 3′8″ wide. There is no estimated value, though it might make an interesting beginning sewing project for a young girls’ troop or club.

No estimated value.  Shoe is in storage.

This is a white porcelain baby shoe with a blue ribbed top, peach colored stars around the bottom near the sole and dabbed flowers on the sides. It also has a dark blue painted ribbon which goes in and out of a design in the shoe.

It measures 3 3/8″ in length, 2 5/8″ in height and 2″ in width. Perfect condition, with no chips or cracks.

The shoe is decorated with a satin purple ribbon tied in a bow and a purple silk flower with leaves. It has two strands of little pearls sticking out from the flower. It is actually quite cute and fairly well made.

Yong Feng Shangdian is the store in the China Pavillion in Epcot Village in the DisneyWorld Complex in Orlando, Florida. It is the only Yong Feng Shangdian store that I have found on the Internet and there were Florida government papers documenting the formation of this store with a fictionalized name for this specific site. The shoe is assumed to have been manufactured in China.

I have no recall of purchasing this shoe, but our family did visit Epcot in 1986, so it is possible it was a purchase then. My only question is the price. Could this really have only cost $1.50? Actually it probably did. I keep forgetting that 1986 was 21 years ago.

Estimated value now is probably $7.00 to $10.00 on a site like eBay.

Information from interviews and personal papers of BJ and BP.

A Christmas Ornament Shoe. These ornaments are a popular gift to me from my children (JA, JE, AB 2004) and my tree sports maybe 20 shoe ornaments,

This little shoe, nearly the size in the photograph, is a resin shoe from China. It’s detail is nice, including a ruffled opening and a raised buckle with a golden disk in the center. These shoes are a part of the Collection, because all gifts are accepted, especially Christmas gifts from children. The collection does not routinely acquire resin-based shoes.

This curiosity was purchased at a department discount store for less than $5.00 and has little to no collector value.

I promised early on that nearly any ’shoe’ was accepted (and proudly displayed) by the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection.  This fancy red Christmas Ornament is no exception.  Suffice to say that it was a very adored Christmas present from an adored 4 year old to her adored mother.  (AB in 1992)

It is really quite something, and I am grateful for a photograph for I do not want to go into much detail – understandably.  It does rather creep into your Christmas-spirit-heart, though, if given half a chance.

It is a monster ornament, 4 1/2″ high (not counting feathers and beads) and 4″ long.  The material is a velveteen-sort glued over heavy cardboard and is trimmed in gold  and red braid.  Also adorned with purple gathered flowers and tiny green leaf beads. The beads are actually quite cool.

I have absolutely no hard data on this curiosity, except as with all gifts from small children, it is not for sale.

These red ‘rubber’ boots are deceiving. They look about as heavy as fluff, but they are made of a very fine, but rather heavy, ceramic.  The detail and painting are excellent. Notice the spattering of snowflakes on each boot. There are also knit green socks in the boots which are full of bits of tiny bits of snow.

The boots are 2 1/2″ long and 1 15/16″ high, and 7/8″ wide. They are tied together with string and are literally thrown over a Christmas pine bough.

These were a gift to the Christmas Ornament Shoe Collection set of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and were presented in ≈ 2000 by RM. I am told, but have no written record, that these ‘firefighter boots’ were originally purchased at the famed L. L. Bean Company  for ≈ $10.00.  I cannot find these boots in any of my online or off-line references.  If anyone knows anything more, please be sure and leave a comment and I’ll amend the information if necessary.  Thanks.

Dutch shoes appear in any setting, including double hung from a red ribbon. Just throw it over an evergreen branch and you’re done decorating.

Solid wood toe, painted bright blue interior, varnished wood exterior. Shoes are slightly larger than the photo.

No extra decoration on the sides; MADE IN CHINA sticker in gold and black oval.

Rough hand-painted “Holland scene” though the trees with the gray lines are unusual. Who knows?

Christmas ornament is part of the Christmas Ornament Collection, a sub-set of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection. This was an original pair of shoes in the collection. Unknown date. Most likely in the early 1960s.