Being that Gin-For’s Odditiques has the most information on WG pottery I’ve ever found, I chose the above heading.  Besides – “West German Pottery, Art Pottery, Porcelain, Glass, Paintings, Corporate Cats, Life and Death, Puns and Giggles” seemed a bit lengthy. You’ll see what I mean when you get there, so I’ll stick to the main subject.

Ginny and Forrest collect, buy and sell West German Pottery, one of the rare collectibles that has a relatively short and definite period of production – 1949 to 1990. They boast of one of the finest selections of WG pottery in the U.S. and I don’t doubt it.  Addicted to auctions and antiques since 1991, they began focusing on W. German pottery about 1997.  A few years later, they created the ginforsodditiques.com site and began to share their still growing knowledge of the field, including makers, marks, quality, buying, glazes, values and more.

Lots and lots of excellent photos (oh, happy day!) of marks and pottery categorized by company, color, size and more.  They’ve even kept their sold items online (with bottom marks) to help you with identification, along with added notes referring to designers, glazes, shape numbers, etc.

Not content with just facts and photos, informed and practical articles on collecting WG pottery, values, etc. – Gin-For’s Odditiques created a running commentary through their Facebook page where collectors meet up to share their finds, ask questions, and make new friends.  Forrest and Ginny continually update their website, every time I visit there’s something new.

And, as I said earlier, a whole lot more.  You MIGHT be able to go through the West Germany pottery in an evening if you skip dinner and TV and your regular bedtime. But you’ll definitely have to come back again and again if you want the full monty.  A combination of wit and wisdom, you won’t regret visiting http://www.ginforsodditiques.com/.

Tell ‘em I sent ya’
Victoria

For those of you who collect carnival glass (or wish you did), the go-to website for information is David Doty’s Carnival Glass Website at http://www.ddoty.com/index.html.  No registration or membership required, David graciously shares his information with all.

Over 1600 pages and 4000 photographs covers more than 1100 patterns including estimated prices.  Indexed by name, shape, motif, and maker, the chances are you can identify your piece even if you start out clueless.  Using the Google site search, you can quickly narrow down specifics from even the vaguest beginning.

Overlapping categories make navigating this site a breeze.  Besides the indexes mentioned, a comprehensive list of categories can take you right to information you need; back patterns, maker marks, edge treatments, colors, tumblers, vase identification, lighting, ashtrays, common geometric patterns, novelties,  rarities, whimsies, oddities, and a whole lot more.

What’s a swung vase?  The Illustrated Glossary can answer that and more.  New to Carnival Glass?  There’s a special section just for you.  History of carnival glass, how it’s made, contemporary carnival glass, fakes, price trends, upcoming events, and even helpful information on buying a digital camera.

The photos are excellent – close-up with all the detail.  A great deal of the information within this site can be used as reference for any type of glass.  Visit http://www.ddoty.com/index.html and consider making a donation.  For less than the cost of a carnival glass book, you can help keep this website going strong, continually providing more and updated information.

Visit, see and learn.  Tell ‘em I sent ya.  ~ Victoria