Muncie Pottery Company

Last updated: July 29, 2010

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I am currently working on a book about Muncie pottery. The text portion is about 80 percent complete. I am the author of Phoenix & Consolidated Art Glass 1926-1980 which contains a chapter on Muncie Pottery. That chapter focused on the designs that Reuben Haley did for Muncie pottery. The book I am working on will cover the entire range of pottery produced at Muncie. I expect to publish it electronically, on the Internet.

I am looking for an original copy of the 1926 Muncie Clay Product catalog. I am also looking for an original copy of the circa 1931 10 page brochure "How Muncie Pottery is Made." If you can help me find either, or are willing to loan me yours so I can have it photographed for the book, then please click below to send me an email message - Thanks in Advance!!!

I would also like to talk to collectors of Muncie pottery for research purposes. Many of the Muncie pieces are not illustrated in any known catalog and can only be identified by indelible pencil shape number markings found on some of them. If you collect or sell Muncie pottery and have pieces with indelible shape numbers markings on their base I would like to hear from you.

This images shows an indelible pencil shape number (483) marking on the base of a Muncie shape number 483 vase. Just below the indelible pencil shape number marking you can also see the inscribed finishers marks: 3 A. These indelible pencil shape numbers are quite important in identifying Muncie shape numbers as no catalog has been found showing the high 400 (460 through 496) shape numbers.
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Muncie Clay Products Company

Muncie Pottery Company was located in Muncie, Indiana. In 1919 they started production of art pottery as the Muncie Clay Products Company. They produced mat as well as high (they called their high glaze "bright") glaze pottery. This was a very small pottery company. At the peak of production they only employed 20 people.

Reuben Haley Designs for Muncie

In 1929 they introduced a line of art pottery designed by Reuben Haley. Motifs mirror some of his work at Consolidated Glass Company. One of the especially desirable lines mimics the Ruba Rombic line produced at Consolidated Glass Company . Since this is an Art Deco design there are pottery collectors, Art Deco collectors and Consolidated Glass Collectors all looking for the same items.

Muncie shape 300 Ruba Rombic fan vase---a Great Art Deco piece!!! This is one of the harder Muncie Ruba Rombic shapes to find but it is definitely worth the hunt (don't you agree?),

Spanish Line

Muncie also produced a "Spanish" line of pottery (also designed by Reuben Haley) that mimics the Consolidated Glass Company's Catalonian line of glassware. There are only five (5) shapes in the Spanish line. One, commonly called the "Low Aorta" vase resembles the Catalonian Nasturtium vase.

Muncie shape 278 Spanish "Low Aorta" vase, white over rose (the "Aorta" nickname was coined by Willard Heiss, Muncie pottery collector and researcher).

Reuben Haley also designed some figural pieces for Muncie, including:

Katydid vase
Tropical fish vase
Love Birds pillow vase (note that the bulbous Love Birds vase commonly found in yellow and green and identified as Muncie in my book was not made by Muncie. We are not sure who made it but I am now certain it was not Muncie).
Love Birds footed console bowl. It has six pairs of Love Birds in the bowl. This console bowl is one of the rarer Muncie figural pieces and is currently missing from my collection so if you have one for sale you know where your buyer is!!!

Muncie shape 194 Katydid vase

In 1931 (during the Great Depression) Muncie was recapitalized and renamed Muncie Potteries. It continued production until 1939. A ten page brochure with the title "How Muncie Pottery is Made" was produced around 1931 (it is undated but carries the Muncie Potteries name). That brochure is one of the items I need to include in my book. I need to purchase an original copy or borrow an original copy to have photographed for the book. Please help me locate this brochure.

In the 1980's the prices for Muncie Pottery items were usually less that one hundred ($100) dollars. This has changed because of the demand for these items and it is not unusual to see Muncie Pottery (in the more desirable lines) priced in the $200 to $300 range (and higher for very rare examples in either hard to find patterns or rare glazes). Compared to other small art pottery makers Muncie is still cheap and underrated.

I am currently working on a book about Muncie pottery. It is about 80 percent complete. I am looking for an original copy of the 1926 Muncie Clay Product catalog. I am also looking for an original copy of the circa 1931 10 page brochure "How Muncie Pottery is Made."
Click here to send me an email message

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