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WelcomeI initially launched this site – with the able assistance of (first) my daughter-in-law and (now) my son webmaster – for two reasons. The first was to share my fascination with the numberless ways in which such a straightforward thing as a cow can be represented in the form of a creamer. The second was to invite others to help me pinpoint more specifically the origin and provenance of the many creamers that I own but haven’t been able to trace. Most come with little or no information and even generic terms like “Staffordshire” or “Delft” can be misleading; and in spite of several web sites that help with hallmarks and makers marks, there are many that are unmarked or with marks that I haven’t been able to locate. Over time however I’ve found a third reason to maintain and upgrade the site: my web searches to trace the creamers have given me many fascinating hours of fun learning about history, geography, pottery in general, and even evolution. I’ve tried to share some of the interesting things that I’ve learned in these web pages…starting with a bit about when, where, and maybe even why people started making these things, in the section on “History”. I’ve also found that I’m not alone – there are indeed other cow creamer collectors, and even more folks who have inherited one or more from a relative and want to learn a bit about it. I’m always delighted to converse with other collectors, and more than happy to try to help folks identify what they have. This works best of course if you send me a picture, but again the caveat is that I myself have little idea about the maker, or even the age, of many in my own collection. One touchy subject is value. About all I am either able or willing to do is tell roughly what I have paid for an item, and when and where I got it. Interests, thus values, shift greatly over time. Cow creamers were most popular from the early 1800s, through the Victorian era, and until around the 1930s. Though they ere are still many new ones available, and a fair number from those years, they have lost their star quality.
On-line sales, and particularly eBay, have also had a significant impact on price. When I had to scour the antique shops for cow creamers it was hard to impossible to figure out what was rare and what was common. It’s a lot easier now, and in many cases what I was originally excited to find, turns out to be pretty routine. The Jackfield creamers are a good example of this. When I lived in the UK (1995 and 1996) I’d very rarely see one, but now there are almost always 10-20 or more on offer on eBay. Also, some eBay sellers either don't know what they have, or fail to check what others are charging for what they're trying to peddle,, or have really weird ideas about what their precious thingy might be worth. Thus I’ve gotten some bargains, but probably have overpaid almost as often. So if you do want to ask me for advice, please be patient because I don’t always have ready access to email, and don’t expect anything more than very rough estimates about how much something may be worth. Indeed, your best bet is to start by looking for similar items on eBay or other auction sites. ThemesWith over two thousand cow creamers in the collection, plus assorted other cows that fit my basic two-hole rule (see My Story), I’ve tried to put some order into their presentation on this website. First, there are categories for the older or classic ones:
Then there are a lot of more modern ones, nominally 20c and 21c Here, I’ve tried to put a bit of order into things in the following way:
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