MEDALTA CANADIAN STONEWARE VINTAGE BEAN CROCK

This Great Stoneware Bean Crock was produced in the Prairie Province of Alberta, Canada in a little town known as Medicine Hat during the Great Depression Era. The size is 10” Diameter by 7” High. The color is orange brown with two applied handles with a terrific high glaze.

COMMENT: Many dealers have little or no clue about this pottery company other than it being marked.

From research over the years, we have gathered that many European immigrants, who settled in southern Alberta during the late 1880’s up turn of the century, brought with them some skills of pottery making. Eventually, around 1912 a group assembled and created a factory to be known as The Medicine Hat Pottery Co. Approximately three years later, it was renamed The Medalta Potteries Ltd.

By 1929-1930, Medalta was producing 75% of Canada’s pottery for use in home country and was as well exporting to New Zealand and Australia. This pottery company was highly successful due to the fact that it had great quality clay, lots of natural gas and oil and was near railways.

It supplied pottery to all parts of Canada. Stoneware was the choice of the Canadian farmer, since it was very durable and practically fragile free, for storage of food products; as well, it was great for cooking on the old coal stoves and in the ovens where heat was not always under precision control. A minor chip or crack still did not deter from its’ use for storage. It still withstood rough handling and cold fragile temperatures of the Prairie Winters. Large jars and crocks were favored by many because they held a lot and were multi purpose and would last for centuries to come.

Choice pieces were colored pieces which were more for the kitchen use rather than the pantry; also lending a little more color to  their kitchens to  brighten up the long cold winters of Canada. We seem to see some large stoneware crocks surface rather than the more whimsical oil pottery lamps or incense burners which are considerably rare.  In addition to jars and crocks, there were made jugs, pitchers, dinner plates, cups and saucers and other wares. Seldom do we see these objects because many of the earlier pieces got broken or discarded because of chipping and also the fact of thirsty Canadian collectors for the early and rare pieces have dried up and tightened the market flow on these objects.

Of course the earlier pieces are the choice pieces. By that, I mean from 1912 to about 1945. The factory did not go out of business until 1989. And now replicas are being made by artisans from Alberta for sale to the marketplace.

Why buy a replica when, if you search, you can still find nice pieces of this authentic Canadian Pottery? And here is one such piece just waiting for you. Yes, it is quite functional and safe to use and is not radioactive.

CONDITION: Excellent!