Roseville pottery is popular with collectors for its beauty, craftsmanship, variety of patterns, and history.
The Roseville Pottery Company of Roseville, Ohio, was a major player in the American art pottery movement, producing a wide range of decorative ceramics. Though any Roseville is great to collect, early art pottery lines are particularly coveted and can fetch high prices.
FACTORS THAT INCREASE VALUE
Much of the Roseville pottery on the market today is over a century old, which speaks to its timeless appeal. The company’s high-quality pieces, made from 1890 to 1954, include bowls, jardinieres, umbrella stands, vases, and wall pockets that collectors eagerly seek.
From pieces with simple matte glazes to ones with elaborate decorations, nearly 100 different lines and patterns were made, but not all of them are equally valuable. While many pieces in common patterns sell for under $20, others, like Della Robbia, can fetch tens of thousands.
A pattern is more valuable if it comes from an early production run, is rare, is in excellent condition without any chips, scratches, or other damages, was created by a notable designer, and is in high demand.. Large forms, like umbrella stands, also tend to carry large prices.
Though other Roseville patterns can sell for big sums, like Rozane Olympic, the movers and shakers over the past three years have consistently been pieces in the following five lines, according to WorthPoint’s Price Guide.
THE TOP 5 LINES
DELLA ROBBIA
One of Roseville’s most significant lines, Della Robbia is also one of the most prized by collectors. It rarely comes to market, and when it does, it brings premium prices.
An early line in the Arts and Crafts style, Della Robbia had a limited production run from 1906 to 1907 and was developed by famed English ceramicist Frederick Hurten Rhead, the company’s art director from 1904 to 1908.
The colorful and elaborately decorated handcrafted pieces were time-consuming to make and involved a technique of multiple castings, carvings, and the application of up to five different colored glazes. Roseville’s 1906 Rozane Ware catalog listed three teapots, eighteen vases, and an additional eighty-three Della Robbia designs; some pieces have the Rozane wafer mark.
Rhead’s Della Robbia pieces dominate the high-end market, and collectors are willing to pay top dollar, especially when offered by a trusted source, like WorthPoint’s Industry Partner Rago Arts and Auction Center, whose specialties include Roseville.
Over the past three years, Della Robbia pieces have sold between $635 and $30,000. The top 5 pieces, all by Rhead and auctioned by Rago, are:
1. Potpourri jar with stylized blossoms, $30,000, 2022.
2. Rare and tall reticulated vase with wild roses, $23,750, 2022.
3. Rare vase with daisies, $20,000, 2022.
4. Monumental vase with daffodils, $17,640, 2023.
5. Rare covered jar with African violets, $16,380, 2023.
FUTURA
The top-selling Futura piece over the last three years is this vase that fetched $12,102 in 2022.
The art deco-styled Futura was introduced in 1928 and designed by Frank Ferrell, Roseville’s art director from 1918 to 1952. This popular pattern was produced in a range of colors and primarily made in a variety of vases, but shapes also included baskets, candle holders, flower blocks, jardinieres, and pedestals. Some pieces have been given nicknames by collectors, like Elephant Leg, Michelin Man, and Tank.
Futura was marked with paper labels, and some examples have handwritten shape numbers.
Though most Futura pieces have sold between $100 to $300 in the last three years, hundreds of other examples fetched over $1,000. The top 5 pieces are:
1. Rare Chinese bronze vase, $12,102, 2022.
2. “Michelin Man” vase, $3,695, 2024.
3. Balloons Globe vase, $1,825, 2024.
4. Double-handed Arches vase, $1,800, 2025
5. Purple crocus vase, $1,799, 2025.
PINE CONE
The highest-selling Pine Cone piece of the last three years is this vase in a rare pink color that fetched $3,750 in 2022.
Pine Cone (also spelled by collectors as Pinecone) was introduced in 1935 and remains a perennial favorite of collectors today. Also designed by Ferrell, pieces were made in blue, brown, and green, and included ashtrays, bookends, bowls, candlesticks, jardinieres, and wall pockets. These early pieces had foil labels, with some also having handwritten shape numbers.
A related line, Pine Cone Modern, was introduced in 1950. These pieces have raised or die-impressed Roseville script marks and shape numbers in the 400s.
Though most Pine Cone items have sold over the last three years between $100 and $200, large examples or those in a rare color can command thousands, like these top 5 pieces:
1. A vase in a rare pink color, $3,750, 2022.
2. Jardiniere and pedestal, $2,695, 2022.
3. Green umbrella stand, $2,200, 2023.
4. Brown umbrella stand, $2,150, 2023.
5. A brown handled bowl and a blue basket or centerpiece bowl each sold for $1,999 in 2023.
SUNFLOWER
Introduced in 1930 and designed by Ferrell, Sunflower features beautiful blooming sunflowers, green leaves, and a textured background. Shapes include bowls, umbrella stands, wall pockets, and jardinieres and vases, which are especially desired.
Pieces were originally marked with paper labels, and some also had handwritten shape numbers.
Though most pieces have sold in the last three years between $200 and $300, many others, especially large examples and ones with trial glazes, have fetched four figures. The top 5 include:
1. Jardiniere and pedestal, $5,000, 2024.
2. This jardiniere and pedestal, as well as this one, sold for $2,500 in 2023, while a vase with a trial glaze also sold for $2,500 in 2024.
3. Another vase with a trial glaze, $2,074, 2023.
4. Floor vase, $1,895, 2023.
5. This pot-shaped vase, as well as this one, each sold for $1,500 in 2025.
TOURIST
The hard-to-find Tourist pattern was introduced in 1916 as part of Roseville’s Creamware line. Forms included bowls, jardinieres, planter boxes, umbrella stands, and vases.
The Tourist line coincided with the time of increasing car travel, and the cream-colored pieces feature charming art deco decals of people driving in the country. These scenes also have cheeky humor. In the early days of car travel, it was seen as an annoying folly of the wealthy, and Tourist pieces take a playful poke at this. Scenes include a motorist being pulled by a horse after his car breaks down, a cow being startled by an approaching jalopy, and an auto that spooks a horse, which throws its rider.
Over the last three years, Tourist pieces have sold between $500 and $19,800. In 2023, WorthPoint Industry Partner Matthews Auctions offered five Tourist pieces from an automobilia collection that collectors eagerly snapped up for thousands. The top 5 pieces in the database are from that auction:
1. Planter box, $19,800.
2. Umbrella stand, $13,200.
3. Pedestal, $13,200.
4. Jardiniere with a red car $10,200.
5. Jardiniere with a blue car, $6,000.
In Conclusion
When collecting Roseville pottery, it’s essential to know the various markings the company used on its pieces, which included die-impressed signatures, ink stamps, and foil and paper labels, many of which are missing today. Unmarked pieces should be authenticated by a professional, especially since many patterns have been reproduced.
Marks that Roseville Pottery used over the years can be found in WorthPoint’s Marks database. The library also has eight books for learning more about Roseville and its lines and patterns.
Adina K. Francis has been a writer and editor in the antiques and collectibles field for more than twenty years. She has a bit of an obsession with the Victorians and thinks that dogs are one of life’s greatest gifts.
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