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Restaurant China - Volumes 1 and 2 Reviews

Reviewer: Jeff Elmendorf (22 October 2004)

Sometimes I'm simply blown away by how little I really know about Antiques and Collectibles. Sure, I can keep up a glib passing conversation at a party, over coffee or even on the occasional Television or Radio show but from time to time I'm really humbled. Such is the case with these recent guides on commercial or restaurant china ware.

Though I've always been aware of great glass and ceramic restaurant ware from the 50's and 60's and bits and pieces of Railroad and Airline china, I simply had no concept on just how broad these categories truly were. It is the publication of guides like this that really keep my blood flowing and interest high in all things collectible.

It's actually hard to know where to start in describing these guides. Since they are so jam packed, so I guess I will just jump right in.

Volume 1 is dedicated mostly to Airline, Ship and Railroad china but also touches other restaurant areas, though the majority of this coverage is saved for volume 2.

The introduction materials before each section really get you in the mood for the area covered and feature extended history of the service (e.g. airline). Old photos of pieces in use both in black and white and color, characteristics and manufacturers, show information as well as other reference materials to check out. By the time you've read and looked at the introductions you’re ready to travel but you'll have to be content with marveling at how others enjoyed their meals in the past.

If the introductions were the appetizer, then the price guide sections are certainly an eight or ten course meal. Each page features six full color photos of pieces along with dating information, manufacturer, stock number and a brief range of value. With the high quality photos and provided details all the guess work has been eliminated and value determination is a snap.

Within these guides there is really another hidden guide that could stand alone, commercial china markings. The details along with clear illustrations of markings are as good or better than any other marking guide I've come across.

Volume 2 features almost twice the page count of its predecessor and is organized by commercial china manufacture versus the service area and features three full pages of manufactures in the index. Again it is not only the sheer amount of pictures and represented items but also the great accompanying markings pages and historical background that make this guide one that likely will never be able to be beaten. You'll also find a good deal more in terms of advertising and original catalog pages and company history to put everything into perspective.

I was surprised to find little or no overlap between the volumes and when you look in the index, for example, for railroad china you are referred to Volume 1. A further testament to the completeness of coverage.

Bottom line - These guides are spectacular. The scope of this pair of guides is staggering. Chock full of history, markings and beautiful color pictures they will open a whole new world of collecting both for those who think they are "experts," as well as those just starting out.

These kind of pieces are out there, for the most part, in abundance and you can probably still find some nice Flea Market bargains in this category but not if you don't know what to look for. Granted, it's a significant, even daunting, task given that both of these guides are the size of a challenging college course text book, but you are rewarded for reading them page after page.

Reviewer: Linda Nelson. May 2003, American Dinnerware columnist

The commercial grade of dinnerware, commonly known as restaurant china, serves meals on airplanes, ships, and trains, as well as in restaurants, the military, schools, and many other establishments. To collectors, this dinnerware can represent exotic, far away places or bring to mind memories of a collector's own past. Hundreds of dinnerware manufacturers appeared and disappeared over the past 100 years and a few companies go back as far as several centuries. So it's not surprising that restaurant china collectors want to learn all they can about this intriguing collectable.
In two 8 1/2x11-inch volumes, Barbara J. Conroy covers in detail restaurant china manufactured around the world. Readers may have a difficult time choosing one book over the other and ultimately may decide that both are essential to their pursuit of restaurant china.

Transportation Emphasis
Following nearly identical introductions in both hardback books, Volume 1 and 2 then diverge into separate approaches to this dinnerware. The 368-page Volume 1 begins with airline dinnerware, then moves on to ship and railroad china before examining military, western, and oriental motif china. Ms. Conroy also covers china used in casinos, amusement parks and fairgrounds, and company dining rooms, although the bulk of the book is devoted to airline, ship, and railroad dinnerware. She also presents a selection of manufacturers pieces that include samples and employee gifts. Volume 1, which was first published in August 1998, was updated with new prices in March 2003.
Ms. Conroy has also developed extensive charts showing the logos and marks of airlines, ship lines, and railroads, which are printed in black and white with additional information about the companies represented. Volume 1 ends with a discussion of the manufacturing process and terms used in the industry. The index makes it easy to locate the customers that dinnerware was made for.

Photographs
Most photographs of dinnerware examples in both books are the excellent work of her husband, Joe Conroy. Captions underneath photographs of representative dishes include size, manufacturer, date code information, and suggested price ranges. Additionally, many company photographs from brochures, advertisements, or catalogs give a historical perspective as well as additional information.

Alphabetic Arrangement
On the other hand, Volume 2 is arranged alphabetically by manufacturers. Ms. Conroy has this 656-page book chock-full of useful information for collectors. Each manufacturer's section includes history, location and dates of production, date code information, backstamps, and other production information as well as color photographs of dinnerware and examples of product brochures, advertisements, and catalog pages. Price ranges for pieces are included in the captions with size and date code information and the establishment that used the item. Values were updated in 2002.
Seven appendices provide additional information. Appendix I supplies limited information on an additional 89 manufacturers with some backstamps illustrated. Appendix II lists manufacturers by country. Appendix III illustrates and explains the relationships among some American commercial china manufacturers that have confusing histories with mergers and buyouts. Appendix IV provides information about distributors and parent companies to assist collectors with determining the date of their dinnerware. Appendix V gives information concerning English registration marks and numbers. Appendix VI and VII lists restaurant chains and hotel chains respectively and gives brief information about each one. Logos are included for many of these companies.

Expertly Written
The Conroys have collected restaurant china together for about 20 years. Ms. Conroy spent more than six years in intense study for these books, and her careful research is evident in these two volumes. Recognizing that any book can have errors or new information will become available, Ms. Conroy directs readers to her Web site for corrections and additions. Many of the changes have already been incorporated into recent reprints of the books. Her Web site supplies much interesting information, including some excerpts from the books.

Volume 1 Reviews

Reviewer: C. Borden "potteryfreak", Ontario, Canada, August 3, 2005

Barbara Conroy shares her extensive personal experience as a collector in this invaluable reference work. The photography is exceptional, with hundreds of examples of dinnerware pictured in each of the four main categories, along with copies of period advertisements and brochures. Each section also includes a painstakingly assembled collection of hundreds of logos to assist the collector in identifying the company the dinnerware was produced for. A must-have reference book for the serious restaurant, airline, ship and railroad china collector! Pair this book up with Volume 2 of the series and you can push all your other books to the back of the shelf, you won't need them anymore.

Reviewer: Don Johnson, AntiqueWeek, October 12, 1998

"Having more than 360 pages of information, Restaurant China, Volume 1 may very well leave one striking question in the minds of readers---there's more to come?
That's hard to believe, considering the depth to which the subject is covered in this first book. Airline, ship and railroad china draw the bulk of the attention in this initial volume, constituting the first 265 pages. The author provides a mixture of advertisements and color photographs of various types of china, with values. Logos and topmarks are also illustrated, with descriptions, some dates and useful comments.
The last 100 pages examine various types of restaurant china that have received little if any attention in reference books. Those topics include military and government china, Western and Southwestern theme restaurant china, Oriental restaurant china, sports restaurant china, casino restaurant china, amusement park and fairground restaurant china---you get the idea.
Face it, how many books identify and price china bearing the logo of the United States Army Transport or Metropolitan Life Insurance Company? While the coverage of these later categories is not as complete as that found in the sections for airline, ship, and railroad china, it's certainly a start.
The author rounds out the book with information on shapes and various forms of china, an examination of the manufacturing process, and an in-depth look at decorating techniques. Add the detailed index and extensive use of bibliographical notes, and collectors have a sure winner in this title.
Restaurant China, Volume 1 is guaranteed to set the standard for all other books to come. And at $24.95 it's a small price to pay for so much information."

Reviewer: unknown, 1999

Collectors have been waiting for years for coverage of this very broad subject which offers so many choices including restaurant, hotel, airline, ship, railroad, military, government, corporate, casino, amusement park, Western, hospital, school, club and other commercial china. The ware itself generates a great deal of nostalgia and people often specialize in something that has affected theirs or their family's life. For example, those who worked for an airline or flew a great deal might find airline china quite fascinating .......the number of fine china airline patterns in Volume 1 is surprising and we have doubled the number of patterns in our collection since publication. Even Royal Doulton enthusiasts may choose this type of tableware, as that company produces approximately twenty-five percent of the first and business class airline patterns. Baby boomers might fancy the drive-in china of their youth, an "Army brat" - military china, gaming enthusiasts - casino china, those interested in the history of their area - local hotel and restaurant china, sports buffs - ball park china, and the list goes on.... and on....

Volume 2 Reviews

Reviewer: C. Borden "potteryfreak", Ontario, Canada, August 3, 2005

Best collector's reference around! In this second volume of her series for collectors, Barbara Conroy shares the details of hundreds of manufacturers that produced dinnerware for restaurant and transportation companies. The section on each manufacturer includes a detailed history, examples of the backstamps they used (along with date charts where applicable), copies of period advertisements, and *lots* of fantastic photographs showing therange of wares produced. This book is an invaluable reference, and a must-have for the serious commercial dinnerware collector!

Reviewer: An Amazon.com Customer from Baldwinsville, New York United States, May 1, 2003

EXCELLENT SOURCE OF REFERENCE!I Have had this book for 3 months and still have not put it down. Great source to I.D. all kinds of china and the date codes. I can't wait for Volume 3!

Reviewer: Pat Carie from Indiana - United States, January 2, 2002

The Best Restaurant China Research Book Available! I have been using both of Mrs. Conroy's books extensively for the past 2 months in preparing for the biggest research project I have ever done with restaurant, railroad, steamship, and hotel china. The date codes in Volume 2 have been a lifesaver. It was not until about 2 months ago that I really realized just how much time and effort she had put into it making these possible. Having a handy reference (especially for backstamp dating of pieces) is beyond value. It is a "masterpiece."

Reviewer: Richard Owen from Derbyshire United Kingdom, August 30, 2000

A Feast of Knowledge. A superb reference book for the serious collector / dealer. The appendix sections devoted to distributors, restaurants and hotel chains are special interest. Often collectors interests are in a narrow field - such a book helps to widen their appreciation of other collecting opportunities.

Reviewer: thebeesknees from Florida, June 27, 2000

A Must-have for the Restaurant Ware Collector. Two Words - "Invaluable Resource!" Any collector of Restaurant China should not be without this identification and reference guide. Can't wait for Volume 3.