Cook & Serve Coffee Cans: Including a Tacoma Coffee Service

Ev wrote:That is a whole lot of coffee cans.

Sure is. I have thee bins full of Crown Lynn and Rorstrand cans. One is just saucers.
I'm trying to match cans to saucers to make sets of six where I can, then I will be able to get rid of some.
Others I know I will never complete seats.

It would be great to find another can collector so I could make some swaps.
I have other lines I want to be rid of too:
Is there a market in the forum, besides the WANTED string?
 

Ev wrote:I'm very keen to see the pattern on the no name can that you have, so please send pics.

I'm working up to post some pictures but the latest is I can't find my camera!
Uploads will include cans, saucers, C&S coffee pots, Rorstrand Tango coffee set, and maybe some surprises.

I'd be very interested to see your pics too if and when you find that camera!

Jeremy there is no reason why you can't use the Wanted to Buy topic to add a Wanted to Swap thread. I'm not sure about using this site to sell as there are enough sites that do that already. Actually Trademe would be the best place to off load parts of your collection as that is where the collectors lurk.

In Val Monk's latest blog post she mentions how Tom Clark told her he was keen on Scandinavian design and did a trip over there to check them out ....
check this out just below the Narvik jug

http://valputaruru.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/more-opshop-treasures.html

My latest info on the Rostrand coffee can is that the Marianne Westman Tango cup may date from as early as 1954 when Westman started at Rorstrand. The Westman part of the can is the hand painted PATTERN. She designed many of those. Some of the most collectable Westman patterns are "Delikat", which was used on a can, and "Picknick".

The cup SHAPE appears to be the work of Hertha Bengtson who started at Rorstrand in 1941.

Some of this information comes from the Rorstrand Museum in Sweden and some from

www.tallbacken.net

Unfortunately none of this source material is in English.
I'm also finding lots of lovely new (quite old actually) Rorstrand designs which I have yet to compile.

While this may appear to be getting away from the subject of Crown Lynn cans, what I am attempting to do is assemble a provenance for the shape design, and bearing in mind that the Crown Lynn is a copy of the Rorstrand, that provenance is shared.

Hi.. so glad I found this post... very intersting, I didnt realise that this shape of cup came in the plain colour - glaze..  I picked up 6 yesterday.. 2 pale olive green, 2 mustard and 2 yellow. There was a 7th one but it was cracked so didnt sell it to me.. I've been looking for a stamp on the base, very hard to make out, but only 2 have stamps.. 8E on the mustard and the other 29E (maybe) on the yellow
 just noticed a crack in one of the cups... (next job .. find the saucers to match..Oh no.. another C/lynn side tracked adventure, just when I thought I was near the end of collecting C/L  )  

Janpots, there are 4 Black Viking Saucers listed on TM at the moment that would match your cups beautifully.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=641227676

Hello there ... Thank you, I did see those... I am keen on a listing of burmuda and athens I think but $30 plus postage... Btw nice set of olympic and coffee set you aquired lately...

Thanks I love the Olympic I just added to my collection. Ooh I know the cups you're talking of, I spied them too but you're right, a little...well not dear, just that they aren't a bargin ;-)

Back to your comment about thinking you were winding down collecting...I had to laugh. The start of this year I decided right I need to get serious about my collection and go through it and be very hard about what I wanted to keep. It's now September and because I keep seeing new things of interest I actually don't think I've made a dent ;-)

Hiya - You made me laugh "big time"....  I know.. I have bought stuff of you before, (Janice 110)on TM and I do remember you saying that on one of your listings.. I have done exactly the same... I am photographing, matching up and logging my collection in files on the PC.. but scanning Trademe to see what goes with what.. and 9 parcels later!!! yes.. I am buying up - nearly bought some cups & saucers of you LOL   I saw your garage-photo and my partner was very impressed how organised it looked. All my cups are on show, but the plates are stored away. We use Crown lynn everyday and every dish, plate, bb plate cup saucer etc.. is different from the next, so I do see it. I will look for Rondo and saramand ( spelt wrong)orange pattern on apollo  -- and THAT is IT!!!!!  How strong is my will-power???

oh no!!!! http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=641963085 - very classy looking but I will resist...
Is it Jeremey whos looking for Rorstrand but I think you my have it already? Janice

This auction has saucers in blue, green and brown/or is it black, all marked Athens which are the same colours as the bands of colour on the coffee cans.   I wasn't aware of this until now.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/pottery-glass/porcelain-pottery/crown-lynn/cups-saucers/auction-643060730.htm

Question.. just reading V.Monk book and on page 76, third column mentions the first designs were Narvik, Vision, Blue Tango and Green Bamboo.  I wonder if anyone know what Vision looks like? Curious to see

Don't think I've seen or heard of this one but my interest is peaked
can't check if it's on the database until I get home later today.

As Val Monk says that Vision was one of the Replacement patterns it should be around in plentiful amounts like Green Bamboo etc. But I haven't seen it yet, it is on the Database, but there isn't a number. Ok we need to find this pattern!!

Janice, I have a set of Rorstrand Tango cups, with a choice of red and black saucers (ie I can take my pick).
I also have the matching coffee pot, milk and creamer.
A friend just gave me a Rorstrand "Red Top" can, bringing me up to 10 Rorstrand can patterns.
I see other patterns on eBay and web stores but they tend to want 50USD with shipping on top of that for one duo.
Bearing that price in mind 25NZD for a Marianne Westman Tango on trademe is cheap!

The recent sale of Athens-marked saucers in black, yellow and blue is a good indication of how you can mix and match.
I totally missed that auction, and the Viking saucer auction was too expensive for me.
Tacoma and Bermuda look good on yellow or blue, maybe not the black.
Image looks good on yellow or black, but bear in mind the hand-painted Image came on a yellow saucer.
My favourite mix is a plain lime green can on a black saucer.
I've also had fun arranging plain coloured cans as harlequin sets on black.

So who's wanting cans? It's time for me to start getting rid of some. Offers by PM. (Or if that's not allowed I'll add my email.) The plan is to start putting them up on TM but it's such a chore (And I don't seem to be able to get all my camera components together in the same house at the same time.)

See some cans etc on Val's blog:
http://valputaruru.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/coffee-cans-mid-century-at-its-best.html

Finally got it together to post a pic.

These are my Rorstrand cans. Same shape and size as Crown Lynn cans. The earliest date from about 1955.
Since the photo was taken I have added one other: "Red Top". There are more out there.

Back row: Kadett, blue, yellow, red, Venezia, Curtis
Front Row: Tango, Eden, Fenix, King


This is my new addition, Red Top, so-called because the bakeware etc had red lids.

Eden is my favourite pattern.
I saw an Eden duo for sale on tm for $55, which seems a lot,
but is actually in keeping with international prices.
So... what's that make this lot worth then:

Sorry! Just showing off.
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A trademe listing, one on ebay, and a blog
attribute the design of Eden to Sigrid Richter,
rather than Marianne Westman. I may be wrong.
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Rorstrand Tango Coffee Set creamer/pot/sugar

(Sorry about the fuzzy photo)

Plain coloured Cook & Serve cans on black saucers presented as a harlequin set.


Note: the two different yellows (back left and front right) are distinctly different colours.

My favourite combination:
Lime Green on Black

These are all the different saucer colours and patterns I have.

Top: Yellow (or Image), Fleurette, Blue (or Blue Tango)
Middle: Black (or Mogambo or Allegro), Brown (for Napoli)
Bottom: unknown, Mexico, Form d382



This rather sorry photo shows a saucer I have referred to elsewhere.
I don't know the name but the fern forms do show some similarity to reflections d842

As noted above by Ev, the Athens coffee can was sold with a choice of three different saucer colours:
yellow, blue or black.


The various colours of the pattern offer the same choice for Tacoma:


or Bermuda:

These are not Cook & Serve cans.
These cans, which I call "530" range, are approximately 4mm wider and 4mm higher than the C&S cans and slightly thicker material. The ring that sits in the saucer is set well in from the edge of the cup. The ceramic is white, but not vitrified china like C&S. The patterns appear to be a transfer over crisp white glaze. This range is not as sturdy as Cook & Serve. I wouldn't put them in a dishwasher. Patterns inlcude 530 "Purple Myrtle", 531 "Arthur & Martha", and d532 "Captain Sharples". These three patterns are all a bit psychedelic, a bit "Yellow Submarine".


The ring of hearts goes all the way around the can but the image is only on one side
--for the right-handed coffee drinker.


My Purple Myrtles were issued on black "Colour Glaze" saucers in a box marked "Happenings".
Note some chipping of the over-glaze transfer.

I have now found my "Captain Sharples" and you can see it here:
http://newzealandpottery.forumotion.net/t658-captain-sharples-pat-no-532#14074

These two cans and saucers are not Cook & Serve either.
They are the same size as the "530"s, above, but a different line again.
The ring at the bottom of the can is in the same position as on Cook & Serve cans.
I cannot tell whether the are under-glaze, or over-glaze transfer, or screen-print.
They sit on matching-coloured, green-stamped, Kelston Potteries saucers.





Val used a shot of one of these in her recent blog on cans:
http://valputaruru.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/coffee-cans-mid-century-at-its-best.html

And JanPots tells me she has the same pattern in black.

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These things were being offered at a huge price at the Retro Fair!
About $50 a duo. Don't know if any sold. I only stayed an hour.
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JanPots sent me a picture of her cans:

I've just bought (well I have yet to pay for) a lovely Reflections trio from unouwanit.
It comprises a plain coloured can on a patterned Reflections saucer (+ plate, + jam dish). This is not a Cook & Serve set, but instead appears to be a match for the "530s" (above) in physical specification.

I've nicked her photo and posted it here with a purpose.


It occurs to me that if a Reflections duo can be made up in such a way, why not a "Vision" duo. There is mention in this string of Val's reference to one of the early Cook & Serve patterns, yet to be identified, going by the name "Vision".
I have a pair of Cook & Serve saucers no one has yet been able to put a name to.
So, here's my "Vision":


The names "Vision" and "Reflections" seem to go together. These patterns are similar, both comprising fern leaf (or feather) forms, drawn the same way, only in "Reflections" they cross or "reflect" each other.

Well, that's my bedtime story.

(Oh, Ev, I've squeezed in a photo of the Rorstrand Tango coffee set, sans cans, at the end of the Rorstrand pics. It's a bad photo, but it's the middle of the night and the only one I have.)