
Locations: Manhattan Beach, Torrance
Dates of Operation: 1944 - ?
Seller Values: Check average price on Ebay
Featured California Originals items (view more)Vintage California Originals White Gold Swan Planter $24.99 Bids: 0 | Josef Originals California $15.00 Bids: 1 | California Originals Tureen With Underplate $49.99 Bids: 0 |
We’ve decided to list the actual company that began its history as Heirlooms of Tomorrow under the name California Originals. This is because the latter was originally a trade name that was used, but eventually overtook the original company name as the desired moniker. For one thing, it had the word “California” in it and this was of course a selling point for many of the potteries located in Southern California.
Also, your are MUCH more likely to come across items marked as “California Originals” than the original name. The two periods of production from this company are extremely different. The company started out as Heirlooms of Tomorrow in Manhattan Beach in the 40s and produced rather “frilly” looking, victorian head busts and figurines. Many of these items had amazing lace detail that was applied onto the figures.
At some point in time, the company moved to Torrance and took on it’s popular trade name as it’s actual name. As California Originals, they produced a staggering assortment of flashy, drip-glaze pottery, houseware and giftware in vibrant colors. While you’ll still find more demure colors and shapes of pottery, their favored colors were loud oranges, reds, yellows, greens and browns. We seem to see a lot of dishes, flowerpots, chip and dips and especially ashtrays.
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It’s the ashtrays, especially the bright, flashy orange drip glaze ones from the 60s-70s, that really scream out California Pottery. This is the type of item many people think of nowadays as California Pottery. There are a great number of similar items that are attributed to California Originals even though they aren’t marked.
There are many stamps from the company, but a few to keep in mind are “Cal Orig”, “Cal Style” and a double “C”, one inside the other along with the word “Originals”. The latter mark we’ve seen consistently on pure white, stucco textured vases and other items, but it probably appears on other items too. They also seems to have used “Cal Style” as their “real” name in brochures. It’s unknown when the company finally stopped making pottery, but they were still producing items as late as the mid 80s.
Note: We've tried to provide as much info as possible on this pottery maker or artist. For further info, you may want to research the items they have on Ebay listed under this name. We've tried to hand tailor the searches below so they will bring up the most accurate results. If there are no results, it will list general California pottery.
California Originals items
| Josef Originals California Current Price: $15.50 Current Bids: 2 Ends in: | |
| Josef Originals California Current Price: $15.00 Current Bids: 1 Ends in: 5m | |
| MADELINE ORIGINALS CALIFORNIA POTTERY ASHTRAY Current Price: $4.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 12h 4m | |
| VINTAGE CALIFORNIA ORIGINALS WINKING OWL COOKIE JAR Current Price: $34.95 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 12h 36m | |
| BEAR COOKIE JAR CALIFORNIA ORIGINALS 2622 Current Price: $24.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 16h 25m | |
| Vintage Pink California Originals Art Deco Bowl & Lid Current Price: $19.95 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 1h 23m | |
| California Originals Humpty Dumpty Cookie Jar Current Price: $36.25 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 1h 28m | |
| Vintage California Originals Pottery - C-511 Dish Current Price: $9.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 3h 1m | |
| CALIFORNIA ORIGINALS USA 326 BROWN CHIP & DIP TRAY Current Price: $19.95 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 10h 31m | |
| California Originals White Turquoise Retro MCM Planter Current Price: $24.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 13h 37m | |
| California Originals Rabbit on a Turtle Cookie Jar Current Price: $24.00 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 20h 9m | |
| California Originals #2635 Turtle Cookie Jar {Lid Only} Current Price: $7.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 21h 12m | |
| Vintage California Originals Ceramic Christmas Tree 18" Current Price: $44.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 21h 32m | |
| California Originals Tortoise & Hare Cookie Jar Current Price: $5.99 Current Bids: 0 Ends in: 1d 22h 16m |
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