Metlox Navajo Dishes
Here’s another hastily snapped photo from our roadtrip. I haven’t come across too much Metlox Navajo in the thrift stores, but they appear to be quite plentiful in antique malls. Occasionally, I see large sets like the one shown and that’s when I attempt to take a picture. Note that like a lot of Metlox lines, certain Navajo items will not be marked on the base. This can be a good thing for the opportunistic collector who’s familiar with shape and patterns. I’ve found quite a few Metlox California Tempo items and others this way.
But the bad thing is that for the most part, you’ll only find the single item. This leads to a large collection of unmatched Metlox dinnerware - which is exactly what I have! I have two items from Navajo - one is a chipped plate and the other is a tumbler that someone else thought was a vase. This Metlox shape, which is known as Navajo/Tempo, contains a large number of patterns. I think there’s 11 of them, if you count the 6 colors of “California Tempo” as one pattern. I gravitate more toward these shapes for Metlox, as well as the famous “Freeform” shape. My dream is to find a set of Aztec or California Mobile one day at a garage sale… but I think at this point it’s very much wishful thinking.
Metlox Navajo Dishes items
More California Pottery
August 24th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Back when I lived in Minneapolis, there seemed to be a glut of Navajo. I would find pieces (and even large sets) fairly regularly in thrift stores. I have the feeling that this is another of those Modern patterns that really was a hit in the midwest. I’m not sure it’s so easily found in Minnesota any more, but I do not see it nearly as often or in such quantities here in central Illinois. This could be due to a recent surge in collectors and the resulting limitations on supply, or it just could be that it was a bigger hit in larger cities and not as popular in smaller less urban towns. Love it!
August 24th, 2009 at 9:17 am
I have to agree with you, while a lot of California pottery can actually be found here in Calif, a lot of the desirable midmod stuff is out in the midwest. That goes for other things as well, like furniture, etc. I think there is huge competition from savvy dealers and just ordinary folks over here as well, so less chance of finding it at the thrift. Probably one reason I tend to see it more at antique malls.