I was stunned to find this set of two Howard Pierce owls sitting forlornly on the shelf of the thrift store the other day. This is my first time finding Pierce items in the wild - other than at the flea market or antique store.

I was nearly leaving the thrift when I spotted the smaller owl on its side way on the back shelf. I pulled it out and was surprised to see that it was in perfect condition. However, it didn’t have any markings on the bottom. So, I was a bit suspicious since there are a large number of imitations being made nowadays with a similar glaze.

Then I found the larger owl on a separate shelf and it did have the markings on the bottom. It was also in perfect condition - I tend to see quite a few of these animal figurines with chipped noses, necks or ears. Perhaps it was because these owls were a bit more compact that there wasn’t any damage on them (this particular thrift is known for clumsy employees who accidentally break their glass and pottery).

In any case, I was really happy with this find. We have a few other Pierce pieces found at the flea market which I’ll post later on…