I picked up this wonderful oversized Owl Mug a few months back from an estate sale. I was drawn to it immediately because it just looked cool. However, looking at the bottom of the mug, I saw it was marked as “Pacific Stoneware” so I immediately though of Pacific Clay Products.

However, the design was nothing like I’ve seen from Pacific previously. In addition, the backstamp was not familiar and it included a copyright date of 1969, which is clearly not Pacific as that company stopped producing pottery 20 years before that date.

The full stamp also includes the incription “B. Welsh”. This was the clue needed - I’ve seen people notate this as “B. Walsh” and “B. Welch”. It actually stands for Bennett Welsh who was a highly influential potter from Oregon who passed away in 1998. So this is definitely not from California.

Interestingly, Lehner’s Encyclopedia of Marks mistakenly lists this under Pacific Clay Products. I’m not 100% sure, but I still believe that there is no relation. The thing is that Welsh actually purchased Pacific Stoneware which was a “production ceramics company making wheel-thrown pottery” according to Wikipedia. I don’t know anything about the previous history of that company, so can’t comment on whether or not there was any connection to Pacific Clay Products.

Welsh actually founded the Pacific Northwest College of Art’s ceramics department and by all accounts was a huge repository of ceramics knowledge. I believe he sold Pacific Stoneware in the 70s in order to get more involved with actual clay rather than day to day production of pieces.

Even though it’s not California Pottery, these mugs are fairly collectible. I was happy to snag this one for a few dollars.