A rare ESD Lefton Japan honeycomb and bumble bee open sugar bowl and covered, lidded jar with honey bee finial. Decorations on honeycomb all hand painted and decorated with faux Belleek with green shamrocks collectible retro kitchen home decor. Can be used for sugar, jam or condiments. Larger bowl signed Japan and smaller has the ESD black stamp. I also have an matching salt and pepper shaker on a little tray another large lidded cookie jar.
CONDITION: Great vintage condition with normal signs of usage.
SIZE: Lidded pot: stands 5 1/4 inches including the lid and bee finial x 5 inches wide; open bowl stands 2 3/4 inches tall and 5 1/4 inches wide
Buyer responsibilities: While I do my best to describe any potential flaws with equal attention to an items attributes, please use the zoom feature to examine the item to make a determination if this meets your standards for previously used / loved vintage and antique items being offered.
ESD Japan, Lefton China, Giftcraft
ESD was a distributor for SOME of Lefton's products but there is no known connection other than that between ESD and Lefton. ESD did sell some Lefton items - but not all. And not all ESD sold was sold by Lefton.
Giftcraft is another example of a distributor that sold the same things in Canada as Lefton sold in the US .
ESD is Enterprise Sales and Distributing headquartered in Toronto Canada (thus the Enterprise Exclusive labels). The owner was a friend of Mr. Lefton and was allowed at one time to "piggyback" on Lefton orders so that Lefton could order larger quantities and both companies would get better pricing from the Japanese manufacturer.
George Zoltan Lefton Company
The Lefton mark can be found on a wide array of pottery, porcelain , and glass imported into the United States by the George Zoltan Lefton Company. The company was founded by this new immigrant from Hungary after he arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1939 and established the company in 1940. George Lefton had previously worked in the clothing and sportswear industry, but he was a collector of fine porcelain and dreamed of entering that business. America offered the backdrop for even a new immigrant into the country to have a chance at commercial success. George Zoltan Lefton had always admired the quality and workmanship in finer Japanese and oriental porcelain, and after the end of World War II he pursued business relationships in post-war Occupied Japan to export Japanese porcelain to America through his company. George was one of the first American businessmen to enter post-war Japan. Early Lefton china was imported into the U.S. with a "Made in Occupied Japan" mark, used in the years immediately following World War II commencing in about 1946 1947. While not comparable to the best wares of European or Chinese porcelain manufacturers, Japanese porcelain was still of good quality and was produced at a cost that made it affordable for the average American family in the post-war years. The export of china and ceramics was a key contributor to the emergence of Japan from the destitution of the war years and the re-invigoration of their economy.
Some of the items manufactured during that period are quite rare today. Mr. Lefton held his quality specifications high, therefore his items will be in high demand for a long time to come. His reputation earned him the name "China King". Until the mid 1970's, Japan was the main source of Lefton's pieces. Sources in Japan changed, which caused Lefton to look for other factories and suppliers. Some of them were Taiwan, Malaysia, and China. The majority that are sold in the secondary market were made in Japan.
LEFTON MARKS
Lefton marks include: stamps, labels, or numbers. Some pieces may have one of the three, two of the three, or all of the three. Some may have initially had a stamp and paper label. Paper labels wash off or get removed.
Some of the early marks consisted of:
(1946-1950) a horse with a rider stating: "Handpainted, Exclusively Made in Occupied Japan, G.Z.L.,U.S.A.", stamped "Lamore China, Entirely Handmade, G.Z.L., U.S.A.,Made in Japan"
(1948-1953) "Made in Japan", "Lefton China, Hand Painted, Made in Japan" with a crown in the center;
(1950-1955) a crown encircled with "Lefton China,Hand Painted;
(1949-1955) a crown encircled with "Lefton China,Hand Painted, Reg.U.S. Pat. Off.";
(1950-1955) "Geo.Z.Lefton";
(1948-1953) a crown with a capital cursive "L" above;
(1955-Present)a crown encircled with "Lefton China, Hand Painted". There can also be "Royal Dover, Bone China" or "Made in Japan".
Andrea, your store is a wonderful treasure trove and your knowledge and class are of a scholarly collector.
I am a university research professor with an eye for detail. I have never seen any vendor with your level of exquisite scholarship. Just like your fine objets d'art, your descriptions are crafted with masterful finesse; it is such a pleasure reading them and it is also a great learning experience. Thanks again! Patrick
Deco Deva
Proprietor
Downsizing was inevitable and I've done it several times already. This is the big one, and I am still unboxing treasures retrieved from storage after decades.
All pieces are one of a kind handpicked by yours truly over 40 years to add texture, style and story to your authentic style.
My collecting story starts after watching Astaire and Rogers float across a dance floor as a young girl, I have loved art deco design, art, fashion and jewelry. So bold and beautiful, and so different from anything that came before it. Art deco changed social and design sensibilities forever. A lifetime collector of high quality antiques and vintage, I started by making contacts, researching and learning. Picking the best of the best, I live with art deco and vintage decor and used to wear the fashions of the day. To say that I feel in love is an understatement. I reveled in the fact that I was able to reflect my unique style and sensibilities with a marriage of old and new.
Since I was in my teens I have bought what pleases me, what I find beautiful and unique, and the things that speak to me on a creative level. I hope that you can see and feel the passion and love that I feel for antiques and vintage pieces and share with you. You will find art deco, collectible and vintage fine art paintings, original illustrations and magazine covers, home decor, marble, alabaster and metal lamps, nude flapper table lamps, sterling silver decorative accents and tableware for the home and entertaining, designer and estate jewelry and fine vintage watches in my shop.