GUEST
My mother worked for the company that imported Noritake china into America, pre-war. She began working for them in 1921 and unfortunately retired on Pearl Harbor Day.
APPRAISER
Oh, really? So the company closed on that day?
GUEST
They closed on that day. She got this vase somewhere in the '20s.
APPRAISER
.And do you know what she paid for it at the time?
GUEST
About a dime.
APPRAISER
About ten cents-- that's amazing. Well, probably she got an employee discount but nonetheless, that was an amazing small amount of money even back then. What was the name of the company?
GUEST
Morimura brothers.
APPRAISER
that is the name of the Noritake company. They imported under that name. Most of the people who worked there were they mostly Americans? Did Japanese people work there as well?
GUEST
Yes, both... well, the management was mostly Japanese. The salesmen and secretaries were very much Americans, I think.
APPRAISER
Right, right. Well, that's an interesting period in American history and it would be wonderful if we could go back and talk to her and hear about it.
GUEST
She said they were the most wonderful employer anybody could work for. So that's neat.
APPRAISER
Yeah, well, let's go ahead and talk about this vase. This is really quite an exceptional vase. The Noritake Company was formed in the 19th century and by the turn of the century, about 100 years ago they were an important force in exporting massive amounts of porcelain to the United States. Most of their products were very affordable. They were mass-produced, they were pretty they were usable. After World War II, they mostly are known for making dinner services-- sets of china and pottery for use in the home. But they also made a great deal of decorative objects. Labor was quite inexpensive in Japan at that point and they could afford to paint something like this and still send it to the United States and sell it for not a lot of money. We'll look quickly at the mark on the bottom here. It says, "Noritake, handpainted, Japan." And over the years they used many, many different marks this just being an example of one of the marks. Also, there is an artist's signature right here. And that is very unusual for a Noritake. Very rarely did the artist ever sign their works. And I have seen only a handful that were ever artist-signed. Because this is an exceptional vase it's worth a lot more than most. A normal, pretty Noritake vase from the early part of the century might start for as little as $25 and go up to $50 or $100 and really good ones several hundred dollars. But because this one is so exceptional with such great painting and such a big size I would estimate it to be worth between $2,000 and $3,000, possibly even more. It's one of the best that I have ever seen from this period.
GUEST
Wow, I'm thrilled to pieces. That's delightful.
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