MIJ Red Dotted Heels #055
A small porcelain shoe made in Japan (MIJ). This is a knock-off of a shoe that was available from “The Home of Gifts, Mayer’s, Arlington Va.” in the early 1950s. The details of the hand-painted flowers on the last and on the top back of the slipper have been changed, and all the flowers are painted on slightly raised surfaces instead of being individually attached as in the original. However the overall dotted pattern found in the original heel has been hand-applied and is raised on the copy.
3 1/8 inches in length and 2 1/8 inches in height, 1 1/8 inch in width. The shoe is in excellent condition, with no cracks, chips or other damage.
The heel is stamped MADE IN JAPAN in red ink on the sole. A post WWII shoe, produced after 1952.
This shoe is noted in Collectible Glass Shoes Second Edition by Earlene Wheatley, Scroeder Books Publishing Co., Inc. 2001. It’s estimated collectors’ price in 2001 was $20.00 according to the Wheatley reference. Approximate collectors’ value now is $30.00.
Henriot Quimper Dutch Shoes #053
Information from Porcelain and Pottery Shoes by Anne Everset Wojtkowski, published by Schiffer Book for Collectors, Schiffer Books, Ltd. Atglen, PA. 2004 and a 2008 article in Wikipedia, Quimper Faience.
Crystal High Heel Ornaments #048
This pair of high heels are made from crystal glass and measure 3 1/2″ long and 1 1/4″ high. They are attached with gold thread which has two stickers applied to it, both reading MADE IN CHINA.
A gift from children for the Christmas tree, these were purchased for less than $3.00 and have no collector’s value, only sentimental value. Nonetheless they are a part of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection as an acquisition in 1996.
Elves on Shoes, Made in Japan #047
This is a pair of ceramic high heeled shoes manufactured in Japan. They are dated from the 1950s kitschy era. Each shoe is decorated with an elf, one dressed in yellow, the other in pink. Much of the paint has worn off, notably the clothing and the bows which were once red. Each elf has a large brown bump on its forehead. (?) The faces, however, are in excellent condition.
The shoes each measure 3″ in length, 3″ in height and 1 5/8″ in width. There are no chips, cracks or crazing. The detailing is not sharp, but the outlines are evident.
Note the odd brown forehead ‘bump’, but also notice the delicate painted eyelashes.
The stamp in red reads JAPAN. This pair of shoes is part of the original Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and dates from the early 1950s.
The estimated collector’s value is $18.00 to $24.00 for the pair.
Information from The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carole Bess White published by Collectors Books, a division of Schroeder Publishing Co., Inc. in 1996 and personal records.
Elfinware Shoe #046
This slipper is Elfinware. It is a Dresden-like porcelain that was sold in dime stores and gift shops in the 1920s through 1940s.
The piece is decorated with raised flowers, blue forget-me-nots, a white rose, and tiny purple violets, and covered with highly textured green leafy “spinach” or “moss.”
The shoe measures 3 1/2″ long, 1 1/4″ high and 1 3/8″ wide. There are no chips or damaged flower/moss details.
The shoe is marked ELFINWARE GERMANY on the bottom.
Close-up of flowers on the upper (vamp)
The shoe measures 3 1/2″ long, 1 1/4″ high and 1 3/8″ wide. There are no chips or damaged flower/moss details.
This shoe is an acquisition of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and was purchased in 1998 at auction for $30.00. The shoe’s current collector value is $65.00 to $80.00.
Information from the reference book, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001 and Kobel.com. Other information was recorded from personal papers.
Antique Baby Bootie, circa 1890 #027
This amber baby bootie is a piece of early pressed glass, manufactured between the years of 1888 and 1900. The maker of this shoe is unknown.
Most of the bootie has a very fine diamond pattern. The vamp is horizontally ribbed as is a 3/4″ vertical line at the center back. This shoe was made in amber, sea green (nearly a blue) and pale green and several other colors. It measures 4 1/8″ long, 2 1/2 ” high and 2″ wide.
On the sole, The toe (lower half in below photo) is hollow and the heel is solid. There are no identification markings or stampings on the sole of the shoe.
A close up of the two flowers, the ribbed pattern to the left (vamp) and the diamond pattern to the right.
This shoe is in excellent condition, showing only the expected minute scratches in glassware this age. It was an acquired shoe of the Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection and was purchased by BP in September of 2000 at Delafield Antique Center in Delafield, WI. Purchase price was $45.00. Estimated value in 2007 is $100.
This shoe, in amber, is displayed on Plate 18, shoe 225 in Shoes of Glass 2 by Libby Yalom, published by The Glass Press, 1998 and is referenced in that book as well as in Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001 and Collector’s Guide to American Pressed Glass 1825-1915 by Kyle Husfloen, published by Krause Publications 1992. Information also from personal records.
Baby Shoe – Pink Metlox #026
This is a pink baby pottery shoe from Metlox Potteries of Manhattan Beach, California. Metlox was in business from 1927 through 1985. It is finished in a soft satin matte and is in perfect condition. It measures 4 7/8″ long” and 2 1/4″ high.
This shoe, used as a baby planter, could be purchased singly or in pairs, and in sets of pink, blue or white.
Unusually, this shoe has not been used, it’s interior is clean and smooth. This increases the value of the shoe.
On the sole, there is black and gold sticker, partially removed, which says Berheimer Oriental Gardens, Pacific Palisades California. If you look closely, you can see an incised “R” just above the sticker. It is difficult to photograph, but the complete inscription reads METLOX 47C and in the second line an R. The R is for right. These shoes were made in both a right (R) and a left (L) shoe.
The Berheimer Oriental Gardens at Pacifica Palisades was a popular tourist attraction from its opening in 1921 until the advent of WWII. Since the owners were German, the attraction fell on hard times in the mid-1940s and closed shortly thereafter. A large drawing of the Japanese Gardens is at the following link along with information regarding the tourist attraction.
http://www.image-archeology.com/Bernheimer_Japanese_Gardens_Hollywood_CA_775.jpg
This shoe dates between 1927 (when the factory opened) and 1941 (when the Gardens closed to the public.)
Earlene Wheatley’s reference book sets the value at this shoe at $40.00 in 2001. The shoe was purchased on an eBay auction for $6.25 plus $4.50 postage and handling on December 09, 2007. Its estimated collector value is $50 to $55.
Information found in Collector’s Encyclopedia of Metlox Potteries (Collector Books) by Carl Gibbs and Collectible Glass Shoes, 2nd Edition by Earlene Wheatley by Schroeder Publishing Co., 2001 plus information from the private antique dealer which was confirmed by internet research.
What Will You Find in this Shoe Collection?
The Lillian P Wood Memorial Collection of shoes is nearly as diverse and unusual as it can get. Diversity should be a part of the name of this collection. It is the rare shoe that does not ‘fit’ well into the collection. We have an open-door policy. And when we refer to this as a collection of shoes, we also mean sandals, boots, flippers, slippers, flip-flops – nearly any footwear. Nor does the the ‘shoe’ need to be an actual 3-D miniature – we have stickers of shoes, small note cards with hand-designed shoes affixed to them, a pinata in the shape of a pink slipper, a gold key chain with a ‘flat’ flat. Almost anything goes, especially when someone has been kind enough and observant enough to give any of us a shoe of any sort as a gift. We do not, however routinely acquire resin-based collector shoes which have many current lines on the market.
We like unusual; We like real; We like old and original. We like perusing antique shops, looking for the missing link or for the deal of the month. One of my own daily amusements is checking out eBay’s listings, but caution is always urged there. You really need to know what is being offered in order to decide if it is legitimate and/or worth the price, especially when shipping is added. I think the sellers often make their profit on the shipping charges instead of the shoes. That is not a complaint. I understand business practices. It is merely an observation. I find a wide variety of shoes on eBay, I have purchased many, and I am seldom disappointed. Just today a box arrived from Minnesota with a pink art pottery baby shoe, just about the size you’d put on a one year old. It was a famous piece for the Metlox Co. in the 1940s, and was amusingly called a ‘cactus container’ in an early company catalog.
So now, not only am I a shoe collector, I am a cactus container collector. (Say that 10 times fast!)
Ceramic Shoe with Yellow Flower Toe #005
This ceramic shoe is an original part of the Lillian P. Wood Memorial Collection. It is one of a pair from the collection. Its country of origin is unknown and the date of acquisition is circa 1960s. There are no identifying or distinguishing marks on the bottom of the shoe.
This shoe’s body is an overall pale blue and the upper or vamp is decorated with an oval panel. The center of the oval has hand-painted yellow flowers and green leaves and is encircled by a gold hand-applied line and a mock white lace edging. The shoe also has gold around the top of the shoe. The heel of the shoe is entirely gold colored including the interior of the heel.
This is a close-up of the painted detailing.
This is approximately the size of the actual shoe. The shoe was once attached to a piece of cardboard marked with L. P. Wood’s handwriting, noting “Ozarks.” This was most likely a souvenir gift from her daughter and son-in-law, BP and DP, upon their return from a vacation. They were in the Ozarks in 1965 and 1967.
This Is Not an On-Line Shoe Store
This is not a shoe store. It is the new home of the Lillian P. Wood Memorial Collection. I haven’t quite opened for business, but check out the “Exactly what’s going on here?” page and that should provide you with a leg to stand on. Meanwhile I have unpacking to do.
Please
Shoes in Miniature 
