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.
Vaseline Opalescent Slipper by Mosser #052
The Mosser Glass Company was started in 1959 by Tom Mosser who had worked extensively with the Cambridge Glass Company when it was in operation. The Mosser brand is well known for their authentic reproductions of early American slippers and boots using moulds perfected in the 1900s and others designed by Mosser.
Red Glass Boot Ornament #051
This fragile glass ornament stands 2 1/4″ high and 1 1/2″ long. It has no identifying marks. Purchased circa 1995 for $4.00. Value approximately the same.
Ski Boot Ornament I #049
A Christmas Tree Ornament of a single ski and attached ski boot. The boot is made of poly-resin and the ski is wood. There is a narrow elastic cord used for tie-up laces.
The bottom of the ski ornament has a gold oval sticker and black writing which indicates MADE IN CHINA.
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.
Disney’s Collector Cinderella Slipper #039
This crystal Cinderella slipper rests on a red crystal cushion. It is a lovely, well-crafted piece and is of heavy leaded glass. It was made in Italy, specifically for Walt Disney World.
This was purchased at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in Epcot’s Italy village. The crystal shop sells fine crystal imported from Italy.
Purchase price was $25.00 in June, 1993. Current estimated collector’s value is $40.00.
Disney’s Mickey Mouse Shoes Wind-Up Toy #038
This a small but very cute wind-up Disney toy that looks like Mickey Mouse’s yellow shoes. Each shoe measures about 1.75-inches long with a metal bar in between them.
If you wind them up they walk (one foot takes a step then the other foot takes a step). They are plastic and the only markings on them are the words: Disney China 86388 on the bottom of one shoe.
Besides the China imprint, a tag is still attached to the bottom of the shoes marked “Walt Disney Attractions, Inc., Lake Buena Vista, FL32830 USA”.
Purchased at Walt Disney World in the Emporium in the Main Street Shops in June, 1993 for $4.00. Estmated collector’s value is $5.00 to $8.00. This toy was recently auctioned on eBay to another person for $7.26.
Occupied Japan Copy-Cat Shoes #034 and #035
Post-WWII Japan made a great deal of ceramics as it was one of the industries encouraged as it was considered safe and non-military. It has a “MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN” stamp on the sole in red ink. This stamp was required on all imports from post WW II Japan from 9.2.45 to 4.28.52.
It was less expensive to copy an existing shoe rather than design originals, and the practice was accepted and pervasive. Note these two shoes are similar. They are each a copy of a single shoe maufactured by two Japanese companies. The shoes are approximately the sizes shown in the photograph. The right shoe measures 1 7/8″ long, 1 1/4″ high and 15/16″ wide. The left shoe has slightly different dimensions: length is 1 15/16″, height is 1 1/2″ and width is 1 1/16.” Obviously, they are nearly the exact size.
But there are many clear contrasts. The right shoe has more delicate features – a better quality of ceramic material, a nicely detailed rose, and the pink flower is painted and shaded nicely. The gold has been applied with a steady hand, and totally rings the rim. The left shoe is made with less care. The white ceramic has stained and cannot be cleaned. The pink rose is inferior in quality, though the blue flower and leaves are nearly alike. The gold has rubbed off on half of the rim.
They each have a “MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN” stamp on the sole in black ink; they are obviously two different imprints. This type of stamp was required on all imports from Japan during post-WWII, dating from 9.2.45 to 4.28.52. All Occupied Japan collectibles have the distinct advantage of accurate dating. These shoes are between 55 to 62 years old. There are no chips, cracks or crazing on either of these shoes.
Occupied Japan collectibles are sought after, since there are a finite number of items, and will only become more valuable. However currently these are not expensive shoes. Estimated collector value of the right shoe is $6 to $12 and of the left shoe, $4 to $8.
Information about the shoes was found in the books, Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001 and and The Collector’s Guide to Made in Japan Ceramics by Carol Bess White, published by Schroeder Publishing Co, 1996.
Vintage Art Pottery Baby Shoe #033
A very nicely made pink, pottery bootie, with impressions for eyelets on both edges and shoe strings. The tongue hangs over the vamp of the shoe.
The shoe is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks or crazing though shoes of this age always seem to look a little dusty, even when clean. There are the typical imperfections from firing which do not adversely affect the condition of the shoe.
Here the detail is seen. The shoe measures 4″ long, 2 1/2″ high and 2″ wide.
This baby shoe was given to Lillian P Wood in January 1950. “Prante” on the sole refers to Chloe Prante who was a member of the Northeast Garden Club in Quincy, IL with Lillian. The price, $1.00, is marked on the toe in light pencil.
There are no imprints or marks on this bootie, but it does appear to be of the quality seen in the mid range US art potteries. Most of these shoes were not marked. These type of “bootie planters” are plentiful and estimated value is $8 to $15.
Information regarding pottery shoes found in Collectible Glass Shoes by Earlene Wheatley, published by Schroeder Publishing, 2001. Other information obtained from personal papers and interviews with BJ.
Baby Bootie with Silk Flowers #028
This is a white porcelain baby shoe with a blue ribbed top, peach colored stars around the bottom near the sole and dabbed flowers on the sides. It also has a dark blue painted ribbon which goes in and out of a design in the shoe.
It measures 3 3/8″ in length, 2 5/8″ in height and 2″ in width. Perfect condition, with no chips or cracks.
The shoe is decorated with a satin purple ribbon tied in a bow and a purple silk flower with leaves. It has two strands of little pearls sticking out from the flower. It is actually quite cute and fairly well made.
Yong Feng Shangdian is the store in the China Pavillion in Epcot Village in the DisneyWorld Complex in Orlando, Florida. It is the only Yong Feng Shangdian store that I have found on the Internet and there were Florida government papers documenting the formation of this store with a fictionalized name for this specific site. The shoe is assumed to have been manufactured in China.
I have no recall of purchasing this shoe, but our family did visit Epcot in 1986, so it is possible it was a purchase then. My only question is the price. Could this really have only cost $1.50? Actually it probably did. I keep forgetting that 1986 was 21 years ago.
Estimated value now is probably $7.00 to $10.00 on a site like eBay.
Information from interviews and personal papers of BJ and BP.
Please
Shoes in Miniature 