W.S. George China

If collecting valuable china and dinnerware is one of your hobbies, then you might want to do some investigating on the W.S. George china collection.

The W.S. George Pottery Company was started in 1904, when William Shaw George bought out the controlling amount of stock in the East Palestine Pottery Company from the Sebring Brothers, in East Palestine, Ohio. "Plant #1," as it was known at the time, employed nearly one third of the city's population, until a fire in 1912 destroyed most of the facility. In 1910, a second plant was opened in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Then in 1914, plant #3 was opened in Kittaning, Pennsylvania. In 1924, the first facility burned in the fire in 1912, and then was rebuilt and renamed plant #4. In 1955, the W.S. George Pottery Company went bankrupt, and was bought out by the Royal China Company, and became the East Palestine Division. In 1960, the liquidation of its holdings was completed and the division closed after sixty years of operation. During it's peak operation, the W.S. George Pottery Company produced over 800,000 dozen-piece sets of dinnerware. They were mostly made a of semi-porcelain material. These pieces are rare today, and their value is quite high. Finding complete sets of this dinnerware is unheard of. They are decorated with unique designs, emblems, and decals that distinguish them from other manufacturers.

Collecting pieces of W.S. George china would definitely be a worthwhile investment, as these pieces will only appreciate in value.