Overview of Vintage Salt And Pepper Shaker Manufacturers
Nothing brings me more joy than collecting vintage salt and pepper shakers. My love affair with these charming collectibles began when I inherited a pair of owl shakers from my grandmother's vast collection. As I researched their origins, I discovered Holt Howard, Napco, Lego, and Enesco - manufacturers who crafted some of the most beloved salt and pepper shakers in the last century. In this post, I'll provide an overview of these manufacturers and highlight some of their most memorable pieces.
HOLT HOWARD
It all started at Amherst College, where John and Robert Howard, and Grant Holt forged a lifelong friendship. With a loan from their parents, they launched Holt-Howard in a New York apartment in 1949 before relocating to Japan in the mid-1950s. While their early work centered on Christmas items, their foray into kitchenware proved wildly successful. One of their most recognizable collections is Pixieware, featuring condiment jars with elf heads painted in vivid hues and charming expressions. Although Holt-Howard ceased production in 1990, their contributions to the world of collectible kitchenware live on.
NAPCO CERAMICS
Since its founding in 1938 in Bedford, Ohio, Napco has seen importing a vast range of unique, highly-collectible ceramic, glass and China giftware. Among their many decorative items, such as wall accessories, ashtrays, housewares, floral arrangements, planters, glassware, and Christmas ceramics, Napco is most renowned for their iconic lady head vases. Led by Irwin Garber, who went on to launch Inarco, the company developed these stunning vases in the mid-1940s.
Napco’s head vases have a variety of marks, including transfer marks and paper labels. On the paper labels, you may find phrases like "A Napco Collection," "Napco originals by Giftware,” “National Potteries Co., Cleveland, OH, Made in Japan,” and “Napcoware, Import Japan.” This is your assurance that the product is made with the quality and craftsmanship that Napco has become known for throughout the years.
LEGO IMPORTS
Lego Imports was a company founded by Leo Goldman in New York City in 1946. The company specialized in importing and distributing a wide variety of products, including ceramics, glassware, and gift items. They also imported and sold vintage salt and pepper shakers from Japan.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Lego Imports gained popularity and recognition for their unique and whimsical salt and pepper shakers, which often featured playful and imaginative designs. Some of their most famous designs included anthropomorphic animals, cartoon characters, and everyday objects like cars, houses, and vegetables.
In addition to their salt and pepper shakers, Lego Imports also sold other vintage kitchenware items, including tea sets, cookie jars, and dinnerware. The company continued to operate for several decades, but eventually closed its doors in the 1990s.
ENESCO IMPORTS
One of the world's most prominent head vase manufacturers, Enesco, was founded in 1959 by Eugene Freedman. Initially operating a small plastics and figurine company in Milwaukee, Freedman soon joined a Chicago-based import company, which had spun off a significant wholesale merchandising operation, N. Shure Co., whose name morphed into N.S. Co.—and ultimately, Enesco.
One of Freedman's first ideas became one of Enesco's most long-lasting marketing techniques. In the mid-1960s, Freedman established two large shows a year, the Pre-Show and the Spring Fling, which were by invitation only. The private shows allowed buyers to view Enesco's lines for the coming year. The Pre-Show was scheduled for late September through Thanksgiving and showcased the company's gifts and collectibles for the first half of the coming year, as well as all-occasion selections. Spring Fling, in February, displayed Halloween and Christmas gifts and collectibles and the company's introductions for the year's second half. The shows were a success and became an industry tradition over the next 30 years; by the mid-1990s, they attracted hundreds of buyers daily.
In 1978, Enesco established the line that would help it grow from a modestly successful company to a leading collectibles manufacturer: Precious Moments. On a trip to California, Freedman discovered some inspirational greeting cards featuring drawings of teardrop-eyed children, images he thought would translate well into porcelain figurines. The cards' creator, Samuel Butcher, had initially drawn the children as gifts for family and friends. He later marketed greeting cards and posters featuring his drawings to support his seven children. When Freedman approached him with his idea for a line of figurines, Butcher was afraid to commercialize his drawings' religious and inspirational aspects. So Freedman took examples of Butcher's art to sculptors Yasuhei Fujioka and Hitomi Kuwashita in Japan. The figurine created, entitled "Love One Another," depicted two children sitting on a tree stump. Butcher was so impressed with the prototype he licensed his work to Enesco to create the first series of Precious Moments figures.
By the 1980s, Enesco had expanded its presence throughout the U.S. and into Canada, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, and Europe. Today, Enesco is a world leader in the giftware industry, with a catalog that contains more than 7,000 items.
Exploring the history of vintage salt and pepper shaker manufacturers offers a fascinating look into the design and cultural trends of the mid-20th century. From the whimsical designs of Holt Howard and Lego Imports to the highly-detailed figurines of Napco Ceramics, these manufacturers created a wide range of unique and charming products that continue to be highly sought-after by collectors today.
While many of these manufacturers are no longer in operation, their legacy lives on in the countless salt and pepper shakers and other vintage kitchenware items that have been passed down through generations. Whether you are a collector or simply someone with an appreciation for unique, kitsch, and whimsical design, the world of vintage salt and pepper shaker manufacturers is a fascinating and entertaining topic to explore.
