4 Metlox Grape Cup Sets

FOUR METLOX POPPYTRAIL SCULPTURED GRAPE CUP AND SAUCER SETS - 8 PIECES Four vintage California earthenware cup and saucer sets in the Sculptured Grape pattern by Metlox Poppytrail, eight pieces in all. Each footed cup has a ring-turned body, an off-white glazed ground, and a sculpted olive-brown twisted grapevine handle, decorated with embossed hand-painted blue grape clusters, green and gray-green grape leaves, pale yellow blossom sprigs, and gold-brown curling tendrils. The saucers repeat the same embossed and hand-painted border around a plain center well, with a scalloped edge and a soft olive-brown brushed rim line. This is the same pattern as the cup and saucer sets, small plates, and salad plates offered separately in this sale, so bidders assembling a service should watch those lots as well. Every piece shows the overall fine crazing typical of this earthenware body, and the printed saucer backstamps are faded and partly rubbed, so the marks are only partly legible. Good, honest mid-century American dinnerware for table use, open shelving, a hutch, or a coffee-and-dessert setting. Sold as a lot of eight pieces - four cups and four saucers. Description Four cups, footed with ring-turned sides and applied sculpted grapevine handles in olive-brown; interiors are plain white with no decoration. Four saucers, round with scalloped edges, embossed grape-and-leaf border, and a recessed center ring to seat the cup. Cup measures approximately 3-1/4 inches tall at the rim per the tape-measure photograph. The tape is laid across the cup rather than hooked on its edge, so this is a close estimate only. Cup rim diameter reads at roughly 3-1/2 inches and the saucers at roughly 6-1/4 inches; both are estimates taken from the photographs rather than a hooked tape reading, and bidders should verify all dimensions from the photographs. Saucer undersides carry a faded circular printed backstamp consistent with "POPPYTRAIL BY METLOX - MADE IN CALIFORNIA", with a hand-inked number in the center reading as "98" on one saucer; the surrounding lettering is rubbed and soft, so only the portions legible in the photographs are quoted here and nothing further is claimed. Cup bottoms are unglazed-ring white with three small kiln-stilt pin marks and a tiny impressed mark that is too faint to read; no printed maker mark is visible on the cups themselves, so none is claimed for them. Attribution note Metlox Pottery operated in Manhattan Beach, California, founded in 1927 by T. C. Prouty and his son Willis Prouty, originally making outdoor ceramic signs before turning to dinnerware under the Poppytrail name in the early 1930s; the plant closed in 1989. Replacements, Ltd. catalogs this pattern as Sculptured Grape by Metlox in the Poppytrail-Vernon line, discontinued, with production running roughly from 1963 to 1986, and describes it as raised blue grapes with green leaves and vines on a white ground. Related colorways exist, including an all-white version and a pink grape version, so buyers matching an existing service should compare colors closely against the photographs. Identification and dating here are offered as the consignor's photo-based opinion and are not guaranteed. Bid on the item as pictured. Condition Used vintage condition, sold as-is. All eight pieces show overall fine crazing in the glaze, visible in the cup interiors and across the saucer surfaces. The printed saucer backstamps are faded and partly rubbed, with lettering only partly legible. Light scattered surface scuffing and faint utensil or stacking marks are present on the saucer wells. A few small dark specks and pale amber spots appear near the saucer foot rings. No cracks, chips, or repairs are apparent in the photographs, but the pieces have not been examined under magnification and no such guarantee is made. Photos are part of the description. Notes for bidders Glazed earthenware is not dishwasher or microwave recommended; hand wash gently in warm water and dry promptly. Do not soak crazed pieces, as moisture can enter the glaze lines and stain the body. Stack with felt or paper separators to protect the raised decoration and the sculpted handles. Only the piece(s) pictured are included in this lot. Terms Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. All sales final. Please ask any questions before bidding. Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping arrangements per auction terms.