Eggshell Nautilus and its history

~ Beth
Oval bowl from, pattern name “Ardmore” by Homer Laughlin

Last week’s Thrift Store Tuesday post discussed my exciting find of a few pieces of Homer Laughlin Eggshell Nautilus china in a thrift store. I’m still a little amazed about this find and very overwhelmed by the complexity of the pattern, the complexity of Homer Laughlin China Company’s history, and the revelation of how to decode the back-stamp on the underside of the pieces. But I find it very interesting and have found myself lost in the world of china and pottery!

Homer and Shakespeare Laughlin won a competition sponsored by the East Liverpool, Ohio, City Council by agreeing to build a four kiln pottery producing white ware. The pottery industry was already well established, producing a yellow ware from the local clay; the Council felt it was waning in popularity and wanted to introduce white ware to compete with the England markets. The prize was $5,000 and the Laughlin brothers, while lacking in the technical aspects of making ware, built their plant and began production on September 1, 1874. The plant struggled; the story has been told that the cup handles fell off the cups after the first batch cooled!

In time, the plant became productive and was established as a quality producer of white ware. In 1877 Homer bought out his brother and in 1896 renamed the company “The Homer Laughlin China Company”. Homer would retire in 1897 and the business would pass from generation to generation of several owners and management employees. The demand for HL china grew and the company expanded their plants and produced many patterns and styles of high quality china. Continuous firing tunnels were added in the 1920’s, greatly speeding up production time.

Fiesta Persimmon (Intro 1989) Dinner Plate by Homer Laughlin Image 1
Fiesta persimmon, introduced 1989

Fiesta ware was introduced in 1936 and quickly became an American favorite and was reintroduced in 1986 with a lead-free formula. It has a story of its own as well as the wildly popular Harlequin pattern sold by Woolworth’s and manufactured in plant 8 which was devoted exclusively to Harlequin manufacture. The company also produced bowls that were packed in oatmeal boxes for the American Cereal Company.

Harlequin Turquoise (Older) Dinner Plate by Homer Laughlin Image 1
Woolworth’s Harlequin, turquoise

Most sources indicate that Eggshell Nautilus was introduced in 1937 and continued production until the 1950’s. There is not just one Eggshell Nautilus pattern – eggshell refers to the type of glaze used on the china. The glaze was developed to make the dinnerware thinner and stronger than earlier HL products as well as prevent fine cracks appearing as the dinnerware aged. Nautilus refers to the design of the various pieces, not the pattern. During the years of Nautilus manufacture, many of its designs were created by Frederick Rhead, design director from 1927-1942. In 1940 several new shapes were added to the line: a salad bowl, teapot, and square plate.

This oval bowl was manufactured in April 1946 in Newell, WV, plant 5, thus the stamp “D46N5”
This dinner plate was made in December, 1945 at Newell WV plant 5

It is a common mistake to think that the number in the back-stamp is the pattern number, but it is a code to its date of manufacture and the plant that produced it. Only one of the pieces I found had the pattern number, N1583, stamped on its back.

The first letter represents the month of manufacture with A being January, B February, etc. The next two numbers indicate the year, The following letter and number indicate the plant’s location and its number.

And, yes, a trip to the Factory in Newell, West Virginia is now on my must see list after diving into the world of Homer Laughlin. Up next – either more on the Eggshell Nautilus patterns and designs or a dive into the Blue Willow pieces that Homer Laughlin produced.

19 thoughts on “Eggshell Nautilus and its history”

  1. So interesting! Especially the way the date is coded on the back of the plate. Have you checked out the “Homer Laughlin” Facebook groups? It is great to be passionate about an interest!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. The Eggshell patterns are really captivating! Yours was made in March 1946 at one of the plants in Newell WV. I’m not sure which one, because I’ve always seen a number rather than a letter as the last digit.

        Like

  3. “The first letter represents the month of manufacture with A being January, B February, etc. ” My piece is stamped “M 41 N 5”. Would that mean it was manufactured in the 13th month of the year??

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Good thought Beth, but it’s clearly M. While researching the code I learned some manufacturers sometimes skip a letter ie the letter I. If that were the case it would make M = December. That’s my best guess for now.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I contacted Homer Laughlin about another question I had about the safety of putting food on vintage pieces as well as some identity questions. You might contact them, they were very helpful. I think it is fascinating to find all the quirks of these different lines and pattern production! Please let me know if you find an answer! https://www.fiestatableware.com/fiesta-contact

        Like

      1. Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, they were often premiums, but I’m not sure if they came in a product box or were store premiums. Many patterns were sold in box sets, too.

        Like

  4. Hello, I have a set of Homer Laughlin Nautilis Eggshell that is marked M41 N5. Using the date marking system you described above with December being equal to “L”, I don’t know how to interpret an “M” marking. Any ideas?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I just picked up at salvation army a six piece EGGSHELL Nautilus with stamps:
    N47 N5, C48 N5, J47 N5, C48 N5, U48 N5, and D48 N5.
    They are beautiful and will give to my daughter as her first set of dishes when she moves out..are these valuable!?? Does anyone know!?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Sorry for the slow reply. How fun to find these pieces! I don’t think they are exceptionally valuable as Homer Laughlin was a prolific producer and many pieces were produced. The numbers stamped represent the month and year of production and the plant where manufactured. Check on Replacements.com to see if they have any of your pattern.

      Like

      Reply

  7. I’m confused about the Eggshell Nautilus pattern. The set my husband inherited from his aunt don’t look the same as others pictured. 

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. There are many patterns in the Eggshell Nautilus line. Eggshell refers to the process of making the china and Nautilus refers to the shapes of the pieces. They manufactured many different patterns (the designs on the front of the china). I have several pieces with other patterns that are made in the Nautilus shape. I’ll try to do a post soon with pictures of the shapes.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Thank you Beth. Is there anyway I can send you a picture of the Eggshell Nautilus I have? It is too bad the manufacturer did not put the pattern name on the back!

        Like

Leave a comment