Here in Minnesota I never have much luck finding ironstone in antique shops. If I do find some, it’s usually quite pricey … or it’s a chamber pot. So most of my ironstone pieces have come from garage sales or estate sales. One of the pieces I find most often is the gravy boat.
I wonder why that is? Do we eat more gravy in the mid-west than in other parts of the country?
Maybe it’s just because a gravy boat is so darn practical so there were lots of them.
Or perhaps it’s because a gravy boat is a less expensive piece than a covered casserole or other more elaborate pieces.
A gravy boat with a lid is handy for keeping your gravy warm.
When not in use you can add some rolled up book pages for display.
Or maybe a pretty silver ladle. I found this one in a local antique shop and it was only $4.
I hang some of my gravy boats on a rod behind the stove. I like that I can also see the marks on the bottoms.
How about you? Do you have a stash of pretty gravy boats to use on Thanksgiving?
Whether in a pretty gravy boat or not, I still say ‘please pass the gravy’.
q is for quandie 
So, that was your find! Love your collection. Funny you mentioned the ironstone chamber pot. My mom’s friend gave us one for the cabin, so it holds the tp in the outhouse (yes I have ironstone in an outhouse)! Hope you had a great day yesterday and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Well, that’s just one of my finds 😉 The rest will be sprinkled in over the next couple of weeks so stay tuned Meggan! And can I just say I love that your outhouse has ironstone, and what a great use of the chamber pot. If I had an outhouse, I’d definitely be copying that idea. Although now that I think about it, I could certainly use that idea in my regular bathroom. Hmmmm … now where did I see that chamber pot …
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Yes I too love and have more than a few gravy boats. As usual your pictures are wonderful. If you want to see some of mine I posted a few on my instagram feed: dianefriedemann A fun hashtag is #ironstonewednesday
Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!
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I’m not on Instagram. Mainly because I have a windows phone (not an android, not an iPhone) which isn’t really compatible with much of anything. One of these days I am going to get around to replacing it. But in the meantime, I did a little research and I can see your Instagram photos even though I don’t have an account with them by going here: https://www.instagram.com/dianefriedemann/, just in case anyone else is interested. And I totally enjoyed seeing all of your ironstone photos!
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Ha!Ha! I seriously doubt y’all eat more gravey than we do in the South.
Biscuit capital of the world. But I love your collection especially the hanging idea behind your stove. Unexpected and homey and the makers mark adds a graphic touch too. I am a bit envious of your ironstone collection.
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LOL, you are probably right about the gravy. I am a huge fan of biscuits and gravy!
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Yes, there are a lot of ironstone gravy dishes out there, but the thing I find the most are creamers! And since they are so small, you can display a lot of them! My most favorite thing I found was a covered sugar bowl that dated to the late 19th century for under $10. A fluke, I know. And the most interesting is a baby feeder or a disabled adult feeder, depending on who needed it. It’s sort of like a ‘nettie pot’ in the shape. Really interesting what survived for 100 years or so, isn’t it? As always, great subject (timely) and great photos. Thanks so much for sharing.
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I love a good ironstone sugar bowl. There are so many different shapes and sizes. How did you date your’s?
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Linda, the makers mark was imprinted and also stamped on the bottom, so that when I researched it I found that John Alcock only had that type of imprint for a short time. Also, another clue was the color, the oldest ironstone has a bluish look to it. What did we do before there was so much information on the interweb? Also, my favorite of your gravy boats is the covered one, so beautiful!
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I did not know that about the color, good to know. Thanks for sharing that info Laura!
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I don’t have a collection of gravy boats, or even one – unlike your gorgeous collection. I’m old – don’t need yet another thing to wash after dinner! But I do have a respectable collection of gravy in case someone stops by with mashed potatoes (which we all know happens alot)- I’m always at the ready. 🙂
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Um, where do you live again? I could stop by with some mashed potatoes 😉
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Yep I have a gravy boat or two myself!
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You can never have too many gravy boats!
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Does 3 gravy bowls create a collection? I thought I just liked them but now I think I’ve been collecting without knowing it.
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I’m good at collecting things without knowing it myself. Maybe we need to start a support group.
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Your gravy collections are fab. Thanks for sharing them.
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