{Many close-up photos below)

DETROIT
250th Birthday Festival (1701-1951)
First Train (Michigan Central RR), First Steam Vessel, Toll Gate at Grand River Avenue, Model Ts, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, First State Capitol of Michigan, Fort Pontchartrain 1701, View of Detroit 1794, and more!

Vintage Collector's Plate
   Approximately 10½" Diameter, Ultra RimForm
Sepia Brown on White

Made and Designed by
Vernon Kilns,
California Pottery
Los Angeles 
ca. 1951

This is an old (1951)  DETROIT, MICHIGAN 250TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION  decorative collector's plate from Vernon Kilns. 

About Vernon Kilns. Vernon Kilns made collectors plates for hundreds of cities and states in the United States, some organizations and institutions, and some for foreign cities and countries. Vernon Kilns closed its doors permanently in the early 1950s.

According to Bill Stern (2001), Vernon Kilns was one of the well known "Big Five" of the Southern California Pottery group (p. 42, California Pottery: From Missions to Modernism). Please see Maxine Feek Nelson's Collectible Vernon Kilns: Identification and Value Guide for more information about Vernon Kilns California Pottery.

The plate depicts a variety of traditional and historic sites, people, and events in Detroit (please see photos below) including:

• View of Detroit in 1794
• Toll Gate with Waiting Model T at Grand River Ave
• First Steam Locomotove Train Out of Detroit 1837 (became Michigan Central RR)
• Fort Ponchartraine 1701
• Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, Founder of Detroit
• First State Capitol of Michigan
• First Steam Vessel "Walk in the Water" 1818.
  

The back of the plate is inscribed with the words:

Picture of Cadillac Landing at Detroit 1701

Fort Ponchartrain 1701
First Train ouf of Detroit to Dearborn -- later Michigan Central RR  1837
First Steam Vessel "Walk in the Water" 1818
View of Detroit  July 25, 1794
State Capitol when in Detroit, later Capitol High School, 1837
Grand River Toll Gate  1873

Courtesy of
Burton Historical Collections:
Detroit Public Library
Vernon Kilns
U.S.A.

The plate has the "Ultra"-style rim with the apple blossom decor.

   

Condition.  The plate is in excellent condition with no chips, cracks, or restorations. The transfer print is sharp and nicely articulated.

... Not easy to find!

A highly desirable plate for Vernon Kilns California Pottery collectors, collectors of retail marketing and advertising memorabilia, and collectors of Detroit and Michigan memorabilia.   (...and a thoughtfully nice gift for alumni of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Detroit Mercy University, and other prestigious universities in Michigan.)

Please visit our Ebay store, DesertGold Store, for more Vernon Kilns pieces and other great finds, e.g., restaurant ware, EAPG, carnival glass, pottery, crystal, books, typewriters, and the like!