Collectible Mexican Pottery

Facts to Know When Shopping for Collectible Mexican Pottery

Collectible Mexican pottery adds beauty and culture to any home or business and can make for a valuable and cherished collection. Whether you're looking for a single item to complete a display, give as a gift, or add to your pottery collection, success comes down to knowing how to identify and select Mexican ceramics. Here are tips to keep in mind when browsing eBay's thousands of Mexican pottery items.

There are several types of Mexican pottery based on the regions where they originate or the artisan or school of artisanship responsible for producing them. Each type possesses its own unique characteristics and properties. Among the most common types of Mexico pottery to display and collect are these:

• Mata Ortiz - An extension of Mogollon pottery originating in and around the Casa Grandes archaeological site in Chihuahua, Mexican pots of this style are made without the use of a potter's wheel and favor aesthetics over practical considerations.
• Talavera - Named for the type of Spanish pottery from which it originates, this is a type of tin-glazed earthenware made from the clay of the region in and around the state of Puebla. It features a white base.
• Tlaquepaque - This highly decorative, twice-fired clay pottery is dipped in lead oxide for its second firing. It comes from the region of San Pedro Tlaquepaque and typically features the imagery of the common people, incorporating landscapes and elements of "old Mexico" culture and lifestyle.
• Tonalá - Burnished pottery handcrafted or molded from soft clay, this type is then painted before a single firing.

Not all Mexican pottery is handmade. Unless explicitly labeled as handcrafted in Mexico, pottery may be machine-made instead. Be sure that if handmade Mexican pots are what you seek, you determine that the item you're considering is truly handcrafted in Mexico pottery before you buy. eBay makes it easy to contact the vendor to get answers to any questions you may have.

Among the myriad of Mexican pottery for sale on eBay are some with objective collector's value based on their scarcity and their source, such as the rare, one-of-a-kind, China Poblana clay dancer figures handmade in Oaxaca by Jose Juan Garcia Aguilar, son of the famous Josefina Aguilar. Other notable pieces of fine Mexican pottery include:

• Polychrome olla in white clay Mata Ortiz pot by Ismael Flores
• Stoneware cat Tonala pottery by Jorge Wilmot
• Hand-painted Tlaquepaque Fantasia cobalt blue plate
• Hand-painted Max Kerlow "Woman Carrying Bowl" sculpture