AROUND THE WORLD IN 90 POSTS: First stop: Occupied Japan

It happens. You pick up a cute lil ceramic elephant with those big sweet droopy Dumbo ears and 'please take me home' eyes. He's just too cute! 

You want to rehome him so you flip him upside down to see how much damage Dumbo is going to do to your wallet and bam...there it is..."Occupied Japan"! 

And then your mind races...how old is Dumbo? Where is Occupied Japan (okay hopefully you aren't thinking that...)? What does "Occupied Japan" mean? Is $5 a good price for him?

Let's see how we can help...

First, let's date...

Your lil treasure was made some time during the Allied Powers occupation of Japan, the time period from  the signing of the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945 until April 28, 1952 as the San Francisco Peace  Treaty restored Japan’s independence (except for the Ryukyu Islands, whose independence was restored in 1972).

During this rebuilding period after the war, Japan needed to revive its economy. To do so quickly, Japan dove into producing, in copious quantities, relatively inexpensive porcelain, pottery, toys and other kitchen goods. To stay on good terms with the Allies, they complied with the agreement which allowed for the exportation of their wares under the condition they marked their items “Occupied Japan” (referred to as OJ from here on out) or "Made in Occupied Japan.” These markings were in the form of paper labels, cloth labels, engraved, handwritten, or stamped.

At the time, trinkets and such made during this mass production were generally viewed by Americans as inferior to those made in Europe, and sometimes looked the part, and were also inexpensively priced. 

And now for the good stuff...

Fast forward 60-70 years and the tide has turned on these ‘inferior’ goodies. Today, many of these mass produced, cheap treats are commanding prices no one 70 years ago could fathom and in an interesting turn of events, some OJ designs have even been copied themselves. 

To gather a general understanding of the book value of your OJ treasure, a general eBay search will not suffice. Your general eBay search yields what a seller wants to sell an item for...and most of the time, sellers do little valid research on their listings. A much better place to start is Antiques Navigator and online marketplaces like RubyLane that specialize in true antiques and vintage goods. 

**To answer your burning question....$5 is an amazing price for Dumbo! Take him home! 

BONUS: is it real?  

A simple authenticity test is to check the mark itself. Authentic marks were always marked under glaze. If you are unsure, get some nail polish remover – if the mark stays on, you have the real deal.

DOUBLE BONUS: The OJ Cat's Meow

As with any collectible, collectors look for a variety of things, depending on what they collect. However, it is generally known that OJ bisque (fired but unglazed pottery, like the adorable cherub and wagon seen to the right) seems to be the cat’s meow to collectors, partially because it is much more difficult to identify from that period. When you find these delicious lil pieces, please don't wrap in newspaper...unless you wish to tattoo your new treasures!