“People in our generation, you didn’t just collect two of something,” the auction staffer, a man who looked to be in his late 60s, said as I stood there with another auction-goer bewildered by the collection in front of me. On the auction table, a herd of elk creamers were aiming toward the edge of the table.
“They all look alike,” I exclaimed. It was hard to fathom why anyone would collect items that had no diversity in their styles. It was like looking at mirror images of one item from the front, back and sides. How could you enjoy a lot of somethings that showed little alterations in their appearances?
The man next to me wasn’t sure what they were. “Elk creamers,” the staffer told him. I recognized them because I had come across one a couple years ago in a box lot at auction. It was made by a well-known porcelain company called Royal Bayreuth, and the creamers were both popular and collectible.
“It’s something about milk coming out of an elk’s mouth,” the staffer said, trying to lightheartedly explain the creamers. “Everyone could have their own.”
The set of 40 or so creamers were scheduled to be auctioned the next day. They seemed to be in good condition, with no cracks or chips, but they were dusty and needed a good washing. Four at the back of the herd were wider but squat, and may have been pitchers.
Checking the bottom, I saw that they had been individually stamped with three makers: Royal Bayreuth, Austria and Czechoslavakia (in some cases, just plain Slovakia).
Royal Bayreuth apparently made the best of these elk creamers. The company has a long history of making porcelain china, beginning in 1794 in its factory in Tettau, Bavaria, in eastern Germany, according to several websites.
The company also makes creamers in the shape of rabbits, butterflies, bulls, eagles, Santa Claus and more. It also made dinnerware, candleholders, teacups and saucers, bowls and a host of other products, including SunBonnet Babies, Snow Babies and Beach/Sand Babies – all very collectible.
The SunBonnet Babies – two girls who wore bonnets that hid their faces – are interesting because they first appeared as characters in a 1902 book by Eulalie Osgood Grover and illustrated by Bertha Corbett . The company made a line of decorated plates with the two girls.
The company is said to be still operating. I could find nothing on the web about the other creamer makers, whose products are a close match to Royal Bayreuth in looks but I’m not sure if they match the quality. Royal Bayreuth’s products are so beloved that they have their own fan club – the Royal Bayreuth Collectors Club.
Although I may have found the elk collection mystifying, apparently many others do not. On the web, I came across sales of other collections and single items. In 2009, 12 elk creamers belonging to a Pittsburgh, PA, collector were sold at auction.
Two years before, an elk creamer sold for $375 at another auction while at the same auction, a creamer with the inscription “Souvenir of Tolchester Beach” sold for $35. That was about the going price for the highest paid in recent sales on eBay.
Czech and Austria creamers sold for $100 for sets of eight and 10 at a 2008 auction.
As I walked away from the auction table, I watched as a woman pushed her wheelchair-bound husband up to the creamers. “Look at these,” she said, her voice showing interest. She observed them for a moment and pronounced: “I don’t like these.”
Without uttering another word and without a reply from him, she wheeled him away.
the majority of the creamers shown are not royal bayreuth elkhead creamers but austrian and czechlovakian moose head creamers….i have 15 royal bayreuth bavaria creamers, and about 40 assorted size austrian moose head creamers from pint to 1 liter size. the austrian creamers at least have the eyes painted on them, not so for the czech ones….no painted eyes