Most figural collectors probably are aware of the Stanford Pottery mascots, including the most common Chief Wahoo. I've enjoyed collecting them for more than 20 years. Even though each statue is unique because it was painted by hand, the variations one typically sees are limited to the Stanford Pottery stamp on the underside of the base or a point-of-sale sticker (Souvenir of Cedar Point, Souvenir of Cleveland, etc) on the top of the base, between the Chief's spikes.
Until recently.
Below is a photo of three Wahoos. The one on the left is a typical example. The middle statue is one I'm really excited about, because Chief clearly is wearing a gray road uniform, as opposed to the typical white. I don't know whether the photo does the statue justice. But it clearly is gray and just as clearly was done intentionally. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that more "customized" Stanford Pottery statues don't show up. This gray variation is the only one I've ever seen.
The story on this one is that the previous owner -- a good friend of mine -- saw it at a garage sale in northeast Ohio in the late 1980s. Because he already owned a few Chief Wahoos, he didn't buy it immediately. But after returning home, he thought better of it and went back, paying the $2 asking price.
The Wahoo on the far right in the photo also is unusual because of the total absence of flesh tones in the face. Whether this was done intentionally isn't clear (at least to me), but, like the gray uniform, it's the only one I've come across.
Admittedly, these are examples of a very small, specialized niche of the hobby. But they're very exciting additions to me.
07-01-2013, 06:25 PM
Stanford Pottery Indians: Scarce variations
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