Ephraim Faience Pottery: Seconds & Irregulars at Discounted Prices

Discounted Pottery

In life, sometimes things don't turn out as planned. The same is true for pottery. Sometimes a piece will come out of the kiln with an irregularity or a defect. Since we can't send such pieces out to fill an order, what happens to them? In cases where the defect is minor or the irregularity does not make the piece unattractive, we sell them at discounted prices.

Because we were temporarily without a local sales outlet earlier this year, we decided to make some of these pieces available to our customers via our website. We received such an enthusiastic reaction to this change that we decided to continue to do so even though our retail store is now open. Seconds and irregulars are also available at our retail store.

This page last
updated on

June 23, 2008

Next scheduled
update is
WEDNESDAY
July 9, 2008

Seconds & Irregulars

A piece with a defect is called a "second." The foot is marked with an incised "X" and the piece is discounted 50% off the regular retail price. A piece with an irregularity is called an "irregular." The foot is marked with an incised "I." Pieces are discounted 25% off the regular retail price, depending on the nature of the irregularity. More information and photographic examples of seconds and irregulars accompany each section (below).

Availability

Available seconds and irregulars will be posted to this page once a week, by the end of the day Wednesday (unless otherwise noted). Pieces are sold on a first come, first served basis. Quantities available are listed for each piece. Because this page will only be updated once a week, some of the pieces listed may have already been sold when you contact us.

Nature of the Defect or Irregularity

The nature of the defect or irregularity is listed for each piece and is described to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, we do not have the staffing capability right now to be able to photograph individual pieces. We hope to be able to offer more services to our customers in the future, but in the meantime we ask for your understanding during this period of transition.

Since all of our pottery is made by hand, each piece is slightly different from the example pictured on this website and in our catalog. Special note is not made of variations that we consider to be within normal limits.

Purchasing

To purchase a second or irregular, please EMAIL KRISTIN. This will allow her to prioritize the purchase requests in the order received in order to keep the sales of seconds and irregulars fair to all interested customers. Kristin's normal office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 (Central). If you are concerned about delivery and/or receipt of your email, please request a delivery and/or read receipt for your message. Our satellite internet connection is affected by heavy rain and thunderstorms which can occur at this time of year.

Basic ordering information can be found on our Orders page. The shipping and handling cost for each piece is listed below. Shipping and handling costs can be reduced in some cases if multiple pieces are ordered. Kristin can give you this information at the time of purchase.

Returns

Seconds and irregulars are sold "as is" and are not returnable. Please ask any questions prior to purchasing. All sales of seconds and irregulars are final.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Kristin at EFP. Thank you!

Seconds

Item	Color	Nature of Defect(s)	# Avail	Discounted Price Each	Add S&H	Collection
NOTE: Items marked with a red line (~~LIKE THIS~~) have already been sold. Please check back again next week.
~~#B09 Wood Violet~~	-	~~Foot crack that extends about 2" up side of vase; barely visible~~	1	~~$99.00~~	~~$15~~	Garden Gate
~~#B18 Wisteria~~	-	~~Irregularly shaped chip in foot approx. 1/2" long at widest points~~	1	~~$144.00~~	~~$20~~	Garden Gate
~~#B35 Turtle Cabinet Vase~~	-	~~Two small, barely visible foot cracks approx. 1/2" and 1/4" in length~~	1	~~$69.00~~	~~$15~~	Creatures
#A01 Teardrop	WA	1 1/4" foot crack; extends up the side but is barely visible	1	$69.00	$15	Watercress
#627 Blosssom	SK	Chip following the curve of the foot, approx. 1" long by 1/4" wide	1	$54.00	$15	Blue Skies
#521 Fluted Bud	-	1" long diagonal crack extending from top of shoulder up neck; glazed over	1	$144.00	$20	Past Catalogs
#404 Pine Cone Candlestick	AU	Hairline crack extending 2.50" into bottom and 1.50" up side (barely visible on side)	1	$47.00	$10	Past Catalogs
#409 Wild Morning Glory	-	Dent in foot approx. 1" long by 1/4" high; glazed over	1	$69.00	$15	Past Catalogs

Types of Defects
Bottom Crack	Chip	Hairline Crack
Click to view larger	Click to view larger	Small Hairline Click to view larger	Larger Hairline Click to view larger
A bottom crack usually originates in the center of the exterior bottom of the pot and spreads outward towards the foot (edge). It is wider than a hairline crack. Bottom cracks usually do not extend into the foot. They may or may not extend through the bottom to the interior of the pot, where they may or may not be visible. When the piece is sitting normally on its base this defect is not apparent to the viewer.	A chip is a divot out of the pot. It most commonly occurs on the foot, as in the example above, or on the bottom during the grinding process. In most cases, foot or bottom chips are not visible when the piece is sitting normally on its base. When glazed ware is chipped, the white fired clay underneath is revealed. Sometimes chips occur to green ware, in which case they are glazed over.	A hairline crack is a thin, fine crack similar in thickness to a human hair. Most of the hairline cracks on our pots originate on the foot. They may spread up the side and/or onto the bottom of the pot. Hairline cracks that spread up the side may or may not be visible to the average viewer. This often depends on the glaze and/or the length of the crack. Hairline cracks that extend to the bottom of the pot generally do not go all the way through to the inside and are not visible on the interior bottom.
Please note that all dimensions of defects given in the chart below are approximate.

Irregulars

Item	Color	Nature of Irregularity(ies)	# Avail	Discounted Price Each	Add S&H	Collection
NOTE: Items marked with a red line ~~LIKE THIS~~ have already been sold. Please check back again next week.
#B23 Ginkgo Candleholder	-	Glaze miss approx. 1/4" diameter on underside of one leaf; can't see it unless you look at it from below	1	$73.50	$10	Trees & Leaves
#B32 Marsh Cattail	-	Glaze miss about 1/8" wide by 3/8" long on left side of pot towards back; not visible when you look at the piece from the front	1	$148.50	$15	Roadsides
#A03 Homestead	WA	Bubbles on interior bottom of pot	1	$73.50	$10	Watercress
#A21 Dandelion	-	Color variation: barely any brown. Overall colors yellow and pumpkin.	1	$148.50	$15	Roadsides

Irregulars: Common Types of Irregularities
Blowout	Burst Glaze Bubble	Interior Glaze Bubbles	Overfired	Thin Glaze

A blowout happens when a small piece of the clay mixture explodes in the kiln, blowing off a small piece of clay and glaze.	During firing, air bubbles form in the glaze, but they usually "heal" themselves during the rest of the firing. The arrow on the right shows an example of this. (A healed bubble is not considered an irregularity.) However, sometimes the burst air bubble doesn't heal. The arrow at the left shows this example.	Due to the thickness of the glaze, it is not unusual for bubbles to form on the interior bottom of our pots.	Overfiring refers to the situation when the temperature inside the kiln gets too hot or stays at a high temperature for too long of a time. This results in a darkening of the glaze color, formation of larger and more highly visible crystals, and a thinning of the glaze over some sculpted areas.	Sometimes the glaze runs more than usual or doesn't adhere as well to the surface of the bisqued pot, resulting in lighter-colored areas. The bisqued surface of the piece is visible through the glaze, but the lighter area is not white, which would indicate a glaze miss.
Please note that all dimensions of irregularities given in the chart below are approximate.