Rookwood pottery was made in Cincinnati, Ohio, from 1880 to 1960. All of this art pottery is marked, most with the famous flame mark. The R is reversed and placed back to back with the letter P. Flames surround the letters. After 1900, a Roman numeral was added to the mark to indicate the year. The company went bankrupt in 1941. For several years various owners tried to revive the pottery, but by 1967 it was out of business. The name and some of the molds were bought by a collector in 1984. In 2005, Christopher Rose and his brother, Patrick, bought the company and 3,700 original molds, the name, and trademark. Today they make architectural tile, art pottery, beer steins, bookends, and limited edition items. The molds were kept in his basement until 2006 when a group of investors bought them and revived the pottery. The Rookwood Pottery Co. currently makes fireplaces, tiles, and bookends in old designs and special items for limited edition vases and steins for Christmas. In its early years, Rookwood used local Ohio clays.
