July 2007 Alerts on Confusing Collectibles

Rookwood tile reproductions marked “North Prairie Tileworks” are being made. The company is located in Minneapolis and makes all kinds of ceramic tiles. One page of its catalog pictures four of North Prairie’s Rookwood tile reproductions, including one showing two oversized rabbits under a leafy tree. The repros are multicolored and high-glazed, with the maker’s name rubber-stamped on the back. Known Rookwood originals are a single color and matte-glazed, and most have Rookwood’s well-known impressed RP mark on the back.

Do you remember Annalee Country Bunnies? The little posed rabbits dressed in denim and red and white checks were first made in the early 1980s. Now the Vermont Country Store (www.VermontCountryStore.com) is selling repros for $39.95 each. The new rabbits are 7 1/2 inches tall.

Watch out for fake cast-iron frying pans, corn bread pans, irons and doorstops, all being made in China. Best clue to recognize the new cast iron is from its rough, pitted surface, signs of grinding, obvious mold seams and lack of wear. Trademarks are often faked, too.