When we were married, we received a Pfaltzgraff service for eight in the Yorktowne pattern. Over the years, we’ve lost pieces to various calamities, mostly children, so this Christmas I decided to replace the missing pieces. Instead of buying individual pieces, I bought another service for eight.
I’m glad I did; the new pieces don’t match the old wares. There have been some meaningful design changes since Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff sold the company to Lifetime Brands in 2005: the color is different; the style is different; the design appears printed rather than baked into the glaze; the maker’s mark is printed instead of stamped; the sugar bowl doesn’t have a spot for a spoon; the lid falls off; and the method of manufacture possibly differs, as can be seen from the absence of visible coils. The texture is similar, which is good, but I prefer the older wares.
Pfaltzgraff was the oldest pottery in the United States. Apparently the Pennsylvania ceramics factories were closed and sold at auction later that year. The new pieces are made somewhere in China.
In this photograph, the pre-2005 sugar bowl is on the left. 