National Shelley China Club

Past Events

Florida Regional Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 members of the Florida Region met for lunch Saturday April 2 at Mike and Lynn’s home in Nokomis.  Lunch was served on two different patterns of Shelley, Campanula and Serenity.  Ken brought several items to show including an unusual Walter Slater straight sided vase.  Two new members, Pam and Alan attended their first regional.  We are all grateful for the opportunity to finally be able to meet in person, swap stories and share our love of Shelley.

 

Florida Regional Historical Survey

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of membership is the ability to meet your fellow clubmembers and share your collections in informal and fun gatherings. We have several active regional groups and look forward to the return of Regional Meetings. Here is a sampling from the Florida region.

 

2022 Virtual Conference

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020 Virtual Conference

 

 

2018 National Conference Tampa FL

The 2018 NSCC annual conference was held in Tampa, Florida September 21 through 23 at the Embassy Suites. Many attendees arrived on Friday and took advantage of a luncheon boat cruise on Tampa Bay.  The official conference activities began with a Welcome Party, followed by the popular Pot Show and an Orphan sale.  Completing the evening we learned about the rich history of the Tampa Bay area from Angela O’Connell of the Tampa Historical Society.  Following Saturday morning’s welcome, a Celebration of Life was held in remembrance of two very special people:  Ray Reynolds, Shelley’s former Art Director, and Gary Hoare, the long-time President of our sister club in Australia.  The contributions of both men to our club are too numerous to mention; both are dearly missed. The balance of the day focused on a variety of talks related to collecting and collectors as well as a discussion of the current status of the Shelley Pattern Books.  The day concluded with the famous All Shelley Show and Sale, where many wants and desires were fulfilled, collections enhanced and “I’ve never seen that before”, or “I’ve been looking for that” became common thoughts if not outright exclamations.  On Sunday the group reconvened for the NSCC Annual Business Meeting followed by discussions regarding rare and unusual pieces to include an afternoon show and tell session for attendees.  The silent auction kicked off the Sunday evening activity, and the conference was brought to a close with our annual Gala Banquet.

 

 

2017 National Conference Albuquerque NM

Spirits were as high as balloons in the Albuquerque sky as NSCC members from around the US gathered to celebrate and learn about Shelley china on September 14-17.  The festivities started with a high tea at the St. James Tea Room.  Everyone joined in the fun by wearing stylish hats provided by the hosts.  The various teas and savories and sweets were scrumptious. Registration began on Friday followed by the Annual Pot Show, Orphan sale and Welcome Party.  Numerous members assisted the conference organizers with registration and their efforts are much appreciated.  Friday evening festivities culminated in a fascinating talk given by Elixir Chocolate company of Albuquerque.  Not only did the owners of the shop demonstrate how to make chocolate truffles, but they distributed samples of their delicious wares delighting everyone in attendance.  After a brief breakfast, attendees commenced our traditional program with talks on the Shelley Pattern Books, Shelley & Wileman Hunting Scenes, Japan Ware, and Moire followed by the traditional All Shelley Sale.  Sunday commenced with the Annual Meeting following by programs on Regional Meetings, Selling Shelley, Shelley Manufacture, Black and White Dog Crested Ware, and “Shotgun” collecting.   The day closed with the Gala Banquet complete with a Silent Auction, Raffles, and announcement of the Douglass and Leiser Awards.

 

 

2016 National Conference Charleston SC

The 2016 Annual Conference was held in the historic community of Charleston, South Carolina. Helen Siegelin put together a wonderful advanced program that covered a spectrum of local history. The Boone Hall Plantation evolved over 300 years from a focus on indigo, to rice, to pecans to cotton. In addition to the life of plantation owners the tour provided perspective on slave culture and the Gullah traditions. Some members then traveled to Patriots Point to tour the Yorktown and the Medal of Honor Museum, followed by some recreations of Viet Nam War military actions. The conference itself was chock full of new and interesting information covering a wide variety of topics, including Sgrafitto and Harmony Ware.

 

 

 

2015 National Conference Seattle WA

Our twenty-fifth anniversary conference was a mixture of joy and sadness as we learned of the tragic death of one of the conference organizers just days before commencement of the conference.  Her hard work and that of her fellow organizers gave us a spectacular program at the Seattle Airport Hilton from October 2-5.  The program included presentations from around the world on topics such as Walter and Eric Slater, Frederick Rhead, Eric Slater’s “Ladies,” and Shelley’s final years.  In additional to traditional events such as the Pot Show and All Shelley Sale, attendees were treated to a talk recounting the history of the club’s first twenty-five years (memorialized in a stunning booklet), the Club’s first member-only project (the Chintz Book) and a Gala dinner to celebrate the anniversary. 

 

 

 

2014 National Conference Warwick RI

Lobster, lighthouses, leaves of red and gold, Shelley, Wileman, old friends, new friends, warm New England days, and cooler nights melded together into an NSCC conference that was perfect in every way from October 10-12 in Warwick, Rhode Island.  65 participants traveled from every part of the USA, and from Canada, England, and Australia to partake of the convivial atmosphere and to learn more about Shelley china.  Greg and Tricia Sullivan were our hosts and conference organizers who spared no effort to ensure that a wonderful time was had by all.  Every detail was carefully thought out and coordinated to make for a smooth running conference.  The hotel Crowne Point was a beautiful setting, and the hotel staff responsive to everyone’s needs.

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2013 National Conference Washington DC

Our 2013 conference was held on September 27 - 29 at the Hilton, Dulles Airport. As usual, the group was convivial, the setting spectacular, and the Shelley abundant. For information on next's year conference, please go the the National Shelley Conference Tab on the left.

Many thanks to Mike Smith for his fine photographs.

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2012 National Conference San Antonio Texas

Our annual conference was held on Oct. 3 through October 5 at the beautiful Wyndam St. Anthony Hotel. As is apparent, the conference was a tremendous success and a good time was had by all.

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Florida Regional

The Florida Shelley China meeting was held on April 8th in Fort Lauderdale.  After a delightful lunch outside by the water, the meeting was called to order.  A vibrant "Show and Tell" ensued with a discussion of bid prices on EBay, a display of one member’s fabulous Dainty color cups/saucers collection and a recent purchase of a small Wileman bud vase in the Faience pattern.  Next up was a mocha set in the original box acquired during a trip to Australia.  This amazing find was picked up at a sale for $60.  Quite a Bargain!   Following a coffee break, the group went on to discuss club business including the upcoming national convention.  The afternoon and evening were great fun and the Florida group hopes to get together in Vero Beach on July 23, 2016.

 

 

Michigan Regional

We had a Michigan regional meeting, hosted marvelously by Marcus and Irene, and joined by Shelley and Dan from Canada. Marcus gave us a tour of his collection which includes some wonderful Slater  pieces, along with a fascinating commentary.  After the tour, we gathered in  the dining room to be served an afternoon tea on Wildflower dishes. A pretty selection of finger sandwiches, scones, sweets and fresh berries was enjoyed by all, along with Shelley talk. 

Such a joy to be in the company of other “crazy” collectors. The theme for the day’s show and tell was jugs. Among those displayed was a large Scots motto jug which  says “Between two stools, fools fall  through.” Dan brought a  crested miniature red nosed toby jug  which reads “No tongue can tell, no brain can think, Oh how I love my drop  of drink.” We left well satisfied with  the day and very pleased to only be  driving 3 hours to be home again.

 

 

California Regional

A beautiful spring day greeted 21 attendees at the California regional meeting, held Saturday, April 6. Everyone gathered in the morning for coffee and homemade coffee cake and muffins at the home of Mimi and Ed. Sales were brisk at the sales tables, burgeoning with Shelley. Mimi and Ed's collections were lovely to behold, and guests were enchanted with the photos of their large and beautiful family, 32 grandchildren and counting. Of particular note was the table Mimi set with five-piece place settings of no less than 16 different Shelley patterns, representing the many dinner sets owned by Mimi and Ed and their offspring. They are long -time Shelley collectors, and their cabinets hold many rare and interesting pieces of Shelley.

Russ gave a talk about covered boxes, and had numerous examples to share. Guests brought recent acquisitions of Shelley, or treasured pieces from their collection to share with the entire group. After a lively discussion about all of these items, the national conference to be held in September in the Washington, DC area, and various topics of Shelley interest, everyone adjourned to eat a delicious luncheon of chicken baked in phyllo crust, fruit and berry salad, and green salad, all served on Shelley's Blue Rock pattern. Everyone left with a jar of Mimi's homemade pomegranate jelly.

After luncheon, Margaret and Paul invited everyone to join them at their home for a delicious dessert of apricot cheese cake, made with apricots from their orchards. The other treat at their home is their amazing Shelley collection, and also a Wild West collection that is unbeatable. Guests were seated around their enormous harvest table in the center of which was a beautiful Shelley girl, in her splendor. Everyone lingered, enjoying the company and setting, looking out over the orchards. Talk turned to next year's meeting, and there were two volunteers, so that we can all look forward to definitely having a place to gather again, in the beautiful springtime of 2014.  

 

 

Northwest Regional

Shelley enthusiasts arrived in Oregon just in time to see the Spring colors in full bloom on a perfect Spring Saturday, April 27. The wisteria, azaleas, rhododendrons, and dogwood trees all competed with each other to create a stunning array of color as we wound our way up to the house. After all 14 guests had arrived we took advantage of the beautiful day by taking a photo of the group under a flowering pink Dogwood tree. Back in the house we were treated to a tour of the Shelley rooms and displays. With so many beautiful and rare pieces, it was difficult to pick a favorite, but we all agreed that Phyllis's latest buys were superb examples of the best of the late 1800’s Wileman Foley: The Hawthorne Blossom Daisy shaped trio (6327), and the Alexandra Japan Red tea set on matching tray (4024). In the "All-White Shelley" room, none of us had seen the very rare shapes of Ideal (Wileman) and Spiral (Foley/Shelley) in person before. Phyllis mentioned that she had been told the demitasse Spiral-shaped c/s may have been designed for the Navy, as the extra deep well in the saucer would keep the cup from sliding around in the roughest of conditions.

Everyone had been asked to bring an item of interest. A few of the highlights were Mike and Jan's Vogue-shaped duo. It appeared to be a marriage of two different patterns, but with the same pattern number on both cup and saucer. Linda brought a beautiful candle holder, yellow with black trim, in the 8629 pattern called Fruit Sprays. Carol showed off a preserve jar from Eric Slater's Old England series. And we were all amazed at how large the Mammoth sized cup and saucer in the J. F. Wileman Seasons pattern really was. Amidst the various conversations about life, collecting and travel, Phyllis kept us busy with a Shelley wordfinder puzzle. Jolene was at the top of her game, and easily won for a prize of a Queen Anne cup and saucer. Next we searched through the rooms for the exact number of covered sugars displayed throughout the house. The number was 14, and Jolene's keen eye won her yet another Shelley duo.

Buffet lunch in the dining room was a delicious assortment of hot hors d'oeuvres, mixed fruit bowl, cold meats, buns and sandwiches. On the bottom of one of the different Shelley place settings at the table, was a teapot decal that made that plate holder, Richard, the winner of another Shelley cup and saucer. The Chocolate cake dessert was so delicious that it was almost worthwhile cutting into the perfectly inscribed Shelley logo decorating the icing top. We all had a chance to look over the Sales table carefully throughout the afternoon, and pieces were put in safe spots for purchasing at the end of the day. No one wanted to say good-bye, but instead hoped to meet again in September at the Shelley Conference in the Washington, D.C. area. A great day was had by all.

 

 

 

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