Q: I have a pitcher that I think is at least 70 years old. It is 5 1/2 inches high. The bottom is marked "Erphila Germany" and "Dutchy Jugs." I would appreciate any information you can provide.
A: Ebeling & Reuss is a company founded in Philadelphia in 1886. The company imported and sold porcelain figures, animals, teapots, pitchers and creamers, platters, and other giftwares from many factories, mostly in Germany and Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). Their ceramics are marked "Erphila"--for Ebeling, Reuss and Philadelphia. Occasionally a manufacturer's mark is also used. The firm is still in business in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and sells silverware, crystal, and home decorating items from many countries. Your pitcher is one of many whimsical figural pitchers imported by Ebeling & Reuss about 1930. It would sell for $50 to $65.
