16.99Norcrest 3-Toed Porcelain Creamer Pink Roses Blue & Purple Flowers Japan

For consideration is this vintage individual sized porcelain creamer made for Norcrest China Company in Japan. (Individual sized meaning for one person versus a larger sized creamer that would be passed around the table.) The pattern features pink roses and purple and blue flowers on a white background. The body is ribbed and it is 3-toed, which some call a “tripod”. The mouth, feet and handle are nicely decorated with gold accents.

This creamer measures 3½ inches tall, the mouth measures 1¾ inches in diameter, 3¼ inches from spout to handle and the body measures 2½ inches in diameter. The base is printed in gold ink “Norcrest Fine China” and there is a black and silver foil sticker which reads “Made In Japan”. There are no nicks, chips, cracks, repairs, scratches, discoloration or crazing noted. The inside of the creamer photo looks funny as if there are dark spots but that is due to the area where the 3 legs are located is concave showing sunken circles. Buyer will receive FREE shipping. Thank you for looking!

NOTE:  Norcrest China Company began as a small curio/gift shop owned by Japanese immigrant businessman Hide Naito. Located in downtown Portland, Oregon, H. Naito Gifts opened its doors in 1921. It sold Japanese-imported porcelain décor and other tchotchkes. After leaving the area to avoid internment camps during World War II, the Naito family settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a time before returning to their hometown. Though their business had collapsed during the war, Naito was determined to build it again.

H. Naito Gifts reopened in the late 1940s, specializing in Asian “Made in Occupied Japan” gifts. Naito received pieces specifically made for his business. Norcrest’s playful designs and colorful palette fit well into America’s post-war trends. In 1955, the company was renamed Northwest Trading Co., and then incorporated three years later as the Norcrest China Company. Now specializing in whimsical and realistic ceramic collectibles of animals, elves, ballerinas, etc., Norcrest merchandise was sold in Woolworths drug stores and specialty stores nationwide.

Norcrest quickly became one of the renowned decorative ceramic companies, along with Napco and Lefton. Average American homemakers depended on these china brands to decorate their homes. The ceramic figurine heyday was dying out by the 1970s and 1980s and although the company closed in 2004, it remains a favorite of mid-century pottery collectors.