About Wall Pockets

Antique

• Decorative wall pockets made their appearance in the 18th century. Porcelain was a favorite material for these shapely items. Pottery companies like Roseville, Hull, McCoy, Frankoma and Lefton created wall pockets, which people used to display flowers. Collectors who are interested in finding out more about what their vintage wall pockets are worth should review guidebooks related to the subject. These books tell collectors what markings to look for to identify the pieces as well as their origins and worth.

Styles

• Wall pockets come in a number of different styles, ranging from simple to very decorative. Vintage collectible wall pockets might look like the head of an ancient Greek goddess, an Asian vase or a play in geometric form. Modern versions of decorative wall pockets find their way onto walls today, and their construction materials reveal their modern origins. While porcelain may have been the material of choice for older pockets, glass is very often the material from which wall pockets are made today.

Considerations

• Despite being made for decorative purposes at the time they were made, many vintage wall pockets are no longer suitable for displaying flowers and other items because of their age. Many of these pieces are over 100 years old, quite fragile and irreplaceable. Collectors of this pottery should take this into consideration before displaying these decorative pieces on the walls and filling them with flowers. A display case may better serve them.

Usefulness

• Although many wall pockets are decorative in nature, many new uses for these wall vases have come to light. Nowadays, a peel-and-stick wall pocket may hold a youngster's baseball cards or movie tickets. A wooden wall pocket keeps silverware in one place and out of the way in the kitchen. Wall pockets resembling file folders find their way to office walls to hold important papers and business cards.