H.O.T.S.

You've probably heard of Chicken of the Sea, but have you heard of H.O.T.S? Collectors of Hall china have deemed Hall's seafood service pieces "Hall of the Sea," or HOTS. Isn't that a great name?

I was chatting with Hall collector extraordinaire Shirley M. about the wonders of these pieces. Here's a little retrospective of the HOTS that have appeared on my tabletop.

Blue fish~





I've also seen this fish shape in green. Elaine found my blue fish while we were shopping at Pottery City in East Liverpool, Ohio.

Brown fish~



The brown fish followed me home from a local antique mall. These pieces have production numbers that identify the shape, but the numbers don't always appear on the individual pieces. The numbers can also be obscured by the glaze. I hope Hall collectors don't mind that I just refer to them by shape and color!

Blue shells~





The blue shells came from Pottery City in 2009.

Pink shells~





The pink shells came from a beach called Brimfield.

My first and very favorite of the HOTS is the lobster.





He works so well on the many tablecloths, including the Wilendur lobster cloth and a souvenir cloth of the state of Maine. These plates came from both the Hall Closet and Pottery City.





I also brought home his cousin, the crab plate, as a souvenir of my last visit to the Hall closet.



He has yet to make his debut in a tablescape, but I have several linens that will be perfect for these dishes.

My newest find is an oyster plate in the stunning metallic glaze pewter. This treasure was a lucky ebay find.







Thanks, Shirley, for helping me identify the name of this glaze. I enjoy these pieces most when they are glazed in a distinctive color. Let's see what new HOTS I can add with Spring and Summer dishing!