Description

On this very nice compote stand, the numbers 10-47 represent the production date code. This specific piece was manufactured in October 1947.

Walker China was founded in 1923 by Bailey Walker, the company specialized in heavy-duty commercial restaurant ware. They supplied durable, vitrified dinnerware to hotels, diners, railroads, and the military.

A True Relic: The Restamped Blank!

There is a fascinating historical inconsistency with this stamp. Alco Standard did not acquire Walker China until 1969, a piece marked with Alco Standard would typically date from the 1970s.

Because this piece is explicitly stamped 10-47 and has the Alco Standard name, it is very likely a “blank” piece of inventory. Pottery manufacturers often produced large batches of plain, undecorated white vitrified items (or blanks) and kept them in storage. This particular pedestal bowl was molded and date-stamped in October 1947 but sat in a warehouse for decades. After Alco Standard took over, the piece was pulled from storage, glazed, finished, and backstamped with the new corporate mark before being sold.

These dimensions, 7 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall, classify this piece as a vintage footed fruit bowl or small pedestal compote. In mid-century commercial foodservice, a 7-inch pedestal dish of this size was typically used to serve shared side items, elevate table centerpieces with fresh fruit or rolls, or present specialty desserts on a diner counter.

What This Means for Its Collectability

A True Commercial “Blank”: Because the absence of colored stripes, bands, or restaurant logos confirms this was part of a plain white institutional line or left unadorned as a standard warehouse sample. There is a “Kon-Tiki” Connection, Walker China used this identical 7-inch pedestal mold shape for several famous custom orders, including the highly collectible tiki-themed serving bowls made for the historic Kon-Tiki Ports restaurants in the 1960s. Even as a plain “blank”, its unique 1947–1970s dual-era backstamp makes it an excellent conversation piece and a fascinating slice of Ohio industrial pottery history.