Charming Ceramics To Collect And Cherish
Wade Whimsies first appeared in 1953 and were a product of the need for new retail lines as the Wade potteries lost contracts in their traditional industrial ceramics market. The result was a series of miniature porcelain animal models. Wade had produced a miniature figure series in the 1930s and the Whimsies were thought to be a good marketing idea. They became popular very quickly being affordable, extremely cute and collectable.
The Whimsies initially came in boxes of four and five. Ten sets were produced up till 1959 and then Wade stopped general production, but continued manufacturing Whimsies as promotional premiums given away with various products. There popularity endured and in 1971 Wade began to market the Whimsies as a retail line again.
Unlike the earlier series, the new sets came in individual boxes, although it was still possible to purchase a full set packaged together. 12 sets were produced up until 1980, and production continued until 1984 when the Whimsies were again taken off the market.
A total of 109 Whimsies were produced in 22 main sets. The first sets ranged from a general selection to themed boxes such as pedigree dogs, farm animals, zoo animals, North American animals, and polar animals. The second series had similar themes along with birds, big cats and sea creatures. It has been noted that the quality of the second series is below that of the first, with slightly less detail and poorer moulding.
Whimsies have become quite collectable with the majority of the second series fairly easy to come by and still not very expensive. The rarest of the second series is the Sea Horse. The Whimsies from the earlier first series are more difficult to locate and hence are more valuable. Some of the more collectable pieces from this series are the Swan and Shire Horse.
History written by John Hall, World Collectors Net.com
Read More About Wade Whimsies
The World of Wade Whimsies
Amazon Price: $23.09 (as of 07/10/2009) 
Wade Miniatures: An Unauthorized Guide to Whimsies, Premiums, Villages, & Characters (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/10/2009)
Wade Miniatures: An Unauthorized Guide to Whimsies, Premiums, Villages, and Char
Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)
Wade Whimsies On The Web
- wade whimsies on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
- Recently found my childhood collection of wade whimsies. They're mostly brown...
- wade whimsies x 7
- wade whimsies x 7 (ItemID: 247290) by guppy123 GBP 10.00 (0 Bids) End Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:48:39 +0100 Duration: 1 Week | Country: United Kingdom | Zip/Postal Code: dl1 4uh Category: Wade (769) of Collectables (669) ...
- It was a grand 4th of July weekend
- I decided to collect Wade Whimsies. I haven't collected anything but fabrics and yarns for a long time. I love miniatures! I have several nice collections-depression glass, tea cups, angels, cookies jars, Boyd's Bears and dolls, etc. ...
- Wade Whimsies Weighing in Well Again
- I will be expanding on this post over the next couple of days but this is a quick post to let you all know that things are looking up. Well, at least they are for the old Wade Whimsies. These popular little pottery animal figurines were ...
LIVE eBay Wade Whimsies Auctions
Up To Date Info On The Wade Whimsies You Want For Your Collection!
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Circus Figurine Series (15 Pieces), 1994-1999
Endangered North America Animal Series (10 Pieces) 1999-2002
Noah's Ark Animal Series (15 Pieces) 2002-2006
The Pet Shop Series (10 Pieces) 2006-2008
Wade Red Rose Calendar Series Figurines (12 Pieces) 2008-present
Nursery Rhyme Characters circa 1970's
Wade Whimsies Resources
Vote For Your Favorites!
Wade Whimsies on Kovel: How Much Is My Whimsie Worth?
Kovels' Online Antiques And Collectibles Price Gui more...1 point
Huggybear's Wade Whimsies Website
Collectors website devoted to English Wade Whimsie more...0 points
Wade Whimsies History
This feature, lacking on the smooth underside of t more...0 points
Collector's Corner: Wade Whimsies
Find out how you can drink yourself into collectin more...0 points
Wade Ceramics, Ltd. Wade Whimsies Premiums and Figurines
LLinks to various Wade website Red Rose Premiums a more...0 points
Wade Whimsies Sets
wade ceramics including whimsies,camelot,myth and more...0 points
C&S Collectables Direct Wade Ceramic Collectables
Wade Whimsies To Join The International Wade Colle more...0 points
Red Rose Tea: Wade Miniatures
Red Rose began to give away Wade miniatures 41 yea more...0 points
Talk To Me!
BevsPaper wrote...
I think the Wade Whimsies are adorable! I particularly like the Nursery Rhyme characters. Nice lens!
Posted November 04, 2008
PenneysCollectibles wrote...
Very interesting lense on Wade Whimsies! Thank you!
Posted November 19, 2007
Aika wrote...
I used to collect stamps and tapes but not this one. This is a really cool idea too! Great lens indeed. 5 stars
Posted November 11, 2007
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Bette Miles-Holleman is a retail merchandiser, customer service analyst, model and stylist with over 25 years experience in the fas...
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