In August, 1983,  the Collectors of Illinois Pottery and Stoneware was formed as a club to unite collectors of pottery and stoneware made in Illinois and to facilitate their sharing information, ideas, interests and items for trade or sell. The main event of the club is the annual convention held in October. The convention's many events include a business meeting, show/sale, displays, seminars, banquet and auction. Also, a stoneware related commemorative of very limited production is available each year to honor this annual event.
        Moreover, this web site is dedicated to communicating and sharing information on Illinois stoneware,  potteries, and potters of the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Since Illinois statehood in 1818, numerous  pottery centers were established. The craft of the traditional family Illinois  potter satisfied important utilitarian, economic, and social needs of the family unit and the community. Often, operating a pottery was a sideline to farming. Small family pottery operations were eventually replaced by those offering a more desirable product, or by those supplying a similar product in greater quantities at lower prices. The strong survived longer, but even these family operations were replaced by larger more specialized and automated operations. In the first quarter of the twentieth century the big factories would even merge to simply exist. For instance, and for survival purposes, seven Midwestern potteries united to form the Western Stoneware Company in 1906. The Western Stoneware Company competed fiercely with the Union Stoneware Co. of Red Wing, Minnesota, for the tremendous market in outbound regions. Few potteries could profit, while competing against these two giants.  This web site is founded on the precept of bringing together collectors, students, and archival researchers of the American potter, their manufacturing facility, their craft, and their finished product.

         If you have interests in American ceramics, we want to welcome you aboard and to invite your membership with our organization. We will love hearing from you and including your input into our archives.  Feel free to help our organization to grow. Please read carefully the  "Statement of Agreement " at the bottom of this page. By accessing this site, you acknowledge, accept, and promise to comply to all stipulated conditions.

Thank You, and  Welcome to C.O.I.P.S. !  



1. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SPECIFIC MARKED OR
    UNMARKED PIECE OF STONEWARE?

2. ARE YOU A DESCENDANT OF A PRE 1950 POTTER?

3. DO YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOGRAPHS OF AMERICAN POTTERS OR
    POTTERIES, OR OLD PHOTOS THAT INCLUDE STONEWARE?

4. IS THERE AN INTERESTING STORY YOU MAY WANT TO RELATE?

5. TELL US ABOUT A GREAT "FIND" IN YOUR POTTERY HUNTING!

6. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT STONEWARE OR JOINING
    STONEWARE CLUBS?


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To access special area of interest, simply press a white link  at top left.

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Your COIPS Membership fee entitles you to...................
a quarterly newsletter
advertise free in the quarterly newsletter
attend annual convention (DETAILS  BELOW)
attend annual Spring swap meet
attend all club events
 place "Wanted/Sale/Trade"  items on Website
  make announcements on Website "Coming Events"

Join   C.O.I.P.S.   Today ..................
Annual membership fees are $20 for the first member of the household, and $5 for each additional member of the same household. Dues are payable in the month of January.

CLICK HERE FOR MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION!

Please print application form, fill out completely, and mail with your membership fee to:

Susie Nolan
COIPS
402 N. Laurel St.
Elmwood, IL 61529
or email
coips@mchsi.com
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Saturday SHOW & SALE 2007










  

 

   


COIPS Sideshow Production Mgr. Jim O'Hare and President Donna Lagual.
Special presentation commemorative and ovation of thanks to Mr. Jim O'Hare by entire membership.



2007 DISPLAYS








2007 rare items table



Simply the very best cookies !!!





A glimpse in the past ..............

Saturday SHOW & SALE 2006
 





PAST CONVENTION  SHOW  DISPLAYS



1st Place Show Display 2004




2nd Place Show Display 2004

3rd Place Show Display 2004



Galesburg Pottery 2004 Show Display



Ruckel's Stoneware Vases,  2004 Show Display





2004   CONVENTION  RARE  TABLE


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PREVIOUS CONVENTION WINNERS


1st Place  2003






2nd Place 2003



3rd Place 2003



 




STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT
UPON ACCESSING THIS WEB SITE THE USER, MEMBER, AND ALL PARTIES INVOLVED
DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY, HEREBY ACCEPT THAT COIPS, Collectors of Illinois Pottery
and Stoneware,  MAY NOT BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES INCURRED BY ANY USER, OR  MEMBER, OR VISITOR TO THIS SITE. LIKEWISE, IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT COIPS  RELAYS INFORMATION THAT IS OFTEN OBTAINED THROUGH "HEARSAY" AND, THEREFORE, IS NOT  RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCURACY OF INFORMATION OR ANY RESULTING DAMAGES INCURRED FROM INACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS, VALUES, GRADING, APPRAISING, AND AUTHENTICATING, BY ANY USER, MEMBER, OR THIRD PARTY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR  IMPLIED, VERBALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY. COIPS MAY NOT BE INVOLVED OR HELD LIABLE FOR DISPUTES BETWEEN MEMBERS, USERS, OR ANY ENTITY IN ANY TRANSACTION OR THROUGH ANY PUBLICATION OR CONTACT OBTAINED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE. ALSO, IT IS HEREBY AGREED THAT ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEES AND WARRANTIES ARE EVER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. COIPS SHALL NOT BE INVOLVED IN ANY SETTLEMENTS
BETWEEN MEMBERS, USERS, AND PRIVATE PARTIES OR FACILITY. MOREOVER, COIPS IS A  NON PROFIT, INFORMATION COLLECTING AND SHARING ORGANIZATION. ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHS MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED EITHER MECHANICALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY WITHOUT THE ADVANCE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF C.O.I.P.S.

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