The Food-Inspired Vintage Dishware That's Highly Valuable

Vintage dishware can sometimes be delightfully whimsical! If you love hunting for vintage pottery at thrift stores, you should definitely keep your eyes peeled for Dodie Thayer's vintage, lettuce-inspired pottery from the '60s through the '80s. Not only is it incredibly detailed and beautiful, but it can also be worth quite a bit of money. You may already be familiar with Thayer's work if you followed the kitchen cabbageware trend, also referred to as lettuceware. But if not, then you'll be delighted to know it's made up of lettuce-looking dishware. From serving trays shaped like lettuce leaves to bowls shaped like open lettuce heads, Thayer's work captured the simple beauty of the leafy vegetable with light green glaze and extraordinarily detailed veins.

Thayer, also known as the pottery queen of Palm Beach, was a self-taught ceramics artist from Jupiter, Florida. Although she unfortunately passed in 2018, her beautiful pottery is still inspiring many artists and collectors. Her lettuceware pieces are particularly popular, but they aren't the only food-inspired pottery Thayer created. She used the lettuce motif to form a variety of unique statues, and even used other vegetables like asparagus as models. 

Since she hand-made each piece and was only active for a short time, there are a limited number of her original works in existence. This is part of what makes her work so collectible and valuable, although its beauty certainly plays a large part as well. Sets of authentic Thayer lettuceware can sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auction, and individual pieces can sometimes sell for hundreds or even thousands on their own.

Although Thayer wasn't the only ceramics artist to make lettuce-themed dishware, her style is fairly easy to recognize. Her pieces are simple, relying on delicate green glazes, stark white or cream veins, and the natural, crimped edges of lettuce leaves. Her pottery did change somewhat over the years, however. Some of her earlier pieces aren't quite as detailed or textured as her later ones. If you aren't sure if a piece is Thayer's work or not, the simplest way to check is by looking on the base or bottom for her signature.

Many of Thayer's pieces are marked with an etching of her name, sometimes alongside the location it was produced or sold and the date. Typically, the location was either the Au Bon Gout Boutique in Palm Beach where many of her pieces were sold, although some pieces may also just say Palm Beach. Some of Thayer's work uses a maker's mark featuring a pineapple or palm tree instead, although her name should still be visible around it. 

You may also find modern lettuceware pieces marked "Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch". These modern pieces were made in collaboration between Thayer and award-winning fashion designer Tory Burch. They can be quite pricey, ranging from $90 to nearly $300 new, but they aren't as valuable as a vintage Thayer original. Though there are affordable cabbageware dish alternatives if you want the look without the designer price. If you do find some Thayer lettuceware and don't plan on reselling it, you may want to check out this guide to bringing together vintage and modern decor to help style it.