2.  The beginnings; PPP & Remued  1930-1934

3.  Pamela Series  1934

4.  Remued & PPP Early Series  1934-1941

5.  Remued 500 Series  1941

6.  Remued Later Series   1941-1955

7.  The 'A' Series (post-1951) and Kerryl (post-1956).

The dates adopted throughout this catalogue (as listed above) vary in their reliability. Some are rock-solid, others derive to varying degrees from surmise and assumption. Rather than hedging about a date every time it is mentioned in the catalogue, each is treated as 'The Truth' and the credence that should actually be placed upon it is discussed at more length here. This page probably won't concern every collector but is intended for those interested in Premier Pottery's history.

If you uncover facts that have a bearing on dates we'd be delighted to hear from you - please contact us. Future revisions of the catalogue may well see some dates change.

For some useful date-indicators click here.

It is assumed that numbers were added to each series in sequential order as new shapes were introduced. This necessary assumption is clearly reasonable and consistent with the data, but is not actually verified by any independent evidence.

1929  David Dee and Reg Hawkins set up Premier Pottery

1930 First production - start of PPP wares

         Late 1930 - Allan James taken on as apprentice thrower

Source; Catherine Webb, unpublished thesis

Some pieces with the Remued signature are dated. Dates are 1933 and 1934. No pieces are known dated 1932, implying that the Remued name had not yet appeared then.

About half of all Pamela pieces are dated, and in every case the date is 1934. None is known dated 1933 or 1935, implying that the Pamela name was not in use then. The very strong inference therefore is that Pamela production began and ended during 1934. Many Pamela shapes re-appear as Remued Early Series with numbers in a range known to have already existed in 1934.  Two  pieces are known where a 'Pamela 1934' inscription was washed off the base and replaced by 'Remued', indicating that the demise of Pamela occurred in 1934 (see Pamela Series 14). The relative scarcity of Pamela pieces is consistent with a short production life.

Pieces with both a number and a date are rare, but several are known and they prove that Early Series numbering reached at least as high as 189 during 1934. There are also quite a few un-numbered pieces dated 1934, including shapes that are known to have acquired numbers during 1934.  The clear inference is that numbering commenced during that year.

Most PPP pieces are un-numbered, but some do have numbers and those numbers form part of the Early Series sequence. (Discovering this came as something of a surprise!)   PPP numbers nearly all come quite early in the numbering. The production of PPP pieces must have ceased soon after numbering began because numbered pieces are rare.

A surviving fragment of a carbon-copy from an order book, dated November 1940, shows that Early Series numbering was still in use then. By very early 1942 however, when new wartime regulations caused the switch to utilitarian production, Later Series numbering had reached about 69. The 500 Series was sandwiched between the Early and Later Series. It appears therefore that the following happened during 1941;

  *  early in the year the Early Series ended;

  *  the 500 Series took over, but only for a short time (say, a few months);

  *  later in the year the Later Series took over.

Later Series 129 is labelled in the shape book 'Mug, Migrant Camp', reflecting the start of postwar immigration. Shortly afterwards decorative pieces make their re-appearance, both new shapes and revivals from the Early Series, so clearly the wartime restrictions had been lifted. Both these factors point to the Later Series numbering reaching somewhere round 130-140 in late 1945.

A set of four photographs dated October 1950 shows many Later Series shapes. All shapes are ones introduced at the beginning of the Later Series, ie pre-1942. No shape introduced post-1942 is shown, not even the one or two that are relatively common. A few pre-1942 shapes are missing too, however, interestingly including every number for which no example has yet been found for this catalogue

Although these photographs don't really add new conclusions to the dating story presented here, they are consistent with the story and do at least provide a firm documented date.

A surviving page dated November 1954 shows handwritten orders for two Melbourne suburban shops. Items are identified by their Later Series shape numbers. Every item specifies 'white', except for numbes 6 and 55 - both ashtrays - which specify 'coloured'.

A price list dated October 1952 covers 'A' Series A1 to A26. The document is typewritten on the letterhead of Burmatt Pty Ltd, 'Distibutors of Remued Hand Made Pottery'.  This is the only dated documentation for the 'A' Series and shows that the series and its numbering were in production concurrently with the Later Series.

The name 'Kerryl' does not appear on that document, suggesting that the name was not yet in use. This is consistent with the supposition that 'Kerryl' dates from the establishment of the new pottery at Reservoir in 1956-57 after Premier closed.