Trade Winds Black by Spode
The Trade Winds pattern was introduced around 1960 from an idea by Mr. George Thompson, President of Copeland & Thompson Inc. New York — agents for Spode in the USA. George Thompson had researched the US market and discovered there was a demand for this type of historical tableware and the idea was taken up by the Spode company with the project led by Robert Copeland the Sales Director at the time.
In 1958/59 Denis Emery drew out the design following extensive research with Spode's Design Director, Harold Holdway. They studied historical sailing ships amongst specialist books and manuscripts and visits to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in order to get all the details exact. The designs were than hand engraved onto copper plates by the Spode Engraving Department for production by printing. The pattern also drew the attention of the Preservation Society of Newport, Rhode Island, who expressed an interest in a range from the tableware pattern with the addition of their own special backstamp for use in their historic buildings and for sale as souvenirs.
All the ships chosen for the design, mostly American but some British, were named on the back or underside of the pieces. The ceramic body chosen for the pattern was Fine Stone — first developed by Josiah Spode II as stone china in the early 1800s. The shape was Lowestoft which imitated Chinese Export porcelain of the 18th century. Various versions were produced with and without gold edges. In addition to Trade Winds Black, versions were also produced in Blue and Red in a full range of dinner, tea and coffee wares.
Spode Trade Winds Black was discontinued in 1985. Versions of this pattern that are trimmed with gold are not safe for use in the microwave. If you need replacement or additional pieces for your collection of Spode Trade Winds, monitor this page on a weekly basis for new listings.
If the item you are looking for is not listed, then bookmark this page and check back each week!
Eventually, your item should show up for sale.
When it comes to finding Spode that is difficult to find in stores near you, one of your best resources for acquiring the items you want are sites like Amazon, Etsy, Replacements and eBay, where there are a lot of wonderful finds still in the original boxes. We all receive those odd items as gifts that we have no need for and never use. Yet, one person's junk could be exactly the treasure you want.
Please Note: Not all Spode is safe for use in the microwave. Patterns with gold or platinum decorations around the rim should not be used in your microwave because microwaves can not pass through metal. If in doubt, use this simple test: Is this Utensil Safe for the Microwave?
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