1973 Avon Betsy Ross Commemorative Plate — Enoch Wedgwood England, 24K Gold Trim, Complete with Original Box

Avon was born in 1886 as the California Perfume Company, founded by a traveling book salesman named David H. McConnell. He'd noticed his women customers cared more about the little perfume samples he gave away than the books themselves, so he hired Mrs. P. F. Albee of Winchester, New Hampshire as his first representative — the world's first Avon lady — and built a door-to-door sales network long before women in the United States could vote. The company changed its name to Avon Products, Inc. in 1939, and "Ding-dong, Avon calling" followed soon after. In 2026 Avon turns 140. This plate dates to 1973, three years ahead of the actual American Bicentennial, when Avon was riding the long build-up wave with a series of patriotic commemoratives. They weren't alone — the whole country was warming up early — but Avon's plates have aged better than most because they were made the right way: contracted out to a real English pottery house rather than stamped at home. The scene on the face was painted by James S. Avati (1912–2005), the illustrator who became known as "the father of paperback art" for his covers across Signet, Bantam, Avon, Pocket, Fawcett, and Dell. His warm, sepia-toned brushwork is unmistakable, and his signature sits right there on the plate — Betsy Ross presenting the new Colonial flag to founding members of the Continental Congress. The plate itself was made in Stoke-on-Trent by Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd., an English pottery house founded in 1860 by a distant cousin of Josiah Wedgwood. It's a separate firm from the famous Wedgwood blue jasper line, with its own long reputation for high-quality earthenware sold across England, the colonies, and the American market. The 24K gold scroll border is still bright, the backstamp is crisp, and the 1973 copyright is right where it should be. Sourced from an estate in the Lexington, North Carolina area, this one arrived complete — plate, original cardboard presentation box, and the printed Betsy Ross story card — kept together for more than fifty years. With America 250 landing on July 4, 2026 and Avon turning 140 the same year, a 1973 plate of Betsy Ross sits at a small but real intersection: a piece made for one anniversary by a company now reaching another, depicting the very figure who stitched the symbol the country is about to celebrate again.

Details

• Maker: Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd., Stoke-on-Trent, England — made exclusively for Avon Products, Inc.
• Artist: James S. Avati (1912–2005), signed on the plate face
• Year: 1973 (copyright on backstamp)
• Trim: 24-karat gold scroll border
• Includes: Plate, original presentation box, printed Betsy Ross story card
• Sourced from: Lexington, North Carolina area estate

Condition

Excellent. The 24K gold trim is bright and unworn, the illustration is crisp, and there are no chips, cracks, or crazing. The original box and the Betsy Ross story card are both included — increasingly hard to find as a complete set. The box shows honest wear from fifty-plus years of careful storage but is fully intact.