1974 Avon “Freedom” Collector Plate by Enoch Wedgwood, England — Eagle, Flags and Drum, with Original Box and Card

Some objects carry more story than their size suggests. This is one of them — a 1974 Avon "Freedom" collector plate, made for Avon Products by Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. in Staffordshire, England, and shipped back across the ocean to American mantels and china cabinets. It's a small monument to a young nation's founding, painted onto English porcelain by one of the old Staffordshire potteries. At the center, a proud golden eagle spreads its wings, clutching arrows in one talon and a sheaf of wheat in the other — the old emblem of a country ready for war but longing for peace. Behind it, two flags cross: the thirteen-star Stars and Stripes of the original colonies and the regimental colors of the Revolution, with a campaign drum resting below. A ring of thirteen gold stars circles the scene, and the single word Freedom is lettered in gold at the foot. The whole composition floats on a clean white ground inside a border of powder-blue scrollwork — that soft "Wedgwood blue" — flanked by two bands of real gold. What makes this example worth keeping is its completeness. After half a century, it still has its original box and, better still, the original printed card that came tucked inside — the one that explains what each symbol means: the eagle for strength, the regimental flag and drum for the loyalty and pride of the people, and the Stars and Stripes "adopted as the official flag of the United States of America on June 14, 1777." That little card turns a pretty plate into a told story, and it's exactly the sort of ephemera that usually goes missing first. A clear note on the maker, because it matters: Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. is a separate Staffordshire firm, distinct from Josiah Wedgwood & Sons. The backstamp on the reverse reads, in full and clearly legible: AVON / FREEDOM / MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR AVON PRODUCTS, INC. BY ENOCH WEDGWOOD (TUNSTALL) LTD., ENGLAND. ©Avon Products, Inc. 1974. With the 250th anniversary of American independence on the horizon, pieces like this one — made to honor the 200th, and carrying the same eagle, flags, and founding dates — find a natural second life. It's a warm, unfussy way to keep a little of where we've been on the shelf.

Details

• Maker: Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd., England — commissioned by Avon Products, Inc.
• Year: 1974 (copyright date on the backstamp)
• Title: "Freedom"
• Material: English Staffordshire porcelain / earthenware, transfer-printed decoration, real-gold rim bands and gilt lettering
• Motif: Golden eagle with arrows and wheat, crossed 13-star and regimental flags, Revolutionary drum, ring of thirteen gold stars, "Freedom" in gold script
• Border: Powder-blue (Wedgwood blue) scrollwork vine with double gold bands
• Diameter: Approximately 9 inches (about 8⅞″)
• Includes: Original box and original descriptive card

Condition

Very Good. The display face is bright and clean, the gilding crisp, with no chips, cracks, or crazing. Turn the plate over and you'll find one small dark fleck near the foot ring — a kiln speck fired into the glaze rather than a chip or flake — along with a little faint age toning, both visible only from the back. The original box is present and structurally sound, showing honest shelf wear and partial loss to the printed front label. The original card is intact and fully readable. Sold as a single plate with its box and card.