Liberty Blue

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Liberty Blue




     Several years ago, I was searching for a mother's day gift for my mom.  My mom is a collector of all things patriotic.  She has flag's, Uncle Sam's, and Lady Liberty's  just to name a few.  So I was looking for something that would blend in with her patriotic home decor, something that she didn't already have.  One day I stumbled across a blue and white iron stone plate.  It had a  Independence Hall scene on it and I thought to myself that this was it.  Independence Hall was where Thomas Jefferson wrote the draft of  the Declaration of Independence.  This was also the place  where the members of Congress met and signed the document.  As a matter of fact, our United States Constitution was written there as well.  To me, this was the perfect gift.  When I purchased that plate, I had no idea that it was part of a dinner ware set.  I had never heard of Liberty Blue dishes.  And I certainly had  no idea how that one piece of stoneware would become a treasured family heirloom.

     Liberty Blue was produced for the Ben Franklin Federal Savings and Loan company.  The board of directors were looking for something special to commemorate their 50 year anniversary in 1975.  They contracted the Enoch Wedgwood Company in Staffordshire England to manufacture a unique pattern of ironstone dinnerware for the Benjamin Franklin Savings and Loan.  The result was Liberty Blue.  This dinnerware set contains fifteen different historic scenes from  the American colonial period boarded with a mixture of wild flowers.  Liberty Blue is chip resistant and dishwasher safe.  It's rather ironic that this Colonial American design was created in England, to coincide with the American Bicentennial of Independence from England that was celebrated in 1976.

       The introduction of Liberty Blue was used as a promotion to encourage more deposits with the Savings and Loan company.  Your first deposit that consisted of $50.00 allowed you to purchase a four piece place setting for only $4.95 and a Benjamin Franklin coaster was given away free with the first purchase. There were other pieces that could be purchased at special prices as well.  If you made a deposit of  $1,000 you could purchase a 45 piece service for only $45.00.  Liberty Blue was manufactured for only two years.  In October of 1976 the Savings and Loan company announced that the promotion would end by the end of the year.  This was a huge incentive for account holders to continue making additional deposits.  After December 31st, additional pieces could still be ordered through the Sigma Marketing Company in New York at a higher cost. 

     Sometime after 1976, Liberty Blue was released to be sold in national grocery stores with a limited run.  Purchasing the dish ware was similar to the Savings and Loan company.  If you purchased a certain amount of groceries you could purchase pieces at a reduced price.
     Today, you can still purchase these items at your local antique malls.  The four piece place setting is  still reasonably priced and is quiet easy to find.  The serving pieces are harder to find and can be quite  expensive.

     Looking back, I never would have dreamed that the decorative plate that I purchased for my mom so long ago would become such a cherished family heirloom.  In fact, she has collected every piece in the entire set.  According to her, one day she will hand them down to me.  There is no better feeling than to give the person that you love,  a gift that they absolutely love.