Although diminutive in size, advertising butter pats continue to command top dollars

by Mary Dessoie

Display Ideas

Advertising butter pats make a most unusual decorating statement. Collectors admire
the clean, crisp and glossy look of these attractive pieces. For some people
advertising butter pats are viewed as a kind of mid-20th century art. When grouped
together these tiny works of art make a stunning display. Most of us cannot afford a
Van Gogh or a Matisse but we can all afford to splurge on a little gem made by
Wallace or Salem China.

Many of the members of the Butter Pat Patter Association, America's only club for
collectors of butter pats, have designed interesting ways to incorporate advertising
butter pats into their home dιcor. Cynthia in California related how her husband
crafted a butter pat breakfast bar for her collection of diner pats. The top of the
bar is glass. When closed the couple can eat at the bar and/or just relax and gaze
at the colorful assortment of advertising pats. To complete the vintage look, the
bar stools are 1950's retro style.

Butter Pat Patter Association member Barbara in New York State remarks, "In an
effort to display as many advertising butter pats as I can, I attach them to my
kitchen soffit with Velcro. Yes, it is a maintenance problem and I do change them at
least once a year so that I have an opportunity to enjoy more of the collection. It
is important to use Velcro glue to adhere them as other kinds of glues give way,
pulling the Velcro right off the wall."

One collector recently sent me a photo of her advertising butter pat collection,
which she had used to outline the soaring palladium windows in her kitchen.

Where to Find Them

Antique shops and malls, flea markets, auctions and internet sites are the logical
places to locate advertising butter pats. But have you ever considered digging for
them?

Recently I received a letter from Slim who comes up big when he digs for the
diminutive treasures. Slim wrote, "I dig for the restaurant and diner pats about 20
miles south of Chicago. I have dug there since 1974 and collect Chicago creamers
myself. The place I dig is a forest preserve. It was a hog farm between 1927 and
1959. The idea that it didn't matter what they fed these hogs was at work here. The
hogs were raised for a gland that a medicine was made from. The farm owner worked a
deal with the owners of the hotels and restaurants to take away the garbage at half
what an in-town refuse company would charge. He would in turn feed the scraps to the
hogs. Mixed in by sloppy and rushed help would be unbroken creamers, butter pats,
etc. I started digging there when I was ten and this type of item was still
considered garbage!"

Now if I could only get Slim to give me specific driving directions to this site!

Butter Pats Elicit Happy Memories

Dedicated collector Damien says, "As an avid gatherer of miniatures, I adore all
kinds of butter pats - from 19th century Haviland to modern-day airline individual
butters used in First or Business Classes. However, the advertising pats hold a
special appeal for me. They remind me of happy days gone by when I went to the local
diner with Pa. Each piece of china was attractively marked with the name of the
establishment and Pa let me sip milk from the tiny individual creamers. The matching
butter pats served two purposes: they were used for individual servings of butter
and others were also placed under the creamers and thereby known as 'drip trays.'
The waitresses would move about at lightning speed and sling the china along the
counter top. However, I never witnessed a single breakage. Restaurant ware china is
so sturdy."

Recommended Reading

Restaurant China, Volumes 1 and 2 by Barbara J. Conroy published by Collector Books
 

The Butter Pat Patter Association Seeks New Members

Mary Dessoie founded the Butter Pat Patter Association in 1997 for beginner and
advanced collectors of butter pats from the Victorian through Edwardian eras and
19th-

century to current-day transportation and restaurant ware pats. Butter pats are
miniature plates that were introduced during the mid-1800's for individual servings
of butter. A subscription to The Patter newsletter costs $22 and includes a
mint-condition Royal Doulton British Airways First-Class Cabin china butter pat. The
butter pat bears both the Royal Doulton and British Airways names. (What a great
advertising pat!) Royal Doulton, located in the Staffordshire area of England, is
known throughout the world as one of the leading manufacturers of fine china.
British Airways is a prestigious international airline. In addition, subscribers
will receive ten issues of The Patter.

Joining a club is the ideal way to learn more about your collection or gain
knowledge to get you started on the exciting adventure of collecting butter pats. An
added benefit of belonging to a club is the opportunity to make new friends across
the country!

Sample copies of The Patter are available by sending $4.00 and a LSSAE (58 cents).
For those persons who would like to start their subscriptions immediately and
receive their Royal Doulton British Airways pat by return mail, please send your
check or money order, payable to Mary Dessoie, to Butter Pat Patter Association, 265
Eagle Bend Drive, Bigfork, Montana 59911-6235. For on-line information about butter
pats, go to google and type in "Butter Pat Patter Association."
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