Around 1937-38 Pacific Pottery launched two new dinnerware lines, Arcadia and Coralitos while still continuing to produce Hostessware. During the late 1930s, consumer tastes were shifting, and with dinnerware trends tending to follow overall design trends, pottery manufacturers began to tone down the bright colors in favor of pastel hues and lighter body ware. Arcadia was a short set (limited pieces) offered in six matte colors: deep blue, delph, green, yellow, rose and ivory (official color names are not known). Arcadia included standard individual pieces and a limited range of serving pieces.
Arcadia features several types of marks, not all labeled with Pacific, making it challenging to identify the manufacturer if you’re not familiar with the line. Items may be found with a backstamp or an in-mold mark. There are three variations of the in-mold mark – the first (shown below) features the piece number with “Made in USA.” Other in-mold marks may feature “Pacific” or “Arcadia” above the piece number.
Like most Pacific Pottery, Arcadia is categorized by piece numbers that begin with “E” and most items feature the piece number with the in-mold mark. At some point around 1940, Pacific Pottery switched pretty much exclusively to the backstamp, and piece numbers are no longer featured (this applies to Hostessware as well).
