My lucky day. At my mom's apartment building there's a re-sale room, open 2 days each month. The prize was the pink bowl that holds the other pieces (the bird is Occupied Japan piece I found at the amazing Collectamania in Des Moines). The pink bowl must be a ceramic made in a class, the bottom says Mary Hugh.

I look for dishes from a certain time, nothing newer than the late 1960's is what I prefer. These old dishes are crumbly and beautiful, and often have crazing that adds to their value, in my world. In the antique world, this type of damage is a deal breaker. But even damaged an old Shawnee piece can be pricy. Besides their beauty, they are much much easier to break apart with my nippers. And nothing works for Pique Assiette like dishes with plenty of texture to them.