The A. E. Hull Pottery Company worked out of Crooksville, Ohio, from 1905, and over the decades it turned out utilitarian stoneware, oven-proof kitchen ware, pastel art ware, and the glossy brown dinnerware that filled mid-century kitchens. Because the company kept changing how it marked and glazed its output, the same maker can look like three different potteries on the shelf. The reliable way through is to read the base mark first, then let the glaze and the shape confirm what the mark suggests.
Read the mark by era
Hull's marks fall into rough periods, and knowing which one you are looking at narrows the date before you reach for a reference. The earliest utilitarian pieces, into the 1920s, often carry a simple encircled H with a shape or size number, and some stoneware shows a wreath enclosing a number for its gallon capacity. Through the 1930s and 1940s the company favored a capital H set inside a diamond or a circle, frequently paired with a mold number and a USA or U.S.A. stamp. After the 1950 plant fire and the rebuild that followed, Hull shifted to a flowing cursive Hull signature, and that script mark is one of the quickest ways to separate later production from the earlier diamond-and-circle work.
Decode the Hull Art letter-number code
On the art ware and many decorative kitchen pieces, the mark reads as Hull or Hull Art followed by a letter and a number, for example a single letter that names the pattern line and a number that gives the mold shape and its size. Once you learn that the letter is the line and the number is the shape, a mark that looked like a code becomes a direct route into a reference book: match the line letter, find the shape number, and confirm the height against the documented dimension. That last step matters, because measuring against a published figure is the same discipline that catches a recast piece, a habit we cover in our guide to spotting reproductions.
Let the glaze date the piece
Glaze is the second hand on the clock. Pre-1950 Hull art ware leans toward soft matte finishes in pastel tones, while the post-fire output is generally glossier. The everyday kitchen lines tell their own story: the oven-proof trademark appears on kitchen ware from the 1930s onward, and the later House 'n Garden range, best known in its Mirror Brown drip glaze, defined Hull's casual dinnerware from the 1960s. A matte pastel jar and a glossy brown bean pot are both Hull, just from opposite ends of the timeline.
Run the checks in order
- Find the base markEncircled H or a capacity wreath points early; H in a diamond or circle with USA points to the 1930s to 1940s; cursive Hull points after 1950.
- Decode the codeOn Hull or Hull Art marks, read the letter as the pattern line and the number as the mold shape and size, then match both to a reference.
- Judge the glazeMatte pastel suggests pre-1950 art ware; glossy color suggests later production; brown drip glaze marks the House 'n Garden Mirror Brown line.
- Check for oven-proofAn oven-proof stamp confirms a kitchen ware line rather than art ware, and dates the piece from the 1930s onward.
- Confirm the shapeMatch the piece to a documented Hull mold. The Little Red Riding Hood line should read Hull Ware on the base, often with a patent number.
When a piece carries no name
Plenty of Hull kitchen ware left the plant with only a shape or mold number, and some of the cheaper mass-produced pieces went out unmarked entirely. That does not make them unidentifiable. A glaze name, a pattern name, or the mold number searched against a reference will usually settle it, and the shape itself is often distinctive enough to place. The Little Red Riding Hood line is the friendly exception, since genuine pieces carry the Hull Ware mark and frequently a patent number, which makes that crowded and much-copied field easier to vet. The marking logic here runs parallel to other Ohio makers, and the contrasts are worth reading in our Brush versus McCoy comparison.
What it means for value
Era and line drive Hull values as much as condition does. The ranges below are illustrative and should be checked against recent sold listings rather than asking prices.
| Type | Typical signs | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| House 'n Garden Mirror Brown | Glossy brown drip glaze, common 1960s kitchen shapes | $10–$45 |
| Pre-1950 matte art ware | Soft pastel matte glaze, Hull Art letter-number code | $45–$160 |
| Oven-proof kitchen ware | Oven-proof stamp, utilitarian bowls and jars | $20–$70 |
| Little Red Riding Hood | Hull Ware mark, patent number, intact paint | $80–$400 |
When the mark, the glaze, and the shape all point to the same period, you can attribute the piece with confidence and price it from comparable sales. When they disagree, treat the mark as the starting clue and let a reference settle the line and the date. You can read how we research these guides on our about page, or browse the full library from the home page.