Lapcor General American Meladur Custard Cups Melmac Samples Part One

Lapcor and General American Meladur Custard Cups

Recently I acquired a very rare set of Melmac Color chips. These most likely came on a ring and were shown to customers to choose common colors for their melmac.  Here is the set of 50. I love them so much!

There are 50 chips most likely color samples of popular blends on keyrings back in the day.

I spoke with fellow Plastics Researcher Christopher McPherson who runs the awesome Plastic Living website, who suggested I try to date the chips based on the color matching.  So , I pulled out some of my melmac (which now lays boxed up thanks to a multi-state move) and found these custard Cups.

Meladur Color Cups , Color Matching

More on Meladur Custard Cups

First let me indicate the custard cups are hard to find, and I have collected some with backstamps of General American circa 40's and later Lapcor. They are the line of Meladur, first created by Russel Wright for General American under the GATX Meladur Russel Wright label. However, I can never prove or disprove they were or weren't a Wright design. I saw some similar indication in Syracuse that may indicate this custard cup was thought of by Wright, yet the feet were designed differently.   It is my opinion the item was in the works but in the middle of contractual disputes and non-renewal, so the company nixed the feet and produced it anyhow.

1940's Blue Color is a Perfect Match to early 1940s Meladur color!

Not one I have NEVER found any signed Russel Wright and I feel they are an after-Wright creation. Why? The feet are not ribbed as his were. He created feet that were ridged for easier drying and stacking, which the design of the feet was later dropped when the line was sold without his name (after contract). After GATX finished contractual disputes, they sold the entire line with molds to Lapcor who continued to produce the line in many colors, some vibrant and lovely.

Nevertheless, I have collected them as a go-with and shown above are three original Russel Wright colors.    As you can see, two of the three match the color samples perfectly.  The blue tends to be melmac sample "BB171" and the pale yellow matches exact yet the code is scrubbed off and I will never know but appears to say "XX 103", of course the XX being letters I cannot make out .  The tan, or almond color is a hue off.

The tan sample matches close but not perfectly. 

So now I pull other colors to see if I can match. Here's what I end up with.  The tan above does not match exactly and is one slight hue off. However, with only a 50 chip keyring is it not possible that other colors existed on a master keyring full of hundreds of chips?

The dark green common on Meladur and Boonton does not match exactly but appears to be a hue off all the samples, black being shown in the center. 

My research notes in Syracuse indicate Wright's Meladur colors, he tried many and even put some pieces in the oven to see when they burnt and at what temperature, believe it or not.   Many color codes he copied down and tried to make custom colors.

(((However, some of the same colors on Meladur (dark green and also an earlier maroon) are also common on Early Bootonware. Surely discontinued due to major scratching visibility. )))

See all the greens, n a ring of 50 it's hard to find an exact match.

In conclusion, I cannot for certain date my color sample ring yet can say that it matches the early blue and yellow perfectly. These blues and yellows originally debuted in the 1940's on Meladur, Boonton and many other dishes. 

MY GUESS:  1950-1953

If I had to fathom a guess, based on my research, I would give it 1950-1956 possibly learning towards 1950-1953.  I would deduce this suggestion based on the fact that a) it's a 50 chip ring and not all samples wer included in the ring, because of lack of customer interest. Thereby elimination of the dark green and maroons (color scratching), and tan on it's way out (feedback circa 1946-1949).  Although this could certainly be a 1940s basic starter ring missing some colors, I would guess  by the looks of the pretty vibrant blues and yellows shown above, that the colors are circa 1950-1953, keeping some of the popular older colors but adding some new for the uptown housewife. 

What do you think? Leave a comment +Cindy Fahnestock-Schafer  or tweet me   twitter.com/iramency

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New Russel Wright Residential Melamine Review Melmac Dinnerware

Go to see this here at Dwell Store.

I ordered some of the new Bob's Your Uncle Russel Wright Dinnerware. I have to say I was curious to see if I could tell the difference and being a Russel Wright melmac collector I was forced to break down and get some.  This is my review. I wasn't paid for it nor did I get any free melmac, and of course this is just my opinion. Now, the line was remade in four colors what they call:

White

Black

Aqua

Lemon

I spent about $100 and ordered the creamers and sugars in each line, large and small tumblers. Not bad really, for pristine melamine. The packing came and I was surprised. It was packed very well.  The label indicates the items shipped from Martin Yeeles, the owner of Bob's Your Uncle.

 A+ on Packing

At first glance I was in shock because it's exactly if I was looking at brand new off the line Russel Wright Residential from 1950!  The black is a dead ringer for the original Black Velvet without the flecks in it. I actually have some of the original 50's Black Velvet that is missing the flecks, apparently the factory was getting lazy or not mixing in the "real aluminum dust" correctly.  So if you are comparing some old Black Velvet that barely has the flecks visible and new Black it's almost as if you are seeing double.  Your only noticeable difference would be the backstamp.

Backstamp on New Russel Wright Residential (URGH that does say Made in China)

The new Russel Wright says it's dishwasher safe. I would not put this in the dishwasher but I know plenty of people who do put new and old melamine in their dishwasher. he scuffs you see on the base came that way, probably from the factory polishing the base.  Most people would not pick up on the subtle differences but for sake of comparison I got out the fine tooth comb.  The noticeable differences are the thickness of some mold lines.  Overall a great job in molding!

My big pet peeve, is I hate the words "Made in China" under Russel's name. For me, to see a great American designer's name with the words "Made in China" underneath doesn't feel quite right. It's degrading, in my opinion.  The sugar bowl was $26, and I think if it's made in China it's worth about $2. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful they are remaking the line, but I would pay more to see it made in the USA. The Prolon factory is still making melamine here in the USA, so there are places. Sure, the profit margin may be less for stores, but you could boast "made in USA" and charge $40 for the sugar bowl to cover higher production costs.

This is the base of the Russel Wright Tall Tumblers

This is a comparison of the tall tumblers. New on left and old on right. The new's baseline is a bit more protruding and curvy. The thickness of the tumblers themselves and sizing is pretty dead on.

Aside from the base mold lines, these tumblers are pretty similar.

Let's talk about the colors. As I mentioned the Black is very pleasing to the eye, but this White was a huge disappointment. It is truly a light shade of beige. Some of the photographs on the online stores you can buy from shows it as an off white, but most of the pictures I saw looked WHITE.  So I don't understand why the White is actually off white aka beige or cream. You can see the colorization issues here against the white paper.

The White is not White, it's beige or cream.

Now since I'm a lover of all things Russel Wright Melmac, I am not going to "dwell" on the fact this is not white, but it was upsetting as I'm not a big beige fan. So I worked it into the house somehow...and in some shots due to my camera's glare it does look more white. Only when you set it against a true white surface can you tell it's really cream. My walls are cream. It blends in nicely.

White or Cream? You decide.

Very nice modern design, but this thanks is owed to Russel Wright. 

Recap on Colorization New versus Old: 

The Black is solid black and pleasing to the eye. The original Black in the 50's was called Black Velvet and it had flecks in it.  I always heard stories of people in the West getting great noticeable flecks in their Black Velvet, but here on the East Coast a lot of my Black Velvet was missing the flecks. I started thinking I was getting seconds?

The White is not white and in my opinion should not have been called  Cream.  In the original 50's line there was Granite White which was mottled and short lived due to staining. It's been one of the hardest sets for me to acquire in full. Solid white was found in limited quantities in the Home Decorators line, I wondered if that was a special order or a fluke, but I do have some pieces. 

The Aqua seems to be very close to the 50's Home Decorator's Teal, though I am only looking at photographs and do not have examples in front of me. The original 50's Residential Turquoise would have been mottled and a shade off. 

The Yellow seems to be very closet to the Home Decorator's Yellow/Lemon, though again I'm only looking at photographs and do not have examples in front of me. The original 50's Residential Lemon Ice was mottled and muted. 

Here's my objective opinion and official review: 

PROS:

For $100 the selection I obtained was not a bad deal. 

The items were shipped and packaged very well. 

The designs are reproduced as close to the original Russel Wright molds as they can be. 

It is a plus that the colors are not exact to the originals which gives them their own character. 

Being a new line with all pieces produced, it would be easy for someone to to assemble a set.

They are dishwasher safe.

CONS:

I was upset the white was not at all white but beige/cream.

There are no stores near me who carry it so I had to mail order and pay shipping. 

The Made in China stamp makes me cringe.

Big and Small Russel Wright Tumblers

With that said, the pros outweigh the cons for people looking for a dinnerware set.  I can't really say that I personally be buying more of it, or acquiring examples of the other two colors for my collection. For me, I just can't get past the Made in China part. I try to buy American as much as possible unless it's a necessity and so, had this been made in USA then I'd probably be buying at least one piece of each for my collection regardless of pricing.    I would even be happier if it was made in neighboring Canada or Mexico. Therefore I think this will appeal more to the design-trenders. Those looking for cool design but not necessarily caring where it's manufactured. Finding that niche may be hard for this line to survive.  

I do think the small tumblers would look lovely holding fresh flowers and the large as well. I can't wait for this winter to be gone to find some fresh violets to put in the cream tumbler. As for the large, I've already tried it out: 

Melmac Tumbler: Make a Vase Just Add Flowers

Speaking of flowers, special thanks to Vancouver Florist, who sponsored me writing this review. Did you know they deliver premium flowers,roses, gift baskets, fruit baskets, Belgian Chocolates, Birthday Cakes and Mylar Balloons across Canada and the USA? Call 604-558-0303 or visit http://www.floristvancouver.com 

Maybe we can get them delivering flowers in Melmac? 

Thanks for reading. You can go here to read all posts on Russel Wright melmac.

ever wonder why we collect certain things? Maybe this podcast will explain:

Russel Wright Residential Pink Deep Candy Pink

This is a deep pink Residential set, photo courtesy of Dust2Den

On the Russel Wright Residential history page, I've talked about how there are solid pink and solid blue issued Residential melmac.  I found examples for you to see at Etsy shop Dust2Den.  The pink is more of a candy pink than it's pale pink Home Decorators counterpart.  I will put two photos together so you can see the comparison:

Left: Dust2Den's Pink residentla and Right, the Home Decorators Pink piece found at  Zen Girl Antiques

The truth is, I never found evidence in Syracuse that these solid pink dishes were authorized by Wright. I've seen examples that they were sold in S and H Greenstamps, only because I have a box that shows the solid teal color and it was shipped to the S and H store.  Oddly, I can't find any catalogs showing these dishes in them.  I can only assume they were packing solid pink as well.

What's even stranger, is the two tone pinks and blues I've found later that match these same colors. Unfortunately, we may never know if Russel Wright authorized this color of melamine or if it was something that Northern did on their own. 

Assembling a full set of deep pink may be a challenge for the melmac collector, and I consider it rare. It was a short lived production run, hence somewhat rare.

Russel Wright Residential Melmac is Out

Russel wright plastic tumblers. Courtesy RetroChalet on Etsy.

You may have read my previous post where I told you designer Michelle Yeeles was determined to reintroduce the Russel Wright Residential and it's out. One of the stores carrying it is Black Ink in Cambridge,  Soon you will see Russel Wright melamine reintroduced into your part of the world, but if not,  just sign into facebook and look here on the official Bob's Your Uncle Facebook Post.
I think back to my retail days and wish I was the one playing with that floor display.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Yeeles.

What is Old is New Again

So what happens to the values of the old melmac once the new is introduced?  This is not an uncommon question and if truth be told, I think more curiosity will be involved in the designer himself. People buying a new set may wish to reference the old and read the history on Russel Wright Residential and perhaps a new interest in collecting it altogether may occur. I don't think prices will drop initially on the originals. In fact I think the market may be flooded with people scurrying to pull it out of their grandmother's attic to covet the old for a time, until they decide if the new craze and demand is worth selling it. 

We've seen this same trend happen again and again. Designers will continue to design or reintroduce their new goodies, yet their original styles are held in timeless tradition and soar in pricing.  I wouldn't be so sure we won't see a huge Russel Wright flood into the secondary market. 

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Russel Wright Reintroduced Melmac Is Out Residential

To read this post go here

Russel Wright Unveiled Michele Yeeles

Thanks to Michele for this gorgeous photograph. Looks like the 1950's all over again.

Russel Wright Melamine for 2012 Unveiled 

Okay, enough hype time. Thanks to designer Michele Yeeles for sending over this exclusive image of the NEW Russel Wright melamine line (which will be available in some outlets and at Bob's Your Uncle.)  Imagine my shock when I realize this looks exactly identical to the good old stuff.  How beautiful to see it brand new. It's taken me 28 years to assemble a few pieces with this kind of untouched gloss. I will be so excited to add a brand new set to my collection.

The Molds

It has been my theory for such a long time that the molds were hidden in storage somewhere, but Michele indicates these are brand new molds! She also agrees with others I've spoken to that those original molds must have been melted down for scrap by now. (I would be saying boo hoo, but from the looks of  the above you don't need them anyways.)  Michele indicated that molds like the ones to use these need to be cleaned and used or they will rust as they are made of metal.  Can you imagine if they are still alive and sitting since the 1960's how much rust they would have on them?  If someone had found them they may be unidentifiable and in the scrapyard indeed.

Exclusive RetroChalet Interview with Michele Yeeles

Designer Michele Yeeles (formerly of Reebok, now owner of Bob'sYour Uncle) has decided it's time to bring Russel Wright Melamine back to the table. Working closely with Annie Wright and the Russel Wright Estate, samples were debuted at the Gift Show a few weeks back.  Here is what I wanted to know and here is what she had to say!

 

1. What made you decide to bring Russel Wright's designs back to the table?

I've been an admirer of Russel Wright's for a long time, friends of ours introduced us to the American Modern and Iroquois collections when I was at Reebok (we gave them a vintage Russel Wright teapot as a wedding gift). After we had been producing our other melamine lines, we were looking to add another collection so we looked into the history of melamine dinnerware and Residential seemed like a natural choice. The pieces are beautiful not just to look at, but also to hold. Russel's attention to how something feels in your hand and the balance of weight in each piece is wonderful.

2. Was it a painstaking production process, or did things go smoothly?

I'd have to say both! Working with Annie and the Russel Wright Studio has been great and delving into the Russel Wright archives was fantastic, but trying to collect enough vintage pieces to reference all the shapes and colors took a long time. Luckily I found you for the black and copper penny colors! We are still working on color formulas to try to achieve the cloudy effects of some of the original colors, so I'm still not sure how long it will be before we can re-create them.

3. Do you think now, this will bring a whole new collect-ability among collectors of Russel Wright's work?

I think it will, it's 60 years since the first production of Residential and it seems to be quite difficult to build up complete sets of the collection in the vintage market. The new release will make it available to a new generation of collectors as well as those who already collect vintage. Russel's estate is also open to introducing new colors of Residential and other designs in melamine too, so there will be previously unreleased Russel Wright designs to look forward to.

4. Where can this be found, and for how long do you plan on offering it?  Note: At the time of this interview there were only show samples available.

There are two places I know it will be available; our own shop and the Russel Wright Design Center, but I think it will be a hit with other retailers at the show too. I hope we will offer it for many years to come, it's such a classic collection, the designs have already stood the test of time. We expect the first color (black) to be in stock in November and new spring colors early next year. 

A big thank you to Michele for giving her time and information to me. I really hope this line is a success. 

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Russel Wright Melmac is Back 2012

Yes, that's right, Russel Wright Melamine dinnerware is on it's way back, debuting a new line for 2012. Imagine my shock when designer Michele Yeeles (who has been tight-lipped about the project until now, quietly buying vintage samples from me last year hee hee) told me all about it!

Given to me with permission by Michele.

The irony of it all?  She is owner of the store Bob's Your Uncle, which is located in Boston, Massachusetts. Irony being that is not far from where the original Russel Wright Residential line was produced at the Northern Industrial Chemical Company.  I suppose it was meant to be.

Thanks to Google Maps I see that Bob's Your Uncle headquarters is only 1.69 miles from the old Russel Wright Melamine factory. Is this a Boston Curse or just a major coincidence? Call it what you will, it's coming back from the grave.

So a new Russel Wright melmac? Oh my! Imagine my shock when I had to create a new page just for this New Russel Wright Melmac. Since I mainly talk about vintage melmac, I guess you are wondering how do I personally feel about this? Well, I'm so happy I could hug her! First off, that it's being re-created. I truly believe such a wonderful item in design should not be forgotten. I think this will create a new hub-bub among Russel Wright collectors who wish to assemble a whole brand spanking new set, and reinvigorate those who wish to have the authentic vintage as well. The first line? She hints that it's going to be black like the original Black Velvet.  What kind of confusion will this create? Not much if you read the backstamp.  Which makes reading my site all the more valuable! Know your Russel Wright Melmac!

I had an opportunity to interview Michele which I will post in a later post, because this is all so exciting. In the meantime she told me that this past weekend, the samples debuted at her booth at the New York National Gift Fair. Ironic because not much has changed. Back in the day, circa 1950's when new melmac or new lines came out they would debut them at the New York City trade shows or Chicago housewares shows.

Stay tuned, the line should be available by fall 2012.

Thanks to Michele for providing the two page press release. 

In case you are wondering how Russel Wright Melmac can be reintroduced, the Russel Wright Studios offers licensing information here.  Stay tuned, so much more to come!

Lapcor Meladur Marge Miley Russel Wright

Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy offers these great cups for sale!

I just had to snatch and post this gorgeous picture of Lapcor's Meladur cups and saucers taken by Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy. If you are wondering they are for sale in their Etsy shop. As you may or may not already know, I talk a lot about how this original Russel Wright design (produced by General American Transportation Company) was reproduced years later in Manitowoc, Wisconsin under the Lapcor label (and later very similar but not exact Rainboware in Canada.  All the details can be found on the Meladur page.

A lot of collectors hold out for the original designs which have the Russel Wright signature on them, but I'm not one of them. To me it's all relevant and part of history. If Lapcor was using the same molds, and although they did reproduce some of the original colors, they had a nice soft pastel palette that is definitely worth a place in my collection.

I was sad to read that Marge Miley, whom I had the pleasure of corresponding with and talking to over the years had passed away this February. She was a town historian and had worked for the paper for years in the Manitowoc (WI) Herald Times Reporter.  She helped me greatly in my Russel Wright melmac research when it led me to her town, put me in the paper, and in fact, went above and beyond to solve mysteries for me.  She will be missed. What made me smile was the fact, that she decided to have control of her last words by writing her own obituary as any good journalist would do. 



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Russel Wright Flair Woodland Rose

Russel Wright Woodland Rose is probably THE rarest and hardest patterns for me to have found as a Russel Wright Melamine collector. Probably because the FLAIR line designed by Wright and made for Northern was one of the later developments in melmac history and too much was happening during this time.

Russel Wright Flair by Northern in Woodland Rose Pattern

Why Woodland Rose is Rare

Going into the 1960's with any melmac would soon prove to be a challenge as melmac was indeed, past it's hey-dey. Pricing on melamine would change meaning dish production was more costly.  You will have to read my history on Northern Melamine of Bostonto see why Northern and Wright were having major problems.  As fate would have it, adding one bad business decision to another, Northern decided to attempt to get itself out of debt by acquiring Watertown's dinnerware division on credit, which meant total dissolution within two years when they went belly up. Bye-Bye Northern, and bye bye to Flair.

Honestly,  most consumers liked the Ming Lace pattern which had real leaves in the melamine. Obviously the alternate patterns weren't produced in the quantities of Ming Lace or as desirable then, making them harder to find now. Add that to smaller production windows and that is why you get the equation less pieces produced = less pieces left today.

Woodland Rose: You be the judge, is this a bad airbrush job?

Why It's Not Particularly Valuable Even Though It's Rare


I consider it rare but not valuable.  As for value, I personally would pay a lot for it but most collectors may not because:

a) It would be hard to find a complete set and collectors love to shoot for a complete set.
b) Ming Lace has real leaves in the plastic and is better design-wise.
c) Truth be told, it's not Wright's best work. (It pains me to say that.) With all due respect, it seems like a bad airbrush design or bad watercolor design gone wrong.

The value would only be in the patterned pieces and not the pink solids, as these pinks are floating around all over. As a "Russel Wright or Bust" melmac junkie, I really want a set of this for my collection, (if you have some pieces email me) but I can't take it with me when I go and so I will be happy looking at this collection which belongs to Melissa.  Thanks for letting me use these cool photos for my site.  The only piece I personally found was a bread dish, which I gave to Dennis Teepe, which he has under lock and key, where I'm sure it will remain forever, or until, his wife gives it to the local thrift.

See all Russel Wright Flair on my FLAIR page!

Russel Wright Flair Arabesque

Get these at Prairie Dec Arts!

I just had to grab this cool listing to share with you from Etsy seller Steve of shop Prairie Dec Arts!  It's for  Russel Wright's Arabesque pattern in translucent Flair by Northern Melamine.  This design is fairly rare and hard to find, but is one of my favorites. Here you have  gold and blue swirls on translucent "eggshell" dishes, and oh so lovely

Snatch these at Prairie Dec Arts!

There are actually three more variations which, in my opinion, are not as lovely.

• Brown and gold designs on translucent eggshell. 
• Blue and gold designs on solid white dishes.
• Brown and gold designs on solid white dishes. 

 You can read more about Russel Wright's Flair here.

You may also enjoy these cool little shakers Steve has in his shop, go there now to grab 'em!

Russel Wright Melamine Flashback Melmac SFO Museum

Credit: SFO Photos, see them here.  Organized by McKinley Williams

Here is a photo from the past exhibit at the San Francisco Airport Museum (SFO) featuring the wonderful designs of Russel Wright. This is a shot of the melmac, and some the wonderful plastic here belongs to yours truly. The exhibit ran from March 2009 to October 2009. You can read more about it here. I am very pleased that  McKinley Williams included the plastic designs in this exhibit.


Melmac Identification Above:
Flair patterns in Ming Lace and Golden Bouquet.
Residential in Lemon Ice, Sea Mist Grey, Salmon and Turquoise.
Home Decorators in pink Flowertime Pattern. 

Hey! Check this out! 
For those of you who love all things Russel Wright, join his Facebook group "The Designs of Russel and Mary Wright" here.

Russel Wright Idealware Fortiflex Found at Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy

The very elusive Fortiflex Pitcher offered at Cattle Dog Modern.

It's not often you find Fortiflex Idealware by Russel Wright. This wonderful pitcher is in one of the original Idealware colors, Carnation Pink and still seems to have an original sticker on it. For $99, it's a huge bargain.

Get it now at CattleDogModern!

Ideal Toy Company had a Housewares Division, whom Russel Wright designed these pieces for circa 1957ish.  Primarly the line consisted of tumblers, pitchers, salad bowls w/ serving spoons and elusive refrigerator containers.Small bowls have been found as well. Though I've seen other Idealware items such as trays and mixing bowls they aren't proved to be a Wright design.  With the success of Tupperware, one would have thought this line would have fared well. Sold in upscale stores like Macy's, it was targeted to the entertaining housewife who liked good design. Made of a polystrene meets Fortiflex type material, it was boil-proof and durable, and could be used both for hot foods or in the cold fridge.

Photo: Cattle Dog Modern. Most pieces of Idealware are unmarked or cracked on base from shrinkage of the plastic.

Pieces found today are RARE and expect to pay high prices, up to $200 for a pitcher and double that for a set of tumblers and pitchers in the original box.  The reason is most pieces weren't marked and over time, the bottons of the tumblers and cups became brittle and cracked resulting in people tossing them out.

Click on the pitcher to go to the Idealware page.  

Read more about Russel Wright's work with the Ideal Company HERE.

Russel Wright Residential Rarity : Two Tone Melmac

Pic: Retro Chalet Shop.

I've seen some oddities along the way in my Russel Wright collecting and research. The two tone sets have to be the strangest and the most exciting.  Needless to say, they do exist, and are quite rate. What they are is actually different than anything I've seen.  There are blues/whites, yellow/whites, and pinks/whites that I've seen. All are marked Residential. 

The issue here is that some pieces are solid, but the plates, saucers, and platters actually have one color molded on the bottom, and another color molded onto the top. You have to do a double take to look very closely to make sure this is not a factory mishap. Looking on the edge you will see that indeed, care was taken to form a color on top, and color on the bottom!  More proof that Wright, if experimenting with this sort of theme, was ahead of his time !

Two colors, chalk on top blue on base. Amazing!

Of course the colors I have found haven't really matched that of the existing Residential or Home Decorator lines, so they must have been their own creation.  There are some solid blue and pink pieces that are a hue off of the Home Decorators colors that these DO match, however oddly those blues and pinks were produced in solids also. So I assume, you could get your blue straight up, or on the rocks, with the chalky impact above.  Honestly, I am unsure if they were a test run of created as a special order for someone. Examples I own look mint and first runs, no imperfections which mean the factory must have perfected this process. 

There is no proof in Syracuse that Wright was experimenting with such colors, nor that such colors were approved at Northern Industrial Chemical Company, who molded this line for him.  There is evidence however, of Wright's ongoing experimentation with the plastics in general. Early examples housed there show him putting metallic pieces into the melmac, experimentating with mottled colors , and actually baking melmac (probably in his own oven) and putting notes on the plates to see at what temperature they would burn or melt.  Given that, I think Wright was experimenting with the two tone, but perhaps such a pain for the factory to make, that he didn't put it into mass production. In 20 years of collecting, I've only acquired a handful of examples.