Fruit Basket - Balboa

Name: Balboa
 
Type: None
 
Year: Circa 1950s–1960s
 
Set: No
 
Mark: Balboa - Balboa, marked with original foil sticker “Balboa Hand Made”
 
History: This decorative porcelain dish, measuring approximately 17–18 cm across, features a distinctive scalloped rim and a central hand-painted fruit design typical of mid-century Japanese export wares. The fruits — including a pear, apple, cherries, grapes, and pumpkin — are painted in a vivid yet stylized manner that reflects the popular kitchen and dining aesthetics of the 1950s–60s.
 
 
The foil sticker marked "Balboa Hand Made" is a key identifying feature. Balboa was a U.S.-based importer of Japanese ceramics during the post-WWII boom in hand-decorated porcelain. These pieces were often decorative and mass-produced but retained an element of hand-craftsmanship, particularly in painted detailing. The embossed number "6283" on the reverse suggests a catalogued shape or pattern number rather than a studio mark.
 
 
Although Balboa is not considered a high-end collectible maker, their pieces hold nostalgic and decorative value, especially when the original sticker is intact — as is the case here.
 
Flaws: None