Donner Party Dinnerware?! A Gallery of TEPCO Variety

The TEPCO plant that operated in El Cerrito until 1968 produced thousands of dishes a day at its peak, so it's no surprise there are still many TEPCO plates, cups, pitchers, creamers, and more floating around out there.

A search of eBay, Google Product Search or Google Images (best to include the word "China" on the Images search) on any given day will likely turn up dishes with western themes or large leaves as well as other wares in plain colors or adorned with only a color band or two. You may occasionally find something truly unusual, like a skull mug made for Trader Vic's.

But even with diligent Internet sleuthing, it's difficult to get a feel for the wide variety of designs produced by the plant. So to make it easier we've assembled a photo collection here, with considerable help from collector Lynn Maack and the El Cerrito Historical Society.

For more on the history of TEPCO, see this collection of historical photos, and an . An interesting footnote is a lawsuit filed against TEPCO by one of its competitors over use of similar designs.

For those who'd like to learn more about TEPCO wares, Lynn Maack and fellow collector Sandi Genser-Maack will give 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday at the Open House Senior Center, 6500 Stockton Ave. (behind the library).