Question re ceramic reamer/juicer

Hello!

I've never posted here before, but I'm doing a little research for a friend and I thought this would be a good place to ask. I am looking for info on a porcelain reamer (juicer). The top is blue/yellow/white, and the main piece is pink with three green birds playing jump rope. It has two handles, and the mark on the bottom is an inverted triangle with 'GW Co' inside, and below the triangle 'made in Japan'. Unfortunately I don't have a picture available, but that's a pretty good description of the item. We are interested in more on the manufacturer; how old the item might be; and how much it might be worth. Thanks in advance for any help on this!

Hundreds of US companies imported items from Japan, with their own company name on them (GW Co is unlikely to be the name of the Japanese manufacturer). About all you can do is estimate its age by the style of the design and whether it's handpainted or not. There are some books out on Made in Japan items, available at Barnes & Noble and other large booksellers. Those might contain more info for you.

As for values: vintage and antique items really don't have a 'set' value - that depends on where, how, when and to who it's sold. Even an insurance appraisal will give a different evaluation than an appraisal for resale value.

If your item is shaped like this one, it's likely to have been a 'blank' available for those who handpainted porcelain items: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=2047350906

Here's an item where at least part (the metal part) is marked 'GW Co', yet it's a Harker Pottery item. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=2050876923

Wow, thanks so much for the info, and especially for the links!