In search of Primuline

Years ago, one of my Christmas gifts from my mother was some pink Depression glass plates I had wanted in the Old Colony (also known as Lace Edged) pattern. I opened the box, thanked her for the pretty pink plates, and set the box aside again until months later when I actually unpacked the paper-wrapped plates to use them for something. I knew the box was heavy, but hey, Depression glass weighed a lot, so I didn't think too much of it. Until I unwrapped all the pink plates and found there were eight more plates in the box, these Craftsman Dinnerware Primuline plates from Homer Laughlin! I thought they were pretty, and it was like getting a gift all over again, but I never actually pulled these out to use them until last week. I added some pink glasses, napkins in teapot napkin rings, and some smaller pink glass plates that sat atop the Primuline plates.
All I needed now was to order some teacups to match, and perhaps a teapot and sugar and creamer. So I looked on eBay. Nothing.

And then I looked on the granddaddy of all dish sites, Replacements.com. No teacups are in stock, and so far I can't find a picture of a Primuline teapot on the internet to even prove one ever existed! I must confess I was shocked, because all these years, I have simply assumed that if my mom so easily found Primuline plates at a garage sale (which I'm sure she did), then it must be an easy pattern to collect. Not so! I have, of course, set up eBay alerts for this pattern, and meanwhile, I'm asking all my spies friends in the area to be on the lookout for me. Primuline. Sounds like "primula," if that  helps. Still, a fun collecting adventure may be ahead of me this year, and if I find a coveted Primuline teacup, you can bet you'll be reading about it here!