Orbit by Homer Laughlin
LaurelHollowPark.net, an informative website created and
maintained by Mark Gonzalez. Copyright © 2009-.
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Orbit was the first shape designed by Vincent Broomhall when he became Art Director at HLC in October of 1962.
Flatware for any particular treatment was picked up from either Brittany or Rhythm. (Cavalier was used instead of Brittany for the Morocco line.) All of the bowls came from Rhythm. Since Rhythm didn't have a chop plate, one had to be created to fill the gap. Brittany's older 12" chop plate was enlarged to 13".
The following Orbit hollowware was made in November and December of 1962: coffeepot, shakers, teacup, sugar, creamer, and sauceboat. The covered butter was modeled in February 1963 and the line was put into production soon after. Modeled in 1969, the teapot and covered casserole were added to the line rather late. As a result, they are the most difficult pieces of Orbit to find.
Plates and saucers were the only pieces to receive decorations in one of the following forms: decals, stamps, or silk screen.
Hollowware was made with solid color exteriors. This makes any piece of colored hollowware usable with several different types of decorated flatware.
Dinner plates were often marked with a backstamp and date code. Small plates, bowls, and hollowware were almost never marked. This was a trend that continued with most Homer Laughlin dinnerware made from the 1960s until the 1980s. Orbit itself was discontinued in the mid-1970s.
Colors used on Oribt hollowware include:
- Tropic Blue
- Turquoise
- Avocado Green
- Butterscotch
- Spice
- White (clear glaze)
- Black (coffee pot only, used with other lines)*
- Sunny Yellow (coffee pot and shakers only)*
(*) Black and Sunny Yellow were used with the Continental shape.
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Covered sugar and creamer in tropic blue |
Covered butter and shakers in avocado green |
Coffee pots: spice (left) and butterscotch (right) |
Coffee pots in spice with Morocco pattern |
Coffee pots: turquoise (left) and tropic blue (right) |
Coffee pots: white (clear glaze) and black |
Coffee pot and teapot in spice |
Coffee pot and creamer in avocado green |
Sauceboats: tropic blue, butterscotch, and avocado green |
Covered casserole in spice |
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Treatment RUS-119, "Fashion" used turquoise Orbit hollowware
MW-192: Tulip Time, with turquoise hollowware |
MW-194: Skyline, with butterscotch hollowware |
B-1476, Greenbrier plate and B-1475, Acorn cup and saucer |
C-354: Largo, uses avocado hollowware |
Morocco (CV-142 and CV-144)
Cavalier flatware with Orbit hollowware in spice |
RUS-122: Vegas pattern
uses butterscotch hollowware |
W-264: Spring Ballet ues green hollowware, circa 1964 |
RUS-153: Blue Mist uses tropic blue hollowware |
RUS-167: Spring Bouquet, uses blue hollowware, circa 1968 |
Special "Town House" marking used on Spring Bouquet |
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The above dinnerware lines were made by Homer Laughlin and make use of Orbit hollowware.
From a 1963 Fall/Winter Montgomery Ward Catalog: (1) Skyline, (2) Tuliptime, and (3) Sierra. |
1969 advertisement with HLC's Malibu on Regency, Silver Swirl on Victoria, and Maplewood (B-1473) on Orbit.
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From a 1966 Sears Catalog, #5: Periwinkle using Orbit
(and by Taylor, Smith & Taylor: #6 Olympia and #7 Del Ray) |
Spring Ballet, W-264 for F. W. Woolworth
Brittany with avocado Orbit hollowware |
B-1474, Trent |
RUS-120, Vista |
RUM-705, Orient |
Oribt order form |
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