About Us

We are a group of nearly six hundred of the world’s friendliest folks, including over twenty generous dealers, bound together by our love, and occasional lust, for flow blue and mulberry china. Our membership spans all the states of the Union and includes countries all over the world. In 1986 twenty-one flow blue and mulberry fanatics gathered in Rockford, Illinois. The result of their passion and labor was the birth of the Flow Blue International Collectors’ Club, Inc. Our mission is to promote and increase the collecting, interest, knowledge, and enjoyment of flow blue and mulberry china.

To that end we sponsor numerous related activities. Club members receive four issues of our newsletter, “The Blue Berry Notes”, each year. We also publish educational materials and an annual club roster which is an invaluable networking tool. This website is maintained by the club for use by members and nonmembers alike. (Nonmembers have limited Web Site access.) We sponsor regional conventions, but the highlight of our year is our annual international convention. With all of this for only $50 annually ($60 outside the USA), FBICC membership may well be the best bargain since the purchase of the island of Manhattan.

Make plans now to be part of our annual International Convention. We invite you to join our club by clicking on the “JOIN NOW” button below and complete the simple registration form. We would love to have you join us!

History

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Peggy Weber, Petra Williams and William Miller at the first club convention held in Dayton, Ohio in 1987.

On June 7th-8th in 1986, twenty-one lovers of flow blue and mulberry china gathered at the Clock Tower Convention Center in Rockford, Illinois. The result of their labors was the birth of the Flow Blue International Collectors’ Club. According to the minutes of that meeting, they established this club “for the expressed purpose of the pursuit of knowledge, appreciation, and aesthetic perception of china referred to as flow blue china, and related china”.

At this meeting William Miller became the first club president. Under his leadership, bylaws were adopted and the structure of the club as we know it today took shape. Plans for the club newsletter, membership roster, regional meetings, and annual national conventions were made. It was also decided to include mulberry china in the scope of the club.

The first national convention of the Flow Blue International Collectors’ Club was held the following year, 1987, in Dayton, Ohio. It included educational programs, a flea market, an auction, and table sales. This highly successful format has remained as the guideline for our national conventions as membership has grown from those 21 founding members to nearly eight hundred. Why not join us and become part of our history?

We are most grateful to the following twenty-one founding member:

  • William Miller
  • Rev. Robert F. Bishop
  • David & Lou Seal
  • Rev. Walter Brown
  • George H. Genzel
  • Ken & Caroline Norman
  • Shirley Kowing
  • Jo Jaeger
  • Grace Skadow
  • Bill Byers
  • Kathryn Rommes
  • Jerome & Judy Peabody
  • Fred & Jane Hofacker
  • Dick Southern
  • William & Maryls Prairie
  • Betty Gerder

We also recognize and appreciate the leadership of our past presidents

  • William Miller
  • Helen Swan
  • Ellen King
  • Rosemary Wright
  • Bob Ferriani
  • Louise Mason
  • Jerry Taylor
  • Brenda Meyer
  • Janet Guthridge
  • Jim Haskell
  • Judy Peabody
  • William Leach
  • Jim Stucko
  • Fred Hofaker
  • Jon Houserman
  • Katrina Franklin
  • John Provine
  • Winifred Tuschen
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Petra Williams and Peggy Weber in their home in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Petra was preparing to write her second book on Flow Blue China.
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The walls of her research room were lined on all sides with rails holding Flow Blue samples for her book.
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Most of the samples were given to the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. (The collection is no longer available for display).
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Peggy Weber, Petra Williams and William Miller at the first club convention held in Dayton, Ohio in 1987.
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On Saturday evening of the first convention, service awards were presented to Reverends Walter Brown and Robert Bishop for editing and publishing the Club newspaper.
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Bill Byers was the first auctioneer at the first convention. Bill auctioned donated items to raise funds for the club treasury. Some of the auction items: 6 – 10.5″ PEKIN (Davenport) plates – $240, a 10″ LORNE (W.H. Grindley) plate – $35, a COLONIAL (J. & G. Meakin) creamer – $10, a LARCH (S. Hancock) gravy boat with undertray – $15 and two WASHINGTON VASE (Podmore Walker) mulberry cup and saucer sets – $70.
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Elmer and Dorothy Caskey of Kentucky and Jane and Fred Hofacker from Ohio at the banquet.
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At the 1988 Rochester Convention, the Strong Museum hosted the evening cocktail party and Petra’s entire collection was on display. The museum was closed for the evening, so club members could enjoy the collection. Judy Peabody, pictured, presented the main seminar on Polychrome.
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Petra Williams and Fannie Grace Hinds, Region 5 Director.
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FBICC founding members attending the 1988 convention.
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Examples from the 1988 Sunday morning Table Sales.
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1988 Sunday morning Table Sales. DOREEN (W.H. Grindley) chamber set.