Bucks County
A lesser-known 1962 Holt Howard collection whose bold hearts, vivid colors, and clean geometric forms captured the emerging Mod spirit of the early 1960s.
Produced in 1962, Holt Howard's Bucks County line represents one of the company's boldest departures from the whimsical folk-art styling that defined many of its earlier everyday collections. Instead of illustrated fruit, flowers, or country-inspired motifs, Bucks County embraced a striking geometric design that reflected the growing influence of mid-century modern décor.
The collection is instantly recognizable by its colorful interlocking-heart motif, accented by radiating teardrop and petal shapes in vivid shades of orange, red, pink, and purple. Combined with clean white ceramic forms, the result is a pattern that feels both playful and unmistakably modern, capturing the optimism and graphic style of the early 1960s.
Although the Bucks County salt and pepper shakers appear with some regularity, most of the line is encountered far less often today. Pieces such as the napkin holder and candle holders surface less frequently, while larger serving forms—including the coffee pot and drink pitcher—are particularly elusive. Bucks County consequently remains one of Holt Howard's less common and lesser-known everyday collections.
Design Characteristics
The Bucks County line relies almost entirely on bold color and geometric design rather than illustrated decoration. Although the forms range from cookware to tabletop accessories, several consistent features unite the collection.
The Motif
At the heart of the collection is a symmetrical arrangement of interlocking hearts surrounded by radiating teardrop and petal shapes. The pattern creates movement while remaining clean and highly structured.
The Color Palette
Bright orange, deep red, hot pink, and purple are paired with crisp white ceramic surfaces. The colors function as strong graphic accents rather than softly blended decoration.
The Style
Unlike many Holt Howard lines built around whimsical illustration or folk-inspired imagery, Bucks County uses shape, repetition, and color as its principal decorative language.
Coffee, Tea & Beverage Service
The beverage-service pieces showcase the Bucks County pattern on some of the line's largest and most dramatic forms. Broad white surfaces provide room for the central heart motif, while strong blocks of orange and red add visual weight and contrast.
Coffee Pot
The tall coffee pot is among the most imposing pieces in the line. Its elongated white body carries the principal heart motif, while the solid orange lid and red knob create a vivid accent at the top. Surviving examples appear very infrequently.
Drink Pitcher
The drink pitcher repeats the same vertical presentation on a slightly shorter form, with a wide pour spout and squared handle. The uninterrupted white body allows the central motif to dominate the design.
Mug & Snack Plate
The solid orange-red mug has a white interior and squared handle. Its coordinated snack plates combine asymmetrical geometric forms with circular cup wells and simplified versions of the heart motif. Together they create one of the line's most recognizably early-1960s combinations.
Sugar Bowl
The covered sugar bowl uses a compact cylindrical body, a broad white lid decorated with the Bucks County motif, and the same red knob finial seen on several larger serving pieces. Its bright orange body makes it a particularly strong visual companion to the coffee pot and mugs.
Reference photograph from another collection.
Serving & Kitchen Utility
Bucks County transformed practical kitchenware into coordinated display pieces. Casseroles, canisters, dinnerware, and serving accessories repeat the collection's bold geometry while adapting it to very different ceramic forms.
Casserole Dishes
The matched casseroles combine orange lower bodies with broad white lids decorated by the heart motif and finished with red knob finials. Their low, wide proportions make the design read almost like a piece of graphic art spread across the tabletop.
Stacking Canister Set
This unusual three-tiered set stacks solid red, pink, and orange sections beneath a single white patterned lid.
Dinner Plates
Surviving dinner plates carry the large central heart motif across a broad white surface, turning the pattern into the dominant feature of each place setting. Additional plate sizes may have been produced, but no period advertising or complete factory listing has yet been located to establish the full dinnerware assortment.
Reference photograph from another collection.
Napkin Holder
The sculptural napkin holder uses two leaf- or shield-shaped panels joined at a narrow base. One face displays a simplified heart emblem, while the bright red interior creates a strong flash of color when viewed from the side.
Tabletop Coordinates & Accent Décor
The smaller accessories complete the collection through repeated variations of the Bucks County motif. These pieces are often more compact, but their concentrated color and pattern make them some of the line's strongest accents.
Salt & Pepper Shakers
The salt and pepper set is the form most frequently encountered today. Each shaker pairs a solid orange-red body with a broad white top printed in the multicolored heart design. Surviving boxed sets also preserve the line's distinctive striped packaging and heart-shaped Bucks County label.
Underside of one shaker showing the original Holt Howard foil sticker and identifying backstamp.
Ashtray Set
The four small ashtrays are finished in white, pink, orange, and red, with integrated side rests and clean circular forms. Grouped together, they function almost like color samples drawn directly from the larger Bucks County palette.
Candle Holders
The low pedestal candle holders repeat the design in a circular, four-way arrangement across the upper surface. The orange base provides a strong visual anchor beneath the white patterned top.
Trivet / Hot Plate Tile
The square ceramic tile carries the full multicolored motif and is mounted in a dark cast-metal frame with a decorative hanging handle. It could function as a trivet, hot plate, or wall-mounted kitchen accent.
A Distinctive Early-1960s Design
Today, Bucks County stands as a reminder of Holt Howard's willingness to embrace changing design trends while maintaining the playful spirit that defined the company. Though less common and lesser-known than many of its contemporaries, its bold colors and unmistakable geometric styling ensure that it remains one of the company's most distinctive everyday collections.