5. Remued '500' Series 1941/42
By 1940-1941, towards the end of the Early Series period, production comprised a widely scattered collection of numbers reaching to about number 478. Most Early Series shapes were no longer in current production. It was apparently decided to wipe the slate clean by starting a completely new numbering series comprising only current shapes, starting at 501. Presumably the use of Early Series numbers ceased completely, replaced by these new '500' Series numbers.
The 500 Series was short-lived, however, soon to be abandoned, and examples are consequently rare today. Production is thought to have lasted for just a few months during 1941/42. There is no known documentary evidence at all regarding the 500 Series.
Every known shape is a repeat of a previous Early Series shape. Most - although not all - were subsequently repeated in the Later Series too. Only the largest pieces are signed 'Remued' and none is recorded with 'Hand Made' incised.
The 500 Series did not extend far. Shape numbers recorded in the image database range only up to 535, although the absence of higher-numbered examples might be merely due to their scarcity. About three-quarters of the range is recorded so far. To see which numbers are recorded go to the
shape numbers table for the 500 Series.
500 numbers within the Later Series
Just to make things confusing for the collector, years afterwards Premier made another '500 series', post-war. They were contemporary with the Later Series and appear in a Later Series shape book between Later Series 165 and 166. Numbers ran only from 500 to 506. Of the few examples so far recorded, most have twig-handles, a feature common in the Early Series but rare in the Later Series. Shape numbers for this little group are shown at the foot of both the
500 Series and
Later Series number tables.
