ceramic nesting boxes ~ McAfee Pottery ~ San Gabriel California

by Sandywayne September 4th 2017, 9:00 am

Hello,

I am asking for help identifying the potter's mark on a set of three small ceramic nesting boxes. I am attaching photos. The mark is difficult to make out in its entirety. Part of it looks like "Afe". There's a letter that appears before it, but it is too difficult to read accurately. There is also a glyph of some kind before the "Afe", possibly an apostrophe.

These little boxes came from a dear friend of mine. They belonged to his aunts or mother, who lived in Southern California, but we are both unsure of the item's derivation. He believes they originate prior to 1920, when his aunts came to CA, probably bringing the little boxes with them I am not sure from where the aunts relocated to CA.

There are three boxes total. They are a yellowish hue with a slight green undertone. They sit inside each other. The largest is 3.25"H X 2.5"W X 2"D.

Thank you for any assistance you can offer.