Early 1950's Guide

Early 1950's Price List for Merchant/Retail orders

The price sheet above lists available products along with merchant pricing used when retailers placed orders with the studio. Numbers missing from the list correspond to discontinued items.

This document was discovered in a set of archived files the studio donated to the Syracuse University Library in 1970. It lists design numbers from 200-299, 2000-2018 and 701-716. The Cybis product line at that time was chinaware, mostly of a religious nature. Other documents in the file (where this list was found) were from 1956 which indicates this merchant's price sheet was produced prior to that date. Since the sheet isn't dated there's no way to know when it was produced but based on content it can be narrowed down to a 1954-1956 timeframe.

It is of significant importance to note the studio maintained a strict narrative stating no records or lists were kept of early sculptures. For example, one disclaimer printed on the top of the page titled Collectors Guide of Cybis Porcelain Art Sculptures in the 1972 catalog includes these words, "In the early years no formal records were kept and it is difficult at this late date to list each porcelain released by the studio". Clearly records were kept as this retailer's cost sheet and several other records now indicate. For research purposes it is fortunate these records were archived at the university as they are now publicly available.

Philip F. Mooney, (right) Administrative Director of the Manuscript Division of the Syracuse University Library, receives one of the official leather-bound volumes containing the Cybis corporate papers from Joseph W. Chorlton, Cybis President.

(Image purchased from Historic Images)

June 11, 1970

Several boxes of records were "donated" to the Syracuse University Research Library in 1970. A fire in the studio's offices resulted in the loss of many of the early records. It's possible that incident motivated this donation in order to protect salvaged documents.

According to an article published in the Trenton Times, Syracuse received leather-bound corporate documents as part of the donation. The irony of this "donation" is that within a few years the studio requested a large volume of the archive be returned. The remaining items included bank statements, payroll information, correspondence with retailers and salesmen and miscellaneous other documentation. Obviously, it is fortunate these boxes were left behind and are now publicly available. This document alone fills in dozens of gaps on items produced which are not documented in Cybis publications. If all historic records listing early works were lost in the fire, it may have been a fluke this price sheet was "misfiled". It's possible no one was aware such a copy survived. But based on the studio's own historical accounts, that assumption may be too generous.

It is well known the studio attempted to dis-affiliate Cybis from the Cordey China Company. It appears efforts were also made to conceal much of the studio's first five years when it was largely recognized for producing "distinguished religious art pieces". Almost everything on the list above and images below are religious items.

The following images correspond to each design number on the list with the name/description provided, measurement given and wholesale price shown. As images currently not available are found, this page will be updated. Keep in mind, prices shown are wholesale. Most merchants priced goods at Net x 2 + 10% or more. Cybis would later introduce required retail pricing.