Toby Jug, ca. 1800
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APPRAISER:
Priscilla, you have all sorts of information about this. How long has it been in your family?
GUEST:
Well, at least 200 years that I can document, but my great-grandmother thinks it may have been longer.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, when we see Toby jugs, which they still make in England and elsewhere, we like to know how old they are. And I'll point out why we know this one is an old one, meaning it is about 200 years old. Probably made about 1800. First of all, I can feel it's very lightweight, and that's typical of the early ones. Doesn't happen after the first period because it's made of something called pearl-glazed earthenware, which is very thinly potted. And they stopped making that about 1820 or '30. And the pearl-glazed earthenware is so called because it's off-white, and then it has a bluish tint in the glaze. Wherever the glaze collects, which it's done around the eyes and in the furrows of the brow here and in the mouth, you can see in the thicker part of the glaze it's bluish. And that's typical of pearl-glazed earthenware. And you won't see that on reproductions or later ones made in the late 19th century or the 20th century. So, those two features alone are enough to tell us it's an early one, first period. It should really be insured probably for $1,600 or $1,800, which is the retail price for it if you like.
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