A Rare 19th Century Southern Maine Red Earthenware Jug that Sold in Freeport, Illinois on Friday May 6, 2016

I posted a link to this red earthenware jug on my personal Facebook page over the weekend, so some people may have already seen it; however, I also wanted to write about it. I found this jug listed through Proxibid - it sold last Friday May 6, 2016 at 6:00 pm Central Time at Munda Auctions in Freeport, Illinois.

I completely forgot about this jug last week - ultimately, I chalk this object up to a jug that got away because I forgot to bid. Nevertheless, this is not the worst object that I forgot to bid on, either - the worst mistake I made happened in 2012 when I forgot to bid on a painted red earthenware ewer on eBay. The object sold for $170.00. It was listed by a seller located in Indiana. The ewer was a Grecian object made at the Chelsea Keramic Art Works in Chelsea, Massachusetts in the 1870's. The only other Grecian objects that I am aware of today that were made at the Chelsea Keramic Art Works are owned by Historic New England, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Nonetheless, I knew this red earthenware jug was not going to sell for a lot of money due to the chipping in the glaze; although, I also knew that it was a rare object likely made in Hollis, Maine during the circa 1820-1860 period.

The auction house did not provide any type of attribution except calling the object an American-made redware jug - but, this is a form (and, glaze-style) that is known from the nineteenth-century potter's business in Hollis, Maine today.

I had assumed that this jug would not sell for a lot of money, and I was correct. It ended up selling for only $40.00. For reference: nineteenth-century red earthenware jugs properly attributed to Hollis, Maine today have reached as-high-as $7,500 in the current marketplace. In retrospect, $40.00 is a bargain price!

Here is a (link) to the auction listing through Proxibid, which is a relatively small online bidding platform for antiques when compared to the larger platforms such as LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, eBay and Bidsquare.

 19th Century Red Earthenware Jug Attributed to Southern Maine

Likely Made in Hollis, ME

Circa 1820-1860

Stands 8 1/2" Tall

Sold for $40.00 on Friday May 6, 2015

Photo Courtesy: Munda Auctions - Freeport, IL

Another View of the Jug

Photo Courtesy: Munda Auctions - Freeport, IL

Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...