A Rare 19th Century Set of 24 Red Earthenware Candle Molds that SoldLast Night in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

According to a report written in 1980 by George R. Hamell for Northeast Historical Archaeology, 'Earthenware and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of the Rochester-Genesee-Valley Region: An Overview,' "The 1862 probate inventory of Alvin Wilcox's (d. 1862) estate in Ontario County, New York offers the most complete contemporary description of some of the equipment used in a local red earthenware pottery, as well as its relative values and that of some of the wares produced. 

This inventory included: 1 peddler's wagon, $20.00; 1 lot of shop boards (drying boards), $5.00; 1 tile machine with fixtures, $8.00, 1 lot of round 10-inch tiles, $2.00; 20 sets of candle molds (clay tubes, their interiors glazed, set into a wooden frame), $10.00; 1 lot of candle molds (individual clay tubes), $2.00; 1 peddler's box, $1.50; 1 clay mill (pug mill), $10.00, 1 tile press, $2.00; 1 glazing mill, $1.00; 2 clay turning lathes (potter's wheels), $4.00; 2 kilns for burning tile and red earthenware, $40.00; and 1 drying frame, $3.00."

Last night, Maureen and John Boyd sold a set of twenty-four nineteenth-century red earthenware candle molds (or tubes), which had been set into a pine wooden frame at an auction in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The mold was consigned from a northern New England estate.

This rare object basically fit the description of which is found in Alvin Wilcox's 1862 probate inventory in Ontario County, New York, where a similar object is described as, "20 sets of candle molds (clay tubes, their interiors glazed, set into a wooden frame), $10.00."  The interior of the molds that sold last night were even glazed, which is also a characteristic that is described in Wilcox's probate inventory.

The best examples of framed candle molds (or tubes), which  I can directly link to Wilcox today are the rare examples that show each mold had been marked with Wilcox's stamp. I looked at every individual tube on this object last night, but it did not appear that any mold had been marked. As a result, I can not definitely say that this object was made at Wilcox's factory in Ontario County. But it certainly appears similar to another object that is described in Wilcox's 1862 probate inventory.

According to the Society for Historical Archaeology, "Such sets of candle molds were among the most unique articles of red earthenware manufactured by Alvin Wilcox in the 1850's. These framed molds were sold in a variety of sizes. Wilcox was also one of the few red earthenware potters anywhere, who marked their wares (but not every single piece of pottery that Wilcox produced was marked)."

Nevertheless, I wonder how Alvin Wilcox would feel today knowing that he owned a similar mold when he died in 1862 that was valued at $10.00; although, Boyd Auctions sold the following mold last night for $852.50, which includes the ten-percent buyer's premium. This object would have also likely sold for more if it were not for some of the molds having been damaged and broken.

Note: Here is a link to the full report written in 1980 by George R. Hamell for Northeast Historical Archaeology, 'Earthenware and Salt-Glazed Stonewares of the Rochester-Genesee-Valley Region: An Overview.'

19th Century Candle Molds/Tubes Set in Wooden Frame

19th Century Red Earthenware 24 Tube Candle Mold in a Pine Wooden Frame

Attributed to the Alvin Wilcox Pottery in West Bloomfield, NY

Circa Late-1840s to Early-1860s

Sold $775 at the Podium

Sold for $852.50 Including the 10% Buyer's Premium

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

Another View of the 24 Tube Candle Mold

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

Another View of the 24 Tube Candle Mold

Photo Courtesy: Boyd Auctions - Eliot, ME

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