The salt-glazed surface, which is light coloured with a grey tinge, rough and pebbled, is the easiest method to recognise an antique stoneware crock. According to the Museums of West Virginia, crocks with the same salt glaze on the inside date from before 1800. Inside, newer vessels are likely to be coated with Albany slip, a brown finish. Collectors can use signs and symbols on antique stoneware crocks to track down their origins. These markers are as diverse as the items they designate, ranging from geometric patterns to natural symbols. Stoneware identification can also take the shape of words or initials.
The emblem of an anchor may be found on European stoneware pottery from the 1700s. The designs on very old items are rudimentary, with few lines and minimal detail. The anchor designs of the nineteenth century are increasingly ornate and intricate. A crown or a shield may be used as a manufacturing mark on German and Old English earthenware. If the piece was created after 1891, it will also have the nation of origin stamped on it. After 1914, pieces carry the words “Made in” as well as the country of origin.
Human body parts or legendary animals are frequently found on 19th and 20th century earthenware. Hands and arms are the most common, with swords or arrows clutched in them. These unique symbols are generally accompanied by corporate names, making it easy for the collector to date the piece.
It’s tough to decipher foreign alphabets on pottery or stoneware. However, the curiosity is often enough of a reason to try, as artefacts bearing these marks are typically ancient and extremely uncommon. Some crockery bearing foreign alphabets dates from the 13th century in China.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, all stoneware in the United States was imported from Europe. Americans built stoneware factories in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey in the decades after WWII. According to antiques appraiser Dr. Lori, the decorations on each piece of stoneware reveal clues to its origin and antiquity. These can be decorative symbols or figures, which are frequently glazed in cobalt blue.
Makers frequently inscribed their names or regions on their crocks. According to a Collector’s Weekly article, a crock with the stamp “Manhattan Wells” indicates its origins as the Clarkson Crolius plant in New York. A less common but equally collectible stoneware crock with a cobalt blue, hand-painted design can be marked “Adam Claire, Po’keepsie,” indicating that it dated from the late 1800s.
A more aesthetically depicted design on a stoneware crock, according to Dr. Lori, is likely to increase the value of the vessel. A piece of stoneware’s value is also determined by its age, condition, and rarity, therefore learning to recognise these factors is critical to being a successful collector.
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