# Stoneware question



## treasurekidd (Oct 6, 2010)

I'm not very knowledgable on old stoneware, so I was hoping some of you experts could help make up my mind on this one. I was in a local shop yesterday and came across a very nice stoneware jug, with a stamp that reads "F T Wright & Son Stone Ware Taunton, Mass". It is in really good shape, no damage or staining at all, with a perfect handle, just a few tiny spots of old orange paint. It is exactly like the one pictured below only without the blue stenciling on the mark and without the the damage. It was not stamped with a number like the one pictured, but it was a fairly small jug, less than a 1 gallon size - maybe a quart or half gallon size? Anyway, they were asking $20 for it, should I have grabbed it? Also, is there a proper way to remove the paint flakes without damaging the jug? Thanks in advance!


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## div2roty (Oct 6, 2010)

don't about a value for that exact jug, but $20 for any stamped jug is very cheap.  There is a lot of Mass stoneware, and the lack of blue (either in decoration or in the stamp) will hurt its value.  Unless its a really small town where lots of people collect that town, I'd guess at a $40-75 value for one in good shape.  The paint will be easy to remove.  Any new paint will be on top of the glaze, so you can pour paint thinner on it.  The glaze will protect the crock and any blue decoration.  The new paint can be wiped off with paint thinner or any low level acid.


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## treasurekidd (Oct 6, 2010)

Thanks Div, I guess I'll head back there tomorrow and pick it up. I'll post a pic after I get it home. I'm not sure if I'm going to ebay it or if it's going to be the first piece in a new branch in my collection. Thanks again for the info!

 TK (John in RI)


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## surfaceone (Oct 7, 2010)

> Anyway, they were asking $20 for it, should I have grabbed it?


 
 Hello John,

 There's quite a bit of Franklin T. Wright stoneware to be seen givin a bit of googlin. The son was Solon Wright, who got billing in 1868. Here's a bit of history.

 This stenciled tiger logo was sometimes used, as well 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Found here, along with several other examples in close proximity. I'd offer $15, if it is undecorated.






 "Wright, Franklin T., & Son, (approx: 1870-1904),
 Taunton, MA, United States, occurs on 1 bottle,   
 Manufactured soda jugs.  Franklin T. Wright started a stoneware pottery some time between 1850 and 1859.  Between 1861 and 1870, he took his son Solon into the business.  Franklin died in 1882.  The company was last listed in the 1904 Taunton Directory.  The impression is on the shoulder of the bottle." From Sodas & Beers.


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## NYCFlasks (Oct 17, 2010)

I have stripped many stoneware pieces over the years.  I use paint stripper/remover.  Kutz-It is one brand, clean in a few minutes.
 I will also ask, if I have doubts about a piece being fixed, if I can put stripper on it....tends to bring out the truth very quickly...


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