Anyone an Expert on Old Whiskey Jugs?

Huskerhunter

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Aug 5, 2011
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I plucked these 2 old whiskey jugs out of my parentā€™s basement recently and all they could tell me was that an old lady that lived across the street left them to us when she died in 1985 at the ripe old age of 97. Just curious if anyone might know how old they are and if they hold any value. I donā€™t see any maker marks on them, but Iā€™m not really sure what an identification mark would look like on something like these or where it would be located. Any help is greatly appreciated, TIA!šŸ¤˜ ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903554.399744.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903616.769593.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903673.721050.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903755.710392.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903834.704140.jpg ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1571903891.943537.jpg
 

diggingthe1

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Those are beautiful jugs:) but I like those types of things!!! They would throw salt into the kiln when the pots are very hot. It then forms a type of glaze. Very detsructive to the atmosphere. I love the shape of the top piece! If there would be any marks they would be on the bottom. The jug on the bottom is much more common. I don't think you will get rich but they sure do look nice. You better brew some whiskey and fill those for the next time around the campfire!
 

sandchip

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The lighter colored one appears, as mentioned, to have a salt glaze and looks like a fairly early piece, pre-1850s. Tha darker one has what looks like an Albany slip glaze and looks 1900-1920 to me. The hand wiping of the glaze on the bottom is something commonly seen on Crawford County, Georgia pieces, but the overall shape and lip finish, I can't say. Hopefully, someone that really knows pottery will chime in. As far as contents go, these type jugs were used for bulk storage and transport of a number of liquids in addition to whiskey, such as syrup, turpentine, etc. Nice gifts from the elderly lady, for sure.
 

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