Estate Store

All things are not equal. We all have this problem, where different things have different significance to different folks and as generations pass the things that were once meaningful can become less so. Somewhere on the continuum between treasured heirloom and dumpster fodder there is the point where things still have some meaning, too much to throw away but not enough that you really want it in your house.

This is one of the great sources of donations for the store. The thing that isn’t your thing but is too good to toss can be sent to a place where that thing can do good things for others.

There’s a lot of stuff like this. For me it’s some of my grandmother’s china, a set of fine china teacups painted with violets (her first name). Will I ever use them? No. Are they pretty (yes) and something I want to decorate my house with? No. Will they pay the rent when the bottom drops out? No. Would I feel like an absolute ungrateful a** who was doing a diservice to the wonderful person she was if I tossed them out? Damn skippy I would.

They’d make a good donation though and someone new would probably treasure them much more than I ever will.

I don’t know that this is the case here but I’d bet on it if the odds were at least equal.

This antique ironstone jar was made in England by Edward Challinor of the High Street, Tunstall. There is a paper label under the lid that notes that it was once the property of Henry and Adaline Manning and is dated 1852. It’s a leap on my part but I figure a date like that is significant and hence it was possibly a wedding gift*.

The Challinor works appears to have used this mark between 1845 and 1862 so the attributed date fits with the documentary record.

It is also labeled as a sugar bowl. Although the per capita consumption of sugar skyrocketed in the 19th century (increasing from about 18 pounds in 1800 to 90 pounds in 1900, a trend that has continued upwards ever since) this is likely not a sugar bowl. It may have functioned as one but it was probably intended as a biscuit jar (If it didn’t have handles I’d suggest that it was a tea caddy but . . .).

The decorative handles and lid finial are in the shape of figs which were quite popular in the 1850′s, with numerous examples made by major firms like that of Josiah Wedgwood.

It is 7 1/2 inches tall.  The lid is discolored and has a chip that was repaired long ago (a sure sign of being treasured). The discoloration is probably due to penetration of the ceramic paste by iron rich water through the old, fixed chip. We’ve shown it in the pictures.

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*In the interest of fairness I have to admit I cheated a bit here and did some research. I managed to find the record of a marriage between Henry Manning and Adeline Hinckle (note the different spelling) in 1852 in Idaho. The eventually moved to Oregon. Given the spottiness of the historic record and the inherent unknowingness of the internet there is every possibility in the world that these folks were not the original owners of this piece. But they could have been.