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This is the one that I would have preferred not to sell but...you can't keep everything forever.
This is a genuine item that probably dates back to pre world war II and was originally brought from the hills of Georgia near Dalton, where my sister-in-law grew up and acquired this from her dad. It may well have been used for whiskey, legal or not and my sister-in-law remembers her dad making a few very quiet trips out to the hills to purchase corn liquor from let's say, local artisans, when she was a very young girl. This jug has all the hallmarks of a late 1800s or early 1900s original with the original cork and the single letter A stamped into the clay near the bottom edge which could signify a capacity or sorting marker of some kind, and along with the unglazed yet completely vitrified heat sealed bottom which makes it completely impervious for liquids to not seep out from the inside. There may be a legacy connection to the Athens Pottery Company...then in Athens, Texas which was begun by a Georgia born gentleman named Levi Cogburn.
It measures 14" tall and 9" across the bottom. It's probably considered to be a one gallon jug though I've carefully measured it to contain 1.25 gallons, brought up to the bottom of the pulled strap handle with it's unique thumb press indentation where it meets the body of the vessel. The upper section is covered with an Albany-style rich brown slip glaze with its own overtones of blackish gray giving it a unique look.
In any case this jug remains in remarkably good historic condition, I just wish it could talk as I'm sure it would speak volumes. Maybe pull up a couple chairs and glasses and let the story continue...
