GUEST
Well, this is my Harper's $500 little brown jug that has been in my family four generations, I believe, and it's now come to me. I've done very little research. All I know is that it was used, I believe, for alcohol, and that the $500 referenced some obtaining of a liquor license at the time.
APPRAISER
The Anna Pottery Company was started by two brothers. Their names were Kirkpatrick, in Anna, Illinois, and they were in business from 1850s until the 1890s. And they made stoneware pottery, and one of the things that was so unusual about them was that they used their pottery to express their political beliefs.
GUEST
Okay.
APPRAISER
And lots of times, the sayings on their pottery had something to do with temperance...
GUEST
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER
...political corruption. In this case, we have, of course, the serpent, the snake watching the bottle, and on the front there, it says, "Harper's $500."
GUEST
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER
And as you go around the jug, it says, "little brown jug," and then it's got the date, 1883. That was a license law. It was called a high-tax law or a high-license law in Illinois that was passed in 1883, which made it very difficult for anybody to get a new saloon license. The people that collect American stoneware pottery are crazy about Anna Pottery. They did pig flasks with maps on them, they did jugs bigger than this with multiple snakes on them. This particular one is an unusual form because of the size, but also because of the pinched form. When it was made, it was made round and then they pinched it in to make it more of an oval shape, and if you'll look on the bottom, it says, "Anna Pottery..."
GUEST
Right.
APPRAISER
and the date, 1884. I read that the brothers at the pottery actually had a snake pit there.
GUEST
Really?
APPRAISER
And they used to go over and study the snakes, I guess, before they would model them.
GUEST
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER
And they would go out and sell their wares and actually take the snakes with them.
GUEST
Wow!
APPRAISER
So, have you had any ideas about what you thought it might be worth?
GUEST
No, just because... there's not really anything conclusive about this particular style that I found.
APPRAISER
Well, one just like it sold at auction two years ago for $10,400.
GUEST
You're kidding?
APPRAISER
No.
GUEST
Okay, that's much more valuable than I would have thought, okay.
APPRAISER
Yeah, for insurance purposes, you probably could put $12,000 on it.
GUEST
Okay.
APPRAISER
It's fantastic, it's a rare form. Not only that, but it's in perfect condition. Thank you so much for bringing it in, it made my day.
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