Sold for A$5,000
Trent Brewery / Lancefield impressed into opposing slab seals half way down the body. 2 impressed into shoulder. 405 impressed into top of handle. No potters stamp. Beer Barrel 2 gallon barrel with what would appear to be the original brass tap and the original wooden bung in the top, appears to be Bendigo Pottery, salt glaze, banded with slab seals. 330 mm plus 40 mm for handle. 1888-1890s
Excellent. The top rim has a small crack measuring about 3 cm slightly encroaching on the front, but mainly on the very upper part. There are a few shallow glaze flake on the upper rim , the largest is 10 mm x 2 mm, then another is 3 x 2 mm another is 3 x 4 mm and extremely shallow, these are all very shallow and literally just glaze depth. The bung hole in the top is fine, complete with a wooden plug which is probably the original plug, there is a small breather hole in the top, this has some insignificant nibbles. The handle is sound, where it is applied to the barrel there is some splitting, this is in manufacture. Now onto the Trent Brewery side, all is great, there are three small marks on the applied slab seal, above the first T is a small chip in the border, only 8 x 2 mm, then below the EW is a 5 x 2 mm flake and then under the R is a 5 x 2 mm chip, all of these are in the rim and are extremely minor. The tap hole appears to be perfect, with the tap and cork holding it in place quite possibly being the original pieces for this barrel. On the right hand side of the barrel is a tiny glaze flake, only 3 x 2 mm and glaze depth. Over near the Lancefield side there is a small scrape on one of the dark bands, 10 x 3 mm but again literally only glaze flaking off. The Lancefield applied slab seal has an 8 x 2 mm chip from the upper right side and a tiny one near that, then on the bottom side of it under the second E there is a shallow 10 x 4 mm flake and then under the N is another of similar dimensions. There is one smaller one to the left of the L under the seal. Down near the base are a couple of marks on the upper side of the inverted ring around the base, possibly from manufacture. This is a superb example and is in excellent condition, this is the only one we have seen with the tap and bung cork in the top and is the first in living memory that we have seen for sale at auction, don't miss this opportunity to bid on an extremely rare brewery item in superb condition. Grade: 8.6 Estimate: $5000 - 7500
