Lot 765: Silcock Waratah Pottery Salt Glaze Crock

Excellent. This has the potters stamp slightly offset to the right near the base. Some bumps around the lip and a few flake type marks, one or two are glazed and they all look to be making marks. Some fine glaze wear to the rim. Some spots of green paint. A little fine glaze wear to the handle extremities. Small impact to one outer handle has a fine horseshoe hairline from it. Couple of flake type marks to base edge are reasonably long, but are likely potters pulls from making. This is a very rare potters stamp, it is not listed in Ford's Encyclopedia of Australian Potter's Marks. James Silcock was born in 1851 in England, he emmigrated to Australia in 1879. He worked at Lithgow collery as an apprenticed brickmaker. In 1880 he moved to East Maitland and worked at Fieldsend's pottery making salt glazed pots. In 1882 worked at Anthony Hillcoate's pottery at East Maitland. After that he worked at Turton's pottery at Waratah [Newcastle], around 1884. Turtons became Hall and Silcock in 1887. In 1889 Silcock became sole owner and continued until 1937. Silcock ceased production of domestic wares (bung jars, butter churns, demijohns, etc) by the mid-late 1890s and concentrated on the industrial/commercial wares such as pipes, chimneys, etc. Thanks to the Australian Bottle Forum for this information. Grade: 8.5 Estimate: $500 - 750