Dr J C Ayer Druggist Stoneware Jug

Additional Information:
This 7 1/2 inch personalized hand made Stoneware Jug was most probably used by J. C. Ayer himself in his early days and may well be a one of a kind piece.

Here is our justification for this statement. We estimate the age of this jug to be from circa 1840 to 1852 and here is why.

• From 1837 to 1840 J C Ayer worked in a drug store where he first started making his Cherry Pectoral Patent Medicine.
• By 1841, at the age of 23, he had purchased that drug store.
• By 1852 he referred to himself in print as a "Practical and Analytical Chemist".
• By 1854 he was using the title of Dr. even though he was not a doctor.
• In 1855 his company became J C Ayer & Co when he took his brother on as a partner.
• In 1860 he was awarded the degree of Doctor.
• In 1878 J C Ayer died, and his brother Frederick Ayer continued to run the company.

We would assume since this bears his name only, and not the company name or the word Dr., it was probably made for J C's personal use. We would also think it unlikely that he used the term druggist prior to owning the store. By 1852 he was referring to himself as a "Practical and Analytical Chemist" who sold wholesale to apothecaries and druggists. In 1854 he started using the term Dr. and by 1855 the name of the company (J C Ayer & Co.) was on everything they sold or advertised. They were one of the largest Patent Medicine companies in the United States and probably the world. In addition we have a tremendous amount of advertising and other ephemera and to our knowledge none of it refers to him as a "druggist". (But we are still looking.) All of this leads us to believe it is a very early and possibly one of a kind piece.

Perhaps more jugs were made with names for other people, and in fact we found another one almost identical, made for another Druggist & Grocer of Cabotville, Mass. We believe that these were probably handmade by a local potter and thought maybe the maker was the F B Norton Company from Worcester, Mass. Worcester is midway between Lowell and Cabotville so that would make sense however, unless this piece was made before they actually became the F. B. Norton Company in 1858 we believe the Norton Company may be a few years too late.

Either way we doubt many of these jugs had the name J C Ayer Druggist on them if any others at all.

Please Note: This jug is being sold as is and we will retain the rights to use any pictures of it at any time.

Item # 275

Dr J C Ayer Druggist Stoneware Jug

Price:               $3495.00 or feel free to make a reasonable offer.

PLEASE NOTE: You may deduct $100 if payment is made by a Personal Check or US Postal Money Order.  Contact us for a corrected invoice.

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