Bill Kime: Well, this is a terrific piece of Canadiana. We’ve a Confederation Jug. Would the date of around the 1920s – would that work well with your memories of this?

Owner: Ok, I first remember seeing this about 1934 as a young boy going to my father’s office…

Bill Kime: Ok, that works very well for me too. I think it’s obviously made in commeration of the Canadian Confederation of 1867 and you’ve got to look for the logical dates for reviving interest and the one that strikes me best as I’m looking at this, as I’m looking at the piece of pottery – the one that seems most likely is 1927, which would be the 60th anniversary. This was made by Carletonware, or a company by the name of Wilshire and Robinson under the trade name of Carletonware in a limited edition at that time of, I believe it was, (looks at the label on the pottery) yes, 350 – of which this is number 26. We don’t see these things very often. They do pop up from time to time and they do sell very well. It has the arms of Canada on one side, the Indian mask spout and a very sort of quintessentially Canadian view on the other side complete with a Mountie and someone in a canoe. And then, under the spout, we have the artist’s signature…

Owner: Oh, I didn’t know that!

Bill Kime: You did not know that? Well, underneath the, right here, underneath the spout we have “RS Nickson” oh, “ES Nickson”, I beg your pardon. And he’s the chap who so painstakingly painted all this and I think it was one way of Careletonware keeping an eye on who was doing good work and who wasn’t – that was the other thing. To cut to the chase, I would think today a jug like this coming on the market would probably bring in the region of probably two thousand dollars.

Owner: Oooohhh – well! The grandchildren refer to this thing as the “Ugly Juggly”.

Bill Kime: Do they?

Owner: Yeah, and they keep wanting to throw it away but I think… maybe they’ll change their minds…

Bill Kime: Well, I think it’s absolutely bonkers and I think it’s just the sort of thing that people love to collect and talk about – believe me, there’s plenty there to talk about, isn’t there? And the other thing that you’ve brought in that’s of interest and that sort of relates, well it relates in many ways is the Confederation Medal which I’ve not seen one of these before. But they are well made in gold, well one was made in gold for Queen Victoria, others were made in silver and then finally the bronze versions were made and were given to politicians of the day so the Members of Parliament and the Members of the Senate. And on one side you have the figure of Britannia, representing the Mother Country and other figures representing the four Provinces at the time and then Queen Victoria’s head on the other side. And this medal is not in it’s original box but it’s in a box that’s looking after it very well. But I think in very good condition, as it is, perhaps we’d be looking at three or four or perhaps even five hundred dollars for a medal like this.

Owner: Oh, very good – thank you very much.

Confederation Jug -- $2000
Confederation Medal -- $300-$500

more Great Canadian Antique Stories

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