Bass Ale Ceramic Ashtray Wade PDM Pub Barware Vintage Great Stuff This England
£25.00
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Bass Ale Ceramic Ashtray Wade PDM Pub Barware Vintage Great Stuff This England
£25.00
Item Overview
- Type: Vintage Advertising Pub Ashtray / Tobaccoriana Barware Memorabilia
- Brand: Bass Ale
- Manufacturer: Wade PDM England (Wade Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent)
- MPN: Does Not Apply (Vintage Staffordshire Advertising Ceramic - Square Pub Line)
- Place of Origin: Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire Potteries), England, United Kingdom
- Style: Retro British Breweriana / Mid-Century Traditional Pub Decor / Kitsch Barware
- Colour: Oatmeal Cream Fleck / Speckled Granite Glaze, Bold Crimson Red Red Triangle Logo, and Jet Black Advertising Typography and Hop Vine Lithographs
- Design Era: Late 20th Century Pub Era (c. 1978–1983)
- Material: Heavy-Gauge Vitreous Kiln-Fired Earthenware Ceramic, High-Gloss Acid-Resistant Glazes
- Set Includes: Single (1) Large Square Ceramic Advertising Ashtray
- Features: Four (4) Corner Cigarette Rest Grooves, Sloped Deep Debris Basin, Underglaze Red Roundel Backstamp, Intricate Hop and Barley Transfer Artwork
- Condition: Excellent Vintage Condition (The heavy ceramic body is beautifully preserved and clean with zero structural chips, hairline cracks, or flea-bites; the high-gloss glazed surfaces are exceptionally bright with completely intact, unrubbed transfer lettering and logos; the base shows only minor natural shelf-wear on the unglazed foot rim)
- Size and Capacity: Measures a substantial 7.0 inches square (approx. 17.8 cm x 17.8 cm) along the outer top margins, standing approximately 2.0 inches deep (approx. 5.1 cm).
Dating & Historical Context
- Dating: This iconic piece of British pub history dates precisely to the late 1970s or early 1980s (c. 1978–1983). The underside of the base houses a pristine, crisp red circular underglaze factory transfer backstamp reading “Wade PDM, England” set against the signature black-speckled oatmeal ground—diagnostic signatures documenting its production by Wade’s specialized Pub Decor Merchandise division during its absolute peak production era before the mid-1980s branding consolidations.
- Historical Note: Established in Stoke-on-Trent, the Wade Potteries group became legendary cornerstones of industrial British ceramics, globally celebrated for everything from Whimsies miniatures to high-end advertising collectibles. Their specialized PDM (Pub Decor Merchandise) branch was specifically engineered to manufacture heavy-duty, commercial-grade ceramic utility wares for breweries across Great Britain. This piece bears the famous branding of Bass Ale, an absolute titan of British brewing history founded by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent in 1777. Notably, Bass’s famous Red Triangle logo holds the legendary status of being the first registered trademark in the United Kingdom under the Trade Marks Registration Act of 1875. This specific ashtray design targets the long-running, highly nostalgic marketing campaign featuring the catchy slogan "Great stuff this Bass", flanked by beautifully detailed line drawings of natural hops and malting barley vines. Produced as rugged utility pieces to withstand the high-volume environment of traditional British public houses before the smoking ban era, these large square models are highly sought after today as premium cross-over collectibles appealing to barware stagers, tobaccoriana collectors, and breweriana historians alike.
Description
An exceptionally visual, substantively weighted acquisition for collectors of authentic British breweriana, home bar stagers, or tobaccoriana curators, this large 7-inch square ceramic ashtray by Wade PDM is full of old-school pub character. Coated in a magnificent high-gloss oatmeal glaze accented with dense, granite-effect black speckling, the vessel features four neatly recessed corner rests that dip smoothly into a wide, extra-deep ash basin. The outer sloped walls are decorated with flawless, highly saturated transfer prints showcasing the famous Bass red triangle emblem, the legendary "Great stuff this Bass" advertising slogan, and traditional illustrations of trailing hop vines. Perfect for adding an immediate sense of vintage authenticity to a garden pub counter, a man-cave sideboard, or displayed as a bold pop-art piece of British commercial history, this beautifully preserved survival is a spectacular find.
Expert Identification & Design Features:
- Authentic Wade PDM Pedigree: Features the official, crisp red corporate circular backstamp on the reverse base, verifying its specialized industrial Staffordshire origin.
- The First Registered Trademark: Proudly displays the legendary, solid crimson red Bass Triangle logo, perfectly centered on opposing flanks for instant commercial recognition.
- Commercial Grade Casing: Built from an incredibly thick, heavy porcelain-grade clay block designed to resist chipping, cracking, and thermal shock from active usage.
- Oatmeal Granite Glaze: Finished in a beautiful, heavily speckled neutral overglaze that masks light dust while capturing the iconic look of late-20th-century British bar utility design.
Condition Report
This vintage commercial pub ashtray is in excellent condition, presenting a fantastic near-mint state of preservation. The earthenware ceramic structure is completely solid, whole, and entirely intact, entirely free from rim chips, base scrapes, corner bites, or hairline fractures. The overglaze is exceptionally bright, smooth, and glossy, showing no dulling or chemical staining from historic usage. The graphic transfers are immaculate, with the crisp black text, hop vine artwork, and red triangle logos remaining completely free from rubbing, fading, or edge loss. The underside is clean, showcasing a beautifully legible factory stamp with only trace natural shelf-wear on the raw seating ring. Please examine the comprehensive macro photography gallery to evaluate the glaze density and edge structures in detail.
Shipping & Logistics
- Domestic Shipping: FREE UK TRACKED DELIVERY.
- Packaging: Dense ceramics require thorough shock absorption; this square ashtray will be heavily swaddled in multi-layer bubble cushioning, braced around the corner lips, and nested securely inside a rigid outer box filled with high-density void-fill to prevent any transit movement.
- Dispatch: Order before 12.00pm and we ship same day.
Returns & Payment Policies
We want you to be delighted with your heritage find.
- Not as Described: In the unlikely event of an error in our listing, we will provide a full refund and cover the return postage costs.
- Change of Mind: We accept returns within 30 days; however, in these instances, the buyer is responsible for the return shipping costs.