Vintage Character Toby Jug Job Lot Royal Doulton Artone Wood Sons Collection
£65.00
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Vintage Character Toby Jug Job Lot Royal Doulton Artone Wood Sons Collection
£65.00
Item Overview
- Type: Vintage Staffordshire Toby & Character Jug Collection Wholesale Job Lot
- Brand: Artone England, Royal Doulton, Wood & Sons, and Burlington Ware
- Manufacturer: Staffordshire Artisan Potteries & Fine Earthenware Foundries
- MPN: Does Not Apply (Curated seventeen-piece multi-maker wholesale lot)
- Place of Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom (One piece marked Foreign)
- Style: Traditional British Character Pottery / Staffordshire Social History Collectibles
- Colour: Multi-Colour Hand-Painted Glazes, Rich Earthy Browns, Hunter Greens, and Cobalt Blues
- Design Era: Mid-to-Late 20th Century (Mainly c. 1950s–1980s)
- Material: Hand-Painted English Earthenware & Fine Underglaze Ceramic Ironstone
- Set Includes: Seventeen (17) Total Vintage Toby & Character Jugs (Comprehensive manufacturer inventory detailed below)
- Features: Intricate High-Relief Character Expressions, Custom-Sculpted Narrative Handles, and Authentic Factory Backstamps.
- Condition: Very Good Vintage Condition – Beautifully preserved collection with minor noted character marks.
- Size and Capacity: Mixed miniature and cabinet sizing parameters, ranging from approximately 1.75 inches (4.5 cm) up to 5.25 inches (13.5 cm) in total height.
Dating & Historical Context
- Dating: This expansive seventeen-piece assembly spans the post-war to late 20th-century golden era of British character pottery (c. 1950s–1980s). Several pieces feature charming, hand-written collector acquisition annotations on their bases tracking precise provenance milestones across historic UK coastal towns and heritage hubs (such as Whitby and Tintagel) between 1981 and 1988.
- Historical Note: Originating in 18th-century Staffordshire, the traditional Toby jug was named after the infamous, ale-loving literary character Toby Philpot. While early iterations focused on full figures holding froths of beer, the 20th century saw a massive surge in character jugs focusing entirely on the facial expressions of historical, mythical, and literary figures. This collection represents a superb turnkey archive of that mid-century hobbyist boom. It highlights a massive sub-collection of hand-painted miniatures by Artone (famed for their Dickensian series), alongside a prestigious Royal Doulton "D6464 The Poacher" example, a classic full-bodied standing figure by Wood & Sons, and an iconic Burlington "Tubby" model. Together, they form an instant showcase display full of British folklore and social history.
Description
An exceptionally visual, high piece-count wholesale lot for character pottery enthusiasts, booth dealers, or period pub interior stagers, this seventeen-piece collection is full of heritage charm. The assembly offers a spectacular array of expressions, costumes, and historical themes, pairing heavy vintage earthenware with fine hand-painted details. From classic Dickensian literary heroes to rustic highwaymen, sailors, and traditional top-hatted figures, every piece brings a unique personality to the display.
Complete Collection Manifest (17 Total Pieces):
- Royal Doulton (1 Piece):
- One (1) Large "The Poacher" Character Jug (D6464) – Copyright 1954 by Doulton & Co. Limited. Features a stylized fish-form handle.
- Wood & Sons (1 Piece):
- One (1) Large Standing Toby Jug (Full-Body Figure) – Marked "Made in Royal Woods, England." Features a hand-written collector's note: Exeter, July 1988.
- Burlington Ware (1 Piece):
- One (1) Miniature Character Jug depicting the "Tubby" personality – Features a clear factory script backstamp.
- Artone England (10 Pieces):
- One (1) Miniature Character Jug depicting "Mr. Pickwick" (Annotated: Whitby 1985)
- One (1) Miniature Character Jug depicting "Old Mac" (Annotated: Widecombe 1985)
- One (1) Miniature Character Jug depicting a Pirate / Long John Silver style figure (Annotated: Whitby 1987)
- Seven (7) Additional Mixed Miniature Character Jugs depicting traditional British trade, naval, and literary personalities, all carrying the official Artone underglaze backstamp.
- Tony Wood / Studio Potteries (3 Pieces):
- Three (3) Mixed Small Character Jugs displaying traditional face molds, including a distinctive tricorn hat character.
- Aged Utility Imports (1 Piece):
- One (1) Small Character Jug depicting a traditional parson or sea captain profile – Base stamped "Foreign" (Hand-annotated: Tintagel, Sept 1986).
Condition Report
This 17-piece job lot is in very good vintage condition overall, celebrating decades of careful domestic display. The vast majority of the pieces remain completely structurally sound with vibrant paintwork and crisp features. To ensure total collector transparency, the following minor points are noted under direct close inspection: the traditional full-bodied standing Toby jug shows a small, clean flake chip to the rear interior pouring rim; another miniature tricorn figure has a shallow fleabite chip to the front pouring tip of the hat rim; a small, shallow chip is present on the raw outer edge of the unglazed bottom base ring of the shamrock-crested Irish figure; and fine, age-appropriate internal under-glaze crazing is visible within the well of the closest powdered-wig character jug. All handles are firmly attached and stable, and the interiors are generally clean. Please review the detailed gallery images for close-up views of the individual maker stamps and individual patina.
Shipping & Logistics
- Domestic Shipping: FREE UK TRACKED DELIVERY.
- Packaging: Packing this high-count ceramic lot requires utmost focus. Every individual jug will be isolated and wrapped independently in thick layers of high-density bubble cushioning to eliminate any possibility of ceramic-on-ceramic contact. The grouping will be systematically nestled inside a heavy-duty, double-walled box cushioned with ample void-fill packing material to guarantee safe arrival.
- 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.