"Nothing To Write On" : Part 2

A little note about the jug with the numbers scratched into it, author Charles "Terry" Zug talks briefly about this pot in his study of NC folk pottery, "Turners and Burners"(on the business of pottery making in the 19th century Southeastern US)

"Because only a few men worked at each pottery--and they also engaged in farming and other occupations--the annual output of the North Carolina shops was relatively modest. Given the informal nature of such businesses, it is no easy task to estimate their efficiency or their profits. As illustrated in [the jug], the potter used anything handy to reckon his accounts, even a freshly turned jug on the wheel. Another potter from South Carolina 'jotted all his accounts on chips of wood and then burned them for fuel in his kiln.' "

Perhaps we could also speculate that this pot was made on a Friday? Hmmm.