SPARKS, MD. — Incised from base to mouth, bidders had a lot to talk about on an Anna Pottery fair jug, which blasted off to $82,600 including the buyer’s premium at Crocker Farm’s July 21 sale. With only eight known fair jugs, the piece represents a rarity and a mastery in the Cornwall and Wallace Kirkpatrick oeuvre. The 19½-inch jug was made for the 29th Annual Fair held by the Union County Agricultural Board in Jonesboro, Ill., which took place September 16–19, 1884. The all-over incising featured advertisements, a number of categories and the officers who would judge them, the names of county officials, local businesses, decorative motifs and others. The lot sold to a phone bidder after receiving a number of in-house bids. A full review will appear in a future edition.
