Many of the pot lids were produced simply to attract the buying public, and many firms commissioned companies such as Pratt of Fenton to produce lids and containers to advertise their wares. Crosse & Blackwell, John Gosnell, Robert Fiest, S. Banger, Blanch Flower, Hill & Ledger, and Copland & Co. were a few that knew the power of distributing their wares in these decorative containers. Even the American company of Jules Hauel, who achieved success in the Great Exhibition of 1851 at the Crystal Palace, commissioned advertising lids by Pratt depicting scenes.
Their products contained potted meats, shrimp paste, anchovy paste and various other cosmetic preparations. Many scenes give us obvious clues as to their contents, such as those depicting bears in various pose. Naturally, one would assume they contained Bear's Grease. (Bear's grease served many functions at this time-in cooking, rifle cleaning, leather/boot waterproofing when mixed with bees wax, as a skin cream, hair restorer, etc. Bear grease is still rendered and used today.)
Many pot lids were naturally discarded, and many are excavated out of early refuse sites and backyard rubbish holes. One lucky collector found over a dozen pot lids depicting bears. Interestingly, the original purchaser of this Victorian hair preparation had thrown these lids away in a septic hole, which consisted of no more than a large hole in the ground with a wooden seat over it. He obviously was very concerned with his receding hairline and throwing them away in this manner would rid the evidence of his concerns. Much to the delight of the new owner, they are a wonderful and most valuable discovery today.
Others lids are somewhat cryptic, but we can surmise that winter scenes or scenes depicting ice skating and games, may have contained cold cream. Many are not so obvious, but as many manufacturers won awards at various exhibitions, it seemed natural to have pot lids depicting the exhibition buildings where they achieved success.
During the Victorian period, it became very fashionable to mount pot lids in circular, ebonised frames, thus preserving them and sparing many from breaking (which is often seen when they are found in old refuse sites). Many of the paste jars are nearly always unearthed in early dumps, which would account for their scarcity and the reason why so many are damaged and seldom found in perfect order.
Their popularity as decorative items would also explain why so very few pot lids had additional advertising on the actual lid face itself. Many of these pot lids with advertisements are recognised as amongst the earliest examples, extremely rare and command premium prices. An advertising of Clayton's Bears Grease achieved over $8,000 in recent years. With current popularity very high, one can only assume a perfect example may reach five figures.
Polychrome ware is finally gaining the respectability it deserves, which it initially did not command as it was produced as utilitarian ware. Fortunately, its recognition as an important form of art was recorded as early as the 1920s when Howard G. Clarke first published a book on multi-coloured printed ware. Clarke initiated a clever categorization and allotted each scene with a corresponding number. The scenes are split into several categories, such as subjects with bear motifs, personal adornment subjects, portrait subjects, exhibition subjects and so on.
Since Clarke's initial recording, there have been some further studies and publications on the subject. Abe Ball's, Price Guide To Pot Lids and other Under-glaze Colour Prints on Pottery to this day stands as one of the most definitive books on the subject. Many collectors can attribute their knowledge to Abe's book, but since it is now 23 years old, many omissions and errors have been noted. Fortunately, a new book by Professor Keith Mortimer, Pot Lids and Coloured Printed Staffordshire Wares has every polychrome lid recorded, a rarity guide and a price range achievable at auction. It lists all authenticated and known varieties (borders, sizes, colours, etc.) and gives the value and rarity of these varieties.
My interest in polychrome Staffordshire pot lids was essentially fuelled by the throwaway society prevalent in today's western civilization. Our present day packaging is little more than a mass-produced, mechanically-made holder, catering to thousands of buyers, whose care appropriately extends to more than its disposal in the nearest refuse tin.
Pot lids challenge present day logic, that something made for temporary use could be so decorative and so well made. They perhaps represented a memento of a purchase, and it is no wonder that many were kept, framed and adorned the many walls of Victorian homes, as they do amongst many collections today.
Some of the more available varieties of pot lids can be purchased for under $100, which represents wonderful decorative value. My advice to new collectors, or simply those who wish to purchase some examples, is to choose those that have strong colours, and if they are common varieties, then stay away from examples that have damage or repairs. Lids with original pots can increase the value by 20% or more if the pot has a complimentary decoration like marbling, trade names or gold embellishments. Plain white bases make little difference.
Antiques have always been one of my immense sources of pleasure and fascination since I was a mere eight years old and when jobs were relatively few in the late 1970s. It was a natural progression for me to open an antique shop here in South Australia. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has similar interests in collecting pot lids. Happy collecting, John Foumakis.
LINKS:  If you have any WARE that you wish to indentify or even appraised, please click the link here to be directed to David & Helen's Prattware Pottery Site