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creamer, measures approximately 2 1/8 inches at the tallest point. Marked PH: The oldest fire buckets date to 1659 and were made by local cobblers
on the front under the spout is “D&RG” (Denver & Rio Grande) in script or shoemakers. Fire buckets were used across Europe, Great Britain, and
lettering, and on the sides are flowers and maybe branches, maybe a tree or the early United States. Antique fire buckets are constructed of leather with
shrub? Green design on white background. Heavy china akin to vitrified leather-covered rope handles, were typically owned in pairs, and held
china restaurant ware, demitasse individual creamer. No marking on the approximately two gallons of water. They have sloped sides and a round
bottom as to company maker or who this piece was made for, i.e., a (concave) bottom to make throwing the contents easier and more effective.
railroad, hotel stamp. Older piece likely late 1800s or early 1900s and has The buckets were used in water lines to combat structure fires; residents
no damage; design, lettering in great shape. I looked and can’t find it would bring their own fire buckets and form two lines extending from
anywhere online; it could be rare or hard-to-find uncommon? (Photos either a town well or a nearby resident’s well to the fire. Filled buckets of
courtesy of eBay seller mademgra.) water were passed down one line to the fire, and empty buckets were
returned via the second line back to the well to be refilled.
English examples often are painted with coats-of-arms to signify
ownership. Others can be painted with initials and names, and some,
like our subject example, are additionally painted with a fire company/
brigade number.
Fire buckets are sometimes confused with leather ammunition powder
or Cordite buckets which are straight-side cylinder in form with leather
handles, flat bottoms, and usually have exterior reinforcement bands at the
base and near the rim. Many reproductions of both types of buckets exist
and are still made for decorative purposes.
Fire buckets are regularly sold at auction; condition, decoration, and
provenance play a part in interest and value. An exceptional pair from
Boston featuring decoration of Washington’s Tomb, dated 1800, and
inscribed with the owner’s name and maker’s stamp, realized $22,000 at
Boyd Auctions in March 2022. A single bucket dated 1806 with the
owner’s name and painted with Mercury (god of speed) brought $5,000
at Devin Moisan Auctions in January 2022. Most exceptional antique
buckets (singles and pairs) sell for over $1,000, but the vast majority of
buckets sell for under $1,000.

PH: Commercial and institutional china as a collectible covers railroad,
hotel, cafeteria, ship (passenger and naval), airline, and country club cate-
gories. More common American makers include Buffalo, Syracuse, Hall,
Homer Laughlin, Iroquois, Maddox, and Shenango. I was not able to
identify the maker or pattern of this creamer. The attribution to the rail-
way is a likely possibility – if it is something else, it is obscured by time.
The Denver & Rio Grande Railway was founded and incorporated in
1870 by Gen. William J. Palmer. It was devised as a narrow-gauge railway
from Denver south to El Paso via Pueblo and then westward along the
Arkansas River through the San Luis Valley toward the Rio Grande. It
became the Rio Grande Western Railway in 1889 as part of a plan to
upgrade from narrow gauge to standard gauge. Given this information on
the railway name, the creamer dates from the 1870s-80s due to the date of
the name change.
I was able to locate later china examples from the railway in several
different patterns: Line of the World medallion in black on white, a simple
blue band and word border “Rio Grande,” a blue “Adam” swag border,
and a black-on-white prospector with donkey silhouette. The Scenic
medallion pattern has been reproduced in blue and white. The original
Scenic medallion seems to bring the highest prices. I’d venture to say this
is a rare piece from the very earliest days of the railway.

$3,366 (58 bids, 20 bidders): Antique Dated 1815 American Painted
Leather Firefighting Fire Brigade Bucket. This auction is for an antique,
painted leather fire bucket marked on the front “No. 2 J. Plumer Dennett
1815.” A quick search on the internet, we found John Plumer Dennett
(1785-1867) was a carpenter from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This 19th
century American fire bucket retains the original dark green paint with very
dark red paint along the top edge. Measuring 12 inches tall, not including
the 5-inch-tall handle, by 9-inch diameter, this fire bucket is in very good,
original condition with only minor paint loss and a strong handle. (Photos Philip Hawkins, ISA AM, AAG, is an accredited member of the International
Society of Appraisers and a founding member of the Appraisers Association of
courtesy of eBay seller wwolst12.) Georgia. He can be reached via the ISA website or at 404-320-7275.

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