Pot Lid/Base:   'VERITABLE GRAISSE D'OURS, DU NORD'

Description:  A very appealing pictorial pot lid (text translated from French as 'Genuine Bears Grease from the North') featuring a dark single bear in its natural habitat in exceptional detail with mountains and pine trees in the background. The matching base also featuring various scenes (also in exquisite detail) of several bruins in their natural surroundings (one climbing a tree, another growling, one lying down and a standing bear on a leash being 'trained' by a man in a top hat with a stick and whip). Multi-lined border (with a tiny bit of print-miss on part of it) and traces of original gold band outside the border. Far better all round print than usually seen on these overglaze lids

Invaluable help and extra information has been provided to these pot lid listings by the authors of the fabulous book: 'Historical Guide to Advertising Pot Lids' by Houghton, Layden & Taylor - The update of which is now available at just £20 a copy (plus £3.49 UK P&P  ask re overseas) - Contact (Jim): jimlayden1@gmail.com

Era:  c1860-80's

Dimensions:  Lid: 65mm diameter / Base & lid: 59mm tall  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  LID:  Mint   Superb undamaged mint condition / BASE: Very good/Excellent  Just has two pretty insignificant hairline bruises on the very top of the rim (one of which has a very small (3-4mm) flake next to it) which are completely hidden when lid on top) and is otherwise mint 

Grade:  9.9 (Lid) / 9.0 (Base) Estimate:  £150-200+     Reserve:  N/R

Pot Lid:    'KRANOL'

Description:  An eye-catching large lid featuring a girl with very long hair (presumably after using this product). Classic design and always popular with collectors. Great quality print (with just the odd tiny very minor transfer rub). Scarce to find without any damage.

Most likely a Cheshire business, possibly even the city of Chester itself as many of the damaged ones found in the '80's came from around here. Design reg date is 1896

Era:    c1896-1900's

Diameter:    91mm  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):   Mint   Superb undamaged mint condition (nb any small darker areas on the side wall/rim in the phgoto are just where the glaze is slightly thinner and totally in manufacture)

Grade:  9.8       Estimate:   £150-200      Reserve:   N/R

Pot Lid:   'WORSLEY'

Description:  A scarce and large (4") American pictorial pot lid showing the fabulous 'Independence Hall' in Philadelphia. Excellent quality print (far better than photos would suggest) with pedestians and dog in the foreground together with various couples walking in front of building. Dark single line border. 

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1880-90's

Diameter:    102mm

Condition (please see detailed photo's):    Fair/Good   Just has a medium (1cm x 2cm approx.) chunk/chip off the back rim side (and another slightly smaller) that have both been repaired to a very high standard indeed (barely noticeable) and is otherwise excellent with just some fine glaze crazing (mainly on the back) and no repairs to the face at all

Pot Lid:   'W. WOODS, WORCESTER'

Description:  An extremely rare early 'Hunting Paste' lid from this Worcestershire city featuring a very detailed picture of a hunt on horseback. Excellent quality print. One of just a handful of recorded examples without major damage 

William Woods, 27 High Street, Worcester (c1850-75)

Era:  c1850-1875

Diameter:    82mm

Condition (please see detailed photo's):   Very good   Just has an old small (5mm x 6mm) shallow chip on the back rim edge (not seen at all on display) and is otherwise excellent 

Grade:  8.5       Estimate:   £250-300      Reserve:   N/R

Pot Lid/Base:   'MONPELAS, PARFUMEUR, PARIS' / 'VERITABLE MOELLE DE BOEUF'

Description:  Another very appealing French B&W pictorial pot lid (text translated from French as 'Real Beef Bone Marrow') featuring in great detail a standing steer/bull in a field (with trees/bushes behind), but this time feauring the retailer's name/perfumery address in Paris. Double line black border with original gold band intact. What looks to be the matching base also featuring various scenes (also in excquisite detail) of several bulls; two of which are locking horns, a couple of contented (smiling!) bulls wading in a stream and a couple of others at ease. Superbly detailed print (unsual for overglaze lids). A rare variant with exceptional print quality and superb condition 

Era:  c1860-80's

Dimensions:  Lid: 65mm diameter / Base & lid: 56mm tall  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  LID:  Excellent   Superb condition with just a tiny (2mm) wafer thin glaze flake on the back rim edge (barely noticeable) and is otherwise mint /  BASE (despite being a slightly loose fitting looks to be the original): Mint  Superb undamaged mint condition

Grade:  9.2 (lid) / 9.8 (base)  Estimate:   £120-150     Reserve:    N/R

Pot Lid:   'LORIMER & CO, LONDON & NEW YORK'

Description:  A fabulously large (4") version of this popular lid with a bunch of cherries design in the foreground and Lorimer's arm and globe trade mark below. Exceptional print for one of these (with just the odd tiny smudge). Far more detailed and rarer than the smaller examples

Era:  c1880-1890's

Diameter:   102mm  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):   Good   Has a medium (3cm) stable hairline on the face at around 11 o'clock (mostly hidden by the print and around 5cm on the very back) with a smaller 1cm one at around 4 o'clock on the face and again doing little to detract and is otherwise very good with just a small (4mm x 9mm) shallow flake on the very back of the rim and two tiny (1-2mm) insignificant fleabites on the back rim edge that are hardly worth mentioning 

Grade:  7.9        Estimate:   £60-80        Reserve:  N/R

Pot Lid:   'NICELY SCENTED, RUSSIAN BEARS GREASE'

Description:  An exceptionally rare small (2.5") early bears grease lid featuring a dark standing bear carrying a sash. This being the 'Nicely Scented' version. Single beaded border. Decent print. Always very popular due to the sheer size of the rat-like bear. Another rare opportunity!

This previously unrecorded variant has now been recorded/photographed for the update of the pot lid book

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1850-70's

Diameter:  64mm 

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  Fair/Good   Has an old small (4mm x 14mm) dark chip on the very back of the rim (which is 99% hidden from back view and not seen at all on display), a small (2mm x 8mm) similarly dark old chip on the underside of the outer rim (only just visible at 11 o'clock on the face edge) and a similar but smaller (2mm x 8mm) flake also on the underside of the outer rim (and like the others doing little if anything to detract on display) and is otherwise excellent with just the of faint area of glaze crazing (mainly on the back and sides)   

Grade:  7.8       Estimate:  £150-200       Reserve:   N/R

Pot Lid:      'GENUINE RUSSIAN BEARS GREASE'

Description:  A scarce small (2.25") version of this familiar 'two bruins' bears grease lid with usual standing bear with another behind. Fancy border with white surround. Rarely seen in this small size and white border

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1870-80's

Diameter:   56mm 

Condition (please see detailed photos):   Good   Just has a small/medium area of repair you can only just make out on the face edge (somewhere between 4 and 6 o'clock, but difficult to tell well due to the sheer quality of repair) and is otherwise excellent

Grade:  6.9       Estimate:   £60-80         Reserve:   N/R

Cap Lid:   'C.H. HASSALL, MANCHESTER'

Description:  A small (2") and scarce button lid from this chemist near Bolton which has a fabulous and well detailed picture of a bearded man in the centre. Exquisite quality print. 

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1890-1900's

Diameter:  50mm 

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  Fair/Good  Has had a small section of the back/side broken away and re-glued to a decent standard and is otherwise fine with just the odd few hairlines/glaze-lines on the side wall but nothing to detract when on display

Grade:   6.9        Estimate:  £40-60         Reserve:  N/R

Pot Lid:   'LORIMER & CO, LONDON & NEW YORK'

Description:  Another fabulously large (4") version of a Lorimer's lid, this time featuring the mosque and palm trees design with Lorimer's familiar arm and globe trade mark below. Once again, exceptional print for one of these. Far more detailed and rarer than the smaller examples. Rarely seen in such great condition

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1880-1890's

Diameter:   102mm  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):   Excellent   Superb overall condition with just a minor glaze scrape across the 'H' & 'P' of the words 'TOOTH PASTE' and the odd tiny spot of surface superficial rust showing it hasn't been dipped/cleaned in any way 

Grade:  9.2       Estimate:   £200-300       Reserve:  N/R

Pot Lid:   'W. CLARKSON, LONDON'

Description:  A very rare offering of a 'Lillie Cream' complexion cream pot lid featuring the world renowned Lillie Langtry. Great quality print. Double line border. Interestingly mentions Mr Clarkson being a 'theatrical wig maker'. Rarely seen for sale. 

Lillie Langtry, was born on the island of Jersey and upon marrying she moved to London in 1876. Her looks and personality attracted international interest and she was celebrated as a young woman of great beauty and charm and famed for her rapid rise to stardom and immensely successful theatrical career. Plus also that of being King Edward VII's former mistress and a close friend of Oscar Wilde.

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1890-1900's

Diameter:   71mm

Condition (please see detailed photo's):   Good  Just has a small (6mm x 8mm) shallow flake on the inside back rim (so not seen at all on display), a barely visible (1-2mm) insignificant fleabite on the inside of the back rim edge and is otherwise very good with just some grey crazing/stain in places (mainly on the back rim/side that could have been caused by being near heat)  

Grade:   7.9     Estimate:   £400-600+      Reserve:  N/R

Pot Lid:    'WRIGHT'S'

Description:  This medium (3.5") lid really is a work of art with great use of contrasting dark and light shading to accentuate the effect. The image so evocative of the Victorian era with a man shaving with a cut-throat razor and gazing into the mirror (even the shaving pot on the table having the 'WRIGHT'S name on it). Excellent print quality. Appealing type face around the border. Not often seen in such great original condition and rarer in this slightly smaller size (See lot #14 for Ede, London variant of this lid)

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  1870-80's  

Diameter:  90mm  

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  Very Good  Just has a tiny (2-3mm) insignificant fleabite flake on the back rim edge (with a faint curved hairline bruise around it that is more of a glaze-line as it doesn't go all the way through), a very minor small (4mm x 6mm) wafer thin flake on the back rim (hardly noticeable) and is otherwise very good indeed with just an insignificant patch of brown crazing/stain on the underside and the odd tiny glaze-rub on the rim edge (nb a small lighter patch on the side wall is where the glaze is thinner in parts and not a repair as it may look) 

Pot Lid:   'WORSLEY, PHILADEPHIA'

Description:  A scarce and large American pictorial pot lid showing the fabulous building on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Superb quality print with pedestians in the foreground together with a gent on horseback. Single line border (see lot #3 for other Worsley variant). A superb example with great print  

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1880-90's

Diameter:    89mm

Condition (please see detailed photo's):    Excellent   Great all round condition with just a tiny (2mm) fleabite flake on the very back rim (with a very subtle hairline bruise on the underside of the outer rim next to it) and a totally insignificant pinprick fleabite on the inside of the back rim, none of which do anything to detract on display and is otherwise mint

Pot Lid:    'R.B. EDE, LONDON'

Description:  Another outstanding shaving cream pot lid, this time from this well documented perfumer in London. Same imagery as lot #12 with great use of contrasting dark and light shading to accentuate the effect. The picture so evocative of the Victorian era with a man shaving with a cut-throat razor and gazing into the mirror. Comes with what is assumed to be the original base (either way it's a very good fit). Exquisite print quality (better than photos would suggest). Appealing type face around border. Rarely seen in mint condition and with such great print. You'll struggle toi find a better all round example! (See lot #12 for American 'Wright' variant of this lid) 

Pot Lid:   'ST PAUL'S'

Description:  An attractive tooth paste pot lid featuring a fabulous picture of the iconic St Paul's Cathedral in London. This being the Cherry T/P variant. Double line border. Excellent quality print

Provenance:  From the superb Lindsay Evans collection (one of the very best worldwide pot lid collections of which we have been asked to disperse over several sales) 

Era:  c1880-1890's

Diameter:   67mm 

Condition (please see detailed photo's):  Fair/Good   Just has two medium (8mm) chips on the back rim edge that have been repaired to a very high quality indeed (so much so that they are nigh on impossible to spot without a strong magnifying glass) and is otherwise excellent 

Grade:  7.0         Estimate:   £30-50        Reserve:  N/R