Cambridge Nearcut No. 2675 Buzz Saw 2-Ounce Green Jug ~ Cruet ~ or Cologne
Description
I purchased this novel item on eBay in November 2017. My trip to the Cambridge Museum in October left me so inspired, excited and anxious for more intriguing Cambridge pieces to add to my collection.
It was strange to see that during this particular week on eBay, there were also two others listed by someone else, selling them together plus adding a third one in that was missing its stopper and had minor damage. I emailed that person who had the three and asked how he came to have so many. He said he bought the two together at one sale and had the third for many years. In the end, I chose to buy this particular one from the first listing because it had the best color of them all.
After reading how Dick Betker paid $100 for a marigold stopper once at a Seeck Auction, I now understand he had lots of explaining to do to his wife, Sherry, as to why he spent so much on such a small thing....make that on such a TINY thing! Well, he told her he was going to find the bottle to go with it some day. Lucky for him he actually did...to her surprise. But now I know how Sherry must have felt, not comprehending the size of the stopper compared to the value. I had to laugh when I held that elusive tiny thing in my hand. So many of these tiny jugs are missing their stoppers, dashing their total value in half! The stopper is only 1 1/2" long and 5/8" wide with an octagonal shape on the sides. The top of it has an 8-point, deeply incised star and there's a deep little hole dead center of the star where it may have been put on a nail to be iridized with hints of gold iridescence.This hole also serves to allow light down into the stopper for some extra twinkle.
The bottom of the stopper had been broken off and not polished. People have been saying these little jugs were actually perfume bottles but I don't think having a sharp, broken-off stopper would have been a pleasant sensation on milady's sensitive skin. It is my opinion these little novelties, which are called jugs in the catalog, were actually little whiskey nip jugs and not for cologne or oil & vinegar at all They were made to be jugs but were repurposed into perfumes and cruets. So, what's in your lunchbox? And ladies, what's on your nightstand for those nights you can't sleep or your throat needs a nip from that pesky cold?
The bottle itself is only 3 1/2" tall and 1 3/4" wide at the base which has a broken pontil that hasn't been polished. I can just barely get my pinky finger through the handle so it was made to be picked up by pinching it tightly and not as if lifting a teacup.
The Cambridge catalog page shows this decanter listed under "NEARCUT" NOVELTIES and has two descriptions. This 2-ounce 4-inch version in this article is listed beneath the larger 4-ounce 5 1/4-inch version as follows:
No. 2669 4 ounce Jug
Packed 22 dozen in a barrel
Price, $1.70 per doz.
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No. 2675 2 ounce Jug
Packed 44 dozen in a barrel
Price, $1.30 per doz.
In this small 2-ounce 4-inch version, about three marigold examples have been reported as they were mostly made in green.
In the larger 4-ounce 5 1/4-inch version, both green and marigold were mass produced.
The Christina Katsikas Collection
