So, I’m hoping that this is a rare Pacific Pottery plain ware bottle or water server - not sure what it’s actually called. I’ve checked the dimensions (6 inches tall, 3 inches across the base) and it seems to match the few I’ve seen online. I know these originally had lids, and there’s an indentation at the top where one used to fit.

I actually didn’t purchase this right away when I first spotted this bottle a few days ago at a local thrift. We’ve really been cutting down on our purchases, and we just can’t afford to buy every single piece of California Pottery. And that goes doubly so for items where we aren’t sure who produced it.

This bottle was unmarked on the bottom and I didn’t recognize the maker. It was immediately apparent it used to have a lid, which made it even less attractive as something I’d take a chance on. However, I had a suspicion I’d seen this before. I took some cellphone pics and left, trusting that it’d still be there when I returned.

I had a shortlist of potteries that I thought this could be from - Bauer, Pacific and Gladding McBean. After perusing the Bauer book with no luck, I went online to check on Pacific. Sure enough, I found a few similar “plain ware” bottles or water servers. I went back to the store the next day and luckily no one else had recognized it. (LOL - The other customers must have thought I was nuts - I sort of ran into the store, grabbed the bottle without even looking at it, and went to the register to pay!)

I think it’s sort of a rare item, and while I’m not an expert on Pacific, I’ve heard that the black glazed items are even less common. Sort of similar to how Bauer black ringware is harder to find I guess - and in fact, because of the black glaze I thought this might be Bauer at first.

I’m still not 100% sure that this is indeed Pacific, but I’m fairly certain it is. I’ll have to borrow the Pacific book from the library again when I have time. If anyone out there happens to have the book, I’d appreciate it you could look it up (have read that it’s on page 64) and let me know if it does look like the one shown.

We have this Pacific bottle for sale on A La Modern.