Answer: Your item is a stock pot from the Provincial Cooking Ware set. It was made by Red Wing in the early 1940s during the World War II years. This set included only cooking and baking dishes, no tableware. All items had bisque (unglazed) tan exteriors and rust-colored interiors and covers with "RED WING PROVINCIAL WARE" and a stock number stamped into the side. Stock pots were available in three sizes (2, 4 and 6 quart) and came with a rust-colored cover that matched the interior of the pot.

Occasionally an unused Provincial Cooking Ware item will turn up at a show or shop. These unused pieces are very attractive with their contrasting tan and rust colors. But like your stock pot, most surviving pieces were used for their intended purpose. This means grease and food came into contact with the bisque exteriors and caused stains. These stains seeped into the unglazed clay and were impossible to remove, thus most pieces found today are stained to some degree. Collectors generally have little interest in cookware sets and the dirty appearance of most Provincial Cooking Ware doesn’t help. Your stained stock pot without a cover has little value, perhaps a couple of dollars.

Larry