Question:
I just "won" this pitcher on ebay. I have a Rumrill pitcher and know the stamp mine has. This pitcher looks authentic but I realized the stamp looked off after I had won the auction. Rumrill is spelled "Rummrill"! Can you help me? I am sending a picture of the base, but I will send the picture of the pitcher in a separate email as I don’t think both are downloading. Thanks! laura

Answer: The markings on the bottom of this pitcher were impressed into the clay in the molding process. In other words, the numbers and letters are in the bottom of the mold. I have two 547 pitchers with the same "RUMM RILL" misspelling, and have no doubt they are authentic Red Wing pitchers. This pitcher was popular and in production for quite some time, thus numerous molds were made over the years. The person who made this particular mold was either misinformed or a bit careless in his work. In any event pitchers with the misspelling turn up quite regularly. Some collectors may seek out a variant like this, but they seem to have about the same value as those with the correct spelling of "RumRill".

Larry