Fellow HistArchers:
Not to cast a shadow on the commendable research undertaken on the
resale of ceramics, but the constant focus on conveyance rather than use
histories--the artifact's biography, if you will--overlooks important
historical information and insight.

For example, the ceramics interred in Philadelphia graves, mentioned in
an earlier posting by John McCarthy, probably were selected because of
their attachment to the deceased. It is unlikely that they were
purchased, new or as previously owned, for the use as burial furniture.
A plate used by the decedent, or by the household of which he or she was
a part, could easily have remained in use in the same household for 20
years or more. That history, to a certain extent, will be recorded in
the objects' use-wear patterns.

Other objects were broken in transit from the manufacturer to the
retailer or wholesaler. If memory serves, there are a couple of papers
that document the dumping of these broken wares around wharves.

Jim Gibb