I have been collecting demijohns since becoming hooked on the hobby in 1990.

There was something about the crudeness of the pottery and the scarcity of all jars which made it my main collecting area. I have been able to capture about 50 different transferred demijohns for my collection in that time.

Seeing that there has not been a great deal written about collecting these jars, I thought that an article on Australian Demijohns would be of interest to readers.

My grandfather, Mr John Owen, was the Works Manager at Fowler potteries during the 1950′s. If only he was around now, the knowledge he could help me with! Due to my Fowler history I have tried to concentrate on early ceramic handled demijohns from this potter. This style of demijohn is generally dated pre 1920. It would seem that they were discontinued when wire handles were introduced around this date. Mint condition demijohns in the ceramic handle style are very scarce, as the handles are generally broken or damaged.

Finding demijohns in the wild is very difficult. As they are large and fragile so many have been lost. They are rarely dug in tips, however I have found a few broken ones while mud treading and diving. The reason you can find them in the water is because they were used to hold drinking water on rowing boats. The only reliable source left to find these jars is from households. Over time they now turn up at auctions, estate sales and garage sales. You may even be able to pick up some jars in your local antique shop. With the specialist collecting knowledge that we have, we have a definite advantage over the antique dealer and we can pick up some rare pieces.

The general rules or rarity, condition and pictorial designs apply with demijohns and you should always aim to purchase the best condition item you can.

Price is always a factor with whatever you collect and with demijohns it is very apparent. Demijohns have already gone through a phase of large price increases just as ginger beers are doing right now. You can look at the prices quoted in the 1000 Ginger Beer book and see that prices for most demijohns have increased. Common plain demijohns have not had the same increases that a rare or pictorial demijohn has had.

From the collections I have seen, you can create a collection of the 40 most commonly found demijohns within a year or two. It’s the next few dozen that will have you draining your bank balance.

Ok so now you know a little bit about the background of collecting demijohns. We’ll now look at what styles are available and some other interesting facts.

Demijohn Styles & Varieties:

Standard demijohns come in a varity of sizes from quarter-gallon to a huge three-gallon size. Taps and handles may vary, for example ceramic handle or wire handle. Many large size demijohns are not fully glazed and were wickered up to the shoulder or sometimes to the lip. Taps are also available either a fancy spigot or just a hole for a tap.

This photo shows the three varieties of WY – WY Coy Demijohns available. WY – WY was a company based in Arncliffe – Sydney. A rare half-gallon demijohn was also used.

The “REG” registration mark different for each jar. Dated 1915-1919.

Pictured are the three different transfers available for the Freeman Bros Company, which was based in Croydon, Sydney. Dated 1920 – 1922.

The two sets of jars above I would rate as being common priced from $100-$200. Below are pictured a set of scarce Sydney company demijohns.

Martin Ruckert – Australian Demijohn Collector
0416 169 961

Demijohns were used in many different industries in Australia.

These included Aerated Water Companies, Beer / Wine / Spirit Companies and Chemical Companies

In each category you will find jars with a variety of rarity, size and appeal. I have seen some impressive collections of chemical & wine demijohns. These jars may be plain but many are super rare and often overlooked. You may also approach demijohn collecting from a potter / pottery point of view.

No pottery collection is complete without examples potter branded demijohns. Potters include R Fowler, Bakewell, Mauri Bros & Thomson, Pearson & Co – Chesterfield, Bendigo Pottery, Mashman Pottery, Hoffman to name a few.

Ink transfers and designs are not as important if you collect in this approach, so you can grab some bargains other collectors have passed over because they missed the potter stamp.

R Fowler and Bendigo Pottery are the most common Australian potteries you will encounter and Pearson & Co – Chesterfield is the most common English pottery company. The majority of branded spigot demijohns are made by Pearson & Co.

This month I am featuring some of my demijohns which have ceramic handles from the R Fowler pottery. I would almost regard these jars as being almost artistic as the potter has individually sculptured a handle and attached it firmly to each jar. As I mentioned before, these jars are rare in mint condition as the handles invariably break with use. The jars shown below are simply a selection of items available.

The great feature of these jars is the date stamp.

I am of course missing quite a few so if you have some for sale please call me to fill these spots in my collection!

Martin Ruckert – Australian Demijohn Collector
0416 169 961