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One of the Pegwell Bay series of lids highly prized and sought after, supported byt he high premiums this lid currently realises at auction; produced form two distinctive sets of plates differing in size and cliff detail. Note FIGS X and Y.

FIGS 1-6 show the comprehensive varieties of this lid known. Speculation on which came first will always remain just that, but some pointers help in perhaps putting them in some chronological order.

  1. FIG 3: Close inspection of the Tavern shows the sign Tatnell & Sons ; FIG 4&6 refers only to Tatnell & Son.
  2. We know Banger bought out Tatnell, so FIG 5 must be the later.
  3. FIGS X & Y show the differnt cliff formation; grouping FIGS 1,4 &6 together and FIGS 2,3 &5 together.
  4. FIG 4 has a key plate printed in blue; blue was used before outlines were highlighted in black. FIG 2 in Black and White is the only example currently known. It's cliff formation identifies it as coming from the latter set of plates; i.e., because it's the same as the lid with the S Banger sign. We can only sumise it's importance. The owner puts forward a very plausable hypothesis and until we can prove otherwise, I feel it is one we can support.

It's rarity is without question (only one example known) supporting the premise that it was a potters sample; a reworking of a new set of plates making the design larger with the minor alteration to the cliffs. In his book, Keith Mortimer claims that the earlier versions wer produced by Mayer whilst the latter versions were made by Ridgway or Brown-Westhead and Moore. If Tatnell had commissioned the lid and owned it's copyright when they reviewed it's size, they could have sought after a cheaper manufacturer.

So considered chronological order: FIG 4, FIG 1, FIG 6, FIG 2, FIG 3, FIG 5 would support this evolution.

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