Information about this mark on a pottery mug was sent by the readers who owned it. They found the information in an obituary for William T. Exton. Exton was born in 1855 and died in 1915. He was a nephew of Adam Exton, owner of Exton Cracker Bakery and inventor of the oyster cracker. William T. Exton worked at the bakery as a boy, and established his own cake and cracker store in 1888. He became a jobber in general pottery wares about 1905 and continued in that business until late 1914. A jobber buys goods from wholesalers in "job lots" (small lots of miscellaneous goods), and sells them to retailers. This probably is his mark used about 1905 to 1915. Anyone know more?
5 comments:
As Trenton NJ natives, we believe the Original Trenton Cracker (OTC's) still on the grocery shelf is the current producte of the Exton Cracker company as is the "Wine Crackers" product.
Bill & Peg Andahazy, Kovel subscribers.
OTC Crackers have not been made in Trenton for several decades. See http://www.sbamerica.com/OTC/otc.htm for information about the brand and its current owners. The original cracker factory is being converted to condominiums. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/realestate/20njzo.html?fta=y
Yours, Dennis C. McGrath, member of the Board of Trustees, Ellaslie, the Trenton City Museum (See http;//www.ellarslie.org). A exhibit reviewing Trenton's history as a food center is scheduled there for this winter/spring '09.
More on Exton's Crackers and the original factory can be found here:
http://www.trentonlofts.com/default.php?building=26&name=Cracker%20Factory
I have recently received a beer stein with the slightly different mark for Wm. Exton. It says: Wm. Exton - Pottery Souvenirs - Trenton NJ. The stein is commemorating Captain Mark Casto and the crew of the "Alberta" for the rescue of 61 passengers from the stranded steamer "Cherokee" on Sunday, Jan. 11, 1906 in a raging sea off Atlantic City, NJ. The story caught national attention at the time and Capt. Casto was awarded the first Carnegie medal.
I am uploading photos of the stein and pottery mark at: http://www.castoconnections.com
Danita Smith
Casto Connections
February, 2009
Capt'n Casto the Carnegie Hero Medal number twenty which was the first gold medal awarded.
Mark J. Casto, grandson
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