I found a pottery shard while beachcombing on the Windward side of the island of Oahu. The piece was found on the shoreline but near a stream mouth. I am simply curious and wish to identify and date it if possible.
The shard is about 3” x 1.5”, and about 0.25” thick. Its curved surface leads me to believe it is a vessel and not a plate. It has part of a circular impressed design. The design is an animal (lion?) in profile standing on his back legs, wearing a crown. Around the animal are the letters “E L T E”. Unfortunately the shard is cracked and any more letters in this word are lost.
Anyone have an idea? Many thanks! 🙂
I did research online and have more info about my shard. Thought I’d post just in case someone wants to know more about German salt-glazed mineral water bottles.
My shard is from Selters, Germany (partially spelled on my shard: “E-L-T-E”). Selters is a location and brand of natural mineral water with a very long history. My shard with standing lion seal design is dated to 1830-1866! I was pleasantly surprised!
Source of information:
German mineral water seal design catalog (many designs are dated): http://www.mineralwasserkruege.homepage.t-online.de
[Click on “Brunnenmarken A-Z”, then scroll down and select “Niederselters – Originale”. My shard with the standing lion design is “Niederselters7”. ]
Selters on wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selters
