Help please with description/flaw on pottery crock

The outside of the crock is in pretty good condition, but the bottom of the inside has a lot of small chips. What would that be from?, and how to describe them for listing? Thanks for your time.

 

Pitting from acidic contents? Would sauerkraut or pickles do that?
The alternative is they used it as an umbrella holder. Although it's small. Maybe to hold something else pointy - knives?

 

The glaze my have crazed and then been subject to chipping from use.

BTW, in case you don't know, that is the mark for White Hall Sewer Pipe & Pottery Co. It dates to mid 1920's. I use to live in IL about and hour or so away from White Hall.

This page has more info on the history of the company, and towards the bottom the slide show shows a clear pic of your mark.

http://www.coips.org/white-hall-stoneware.html

 

Thank you Bev & msgood2shoe. Both of your suggestions make perfect sense. Much appreciated.
Thanks for the link and the date on White Hall! That sight is very interesting. I didn't finish reading it all, but will do so shortly.

 

Keep in mind, most of my comments are WAGs.

 

The outside looks well crazed with staining

Inside is 'glaze pops'. They can happen in manufacture but yours are from expanding liquid in the crazing long after it was made.

 

Hi,
Yours is the reason so many older crocks all have the Albany slip (dark brown) it is more durable and acid resistent, besides not showing the brown pitting. Making thousands of gallons of sauerkraut in 20 gal crocks only the white ones show pitting like yours. The brown ones masked the pitting better.
greg

 

Thank you Don, that helps, I was wondering if it was a bad thing.
Thanks Terry & Greg, much appreciated and very helpful info. The outside does have crazing and some light staining, and just that 1 little chip off the bottom, shown in the top pic, but compared to some others I found that seem to have many chips, hair line cracks, or repairs, etc., I thought it was in pretty good condition compared to those.....but had no idea about those little chips inside, and how much they would affect value......which is not a lot anyway.
Thanks again for everyone's help. I really appreciate you all so much.

 

Glaze popping is often due to spalling. A basic definition of which involves expansion of base materials causing the glaze to pop or flake off. This can be due to some inherent instability of the materials or from infiltration of moisture due to glaze failure (crazing). I imagine the latter is the reason for your pot's glaze popping. I think it needs to be mentioned but would not consider this to be a huge problem. Most people buying such crocks do not plan to use them as they were originally intended.

 

Thanks Brad Such wonderful help here. I always learn so much.

 

...I see a future in which I pick up every darn crock I see, and put a flashlight down inside to check for "spalling." Of course, I will do this less to ascertain the condition
of the item than to let somebody know that I actually know what "spalling" is!

(Speaking of learning!)

 

LOL silver!!!