From: Gary Tefft / locustent@aol.com
Location: Menomonee FAlls, WI
Date: 15 Jul 1999
Time: 01:20:14
Well Jim, all of those answers and many more can be found in Red Wing Potters & Their Wares (see the Reference page of this site for ordering information)
The "5" on your jug is a fancy script style, but was not freehand-drawn, but applied by rubber stamp, as was the wing and "oval". In the case of your piece, the "oval" is actually a circle. The round trademarks were originated on Red Wing's stoneware art pottery. Someone just got careless about which stamp they used one day. The wings on the earliest pieces are the largest. The uranium used to get the color was pretty expensive stuff, so the wings got smaller as a cost cutting measure. The "ski" oval is the first one used after the 1906 merger and company name change to Red Wing Union Stoneware Company. It has a stylish slash with a curl at the end that is reminiscent of the curved-up tip of a ski. The unglazed spots probably don't help the appearance of the jug and they don't help the value either.
-Gary-