"Join or Die" Tavern Mug — Traditional redware made by hand in America

Updated July 8: Thanks for your interest in these. We have four left in black and one in yellow that is slightly imperfect and that has been reduced in price.  (See the photos.)  I don't know when I'll be able to get more of either color.  — Lee

Made by hand in America using traditional methods and materials.

Redware was the most commonly used pottery prior to the 19th century. The name comes from its high iron content and coloration.

The mugs are lead free and food-safe and can be put in the microwave.

The text and image on these was taken from an illustration in Franklin’s The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 9, 1754. It was originally a warning to the colonies, urging them to unite against the French and Native American allies, and was later used as an appeal to the states during the Revolutionary War. The rattlesnake segments are labeled, S.C., N.C., V., M., P., N.J., N.Y., and N.E.

Note: Because they are made by hand, each is a little different.

Size: 5.5" high x 3.75" diameter.  When filled to about 1/2" below the rim, it holds about 2.5 cups.

Care: Handwashing recommended.

Historical background of the image

This political cartoon (attributed to James Turner (silversmith) for Benjamin Franklin) originally appeared during the French and Indian War, but was recycled to encourage the American colonies to join the Albany Plan for Union. From The Pennsylvania gazette, May 9, 1754. Abbreviations used: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England.

The practice of grouping the colonies east of New York (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) together as "New England" has a history that goes back to the Dominion of New England, established in 1686 . . . Delaware was not listed separately because it was comprised of three counties that were part of Pennsylvania, and did not gain independence from Philadelphia until after the Declaration of Independence was asserted. Prior to formal separation from Pennsylvania, Delaware was properly referred to as the "Lower Counties on Delaware".

The Province of Georgia was not originally included by Franklin (let alone other British colonies in North America) but was later added and can be see at the tip of the tail. Georgia, the youngest of what would come to be referred to as the "Thirteen Original Colonies", had only been chartered in 1732 as a haven for those incarcerated in England's debtors prisons, and its population was sparse.

Source: Wikipedia