A large rim sherd of a Middle Saxon Ipswich Ware (c.AD 700 - 850) storage jar, with stamped decoration around the shoulder, found by James Pullin on the Mersea Flats (approx. TM 00751 12196), to the west of the King's Hard, 14 March 2020.<1>

Paul Blinkhorn comments (7 May 2020):

'That's a really nice piece, and very unusual. Pots with the impressions of more than one die are known, but are rare, and I don't think I've ever seen one where there are two rows of one and one of the other, it's usually one row of each. Impressions in circles are very rare, this is, as far as I can remember, the only time I've seen them on a pot with more than one die.

The round grid stamps (RG) are the most common motif (73 different ones in my report), and triangular ones (TG) are fairly well known (17 examples). Usually, when there are two different dies used, it's usually a RG and a TG. Can't really make out the RG from the photo, but the TG looks like a previously unrecorded die.

I assume the sherd is from a large storage jar, stamping only occurred on those or pitchers.'