W. Adams & Sons Pitcher/Bowl Question

[Antiquequestions]

Hello

So we recently just purchased a W. Adams and Sons pitcher and matching bowl set. They are both in the Columbia pattern. On the bottom of the pitcher is simply the stamp with Columbia and W. adams and sons. On the bottom of the bowl however there is the same stamp, but off to the left there is a number 7 all by itself. I was researching on the internet but could not find what the numbers meant, I only found a matching bowl with a 13 on it. Would this be a type of serial or set number before the system set up in 1842?

Thank you

[mart]

That is usually the decorators number,, or a size / style number !! Those are the most common reasons for the number !! Can we see the bowl set ??

[Antiquequestions]

Sure I have attached a couple pictures of the bowl set, I was thinking it was a style number until I saw an exact identical with a 13, and the pitcher is about 13 inches tall and the bowl itself is around the same from largest to largest side

[Antiquequestions]

More pictures

[mart]

Can`t see the edges well but this appears to be transferware so your number 7 is likely a decorators number !! When these were made the artwork you see was applied with transfers that were fired on !! The mfrs may have a number of decorators that put them on the bare pottery !! They were paid by piecework and each had an assigned number !! They put their number on each one to make sure they were paid accordingly.  Most used a number system,,ocassionally a pottery let them use an initial but numbers were the most common !!  I have see some that marked the size like that so when sending them to the retailer the correct size bowl was sent with the pitcher !!  Each pottery usually had its own little system !!