The signature is encircled with an incised, wavy line. Although it was probably cut deeply into the clay by the potter, the signature was so filled in with albany slip during the glazing process that it requires a perfect angle of light in order to be read.

This keg is expertly thrown and decorated with 4 groups of raised, dark blue bands. There is a filling hole in the top and a bung hole on the front, at bottom. This is a very, very rare form in its own right; the incised signature on the bottom, however, makes this piece exceptional.

Joseph Peck was one of the five founding members of the "Atwater Stone-ware Co.," organized on February 22, 1871 with a capital stock of $50,000. The company eventually went into liquidation and production was halted until the pottery was sold. This info comes from Beer's 1885 History of Portage County, Ohio, so the Atwater Stone-ware venture was apparently short-lived.