The leeches were sold to a pharmacist or physician, who kept them in large jars. To stop the little blighters from escaping, cloth was tied over the top and, to facilitate that, the rims of the jars were turned out to form a pronounced lip. In order to allow a physician to take just a few leeches out on his calls, rather than carry the whole stock around, smaller versions of the pots were made. Blood-letting became so popular that many ordinary people bought these small jars of leeches and kept them at home, rather like we keep a box of paracetamol handy today
Most leech pots were produced at the end of the day, hand-blown in glass factories, using left-over glass. Because there was no need for them to look ornamental and pretty, the quality control was somewhat lax; the pots are often lop-sided and there are often air-bubbles and other imperfections in the glass. They would come in a variety of colours and shades but always in a reasonably consistent, portable, size
Prominent pucella marks
Rough, broken pontil to base
Base and surface wear commensurate with age
There are a few tiny pieces of white stone embedded into the glass
Excellent condition. No chips, cracks or restoration. Please examine photos carefully as these are part of the condition description
Height: 6.4cm
Weight: 91g
NOTE: The line of white dots you can see on some photos is the reflection of the LED strips we use for lighting. They are not marks on the glass :)