Unusual Old Brick

$24 on Ebay...

https://vatican.com/2/Other-Antique-Clay/

The price of those bricks! I have several hundred late 19th century clay bricks stored (I better not say where). Groundskeeper Willie, of The Simpsons, had his tubs of retirement grease. I too can rest easy. I have my piles of retirement bricks.

I think I might sell some while the market is hot, these things have a way of turning south at usually right about the time you need it....

I have an unusual and old hatchet.

My retirement hatchet.

It was the one G Washington used to cut down the cherry tree.

The handle has been replace several times,and the head has been replaced twice,but aside from that,it is all original.

No reasonable offers refused.Just call me at BR 549.

As a local farmer said, "I replaced the handle, and my brother replaced the head, but it's still our father's axe."

I forget the name, but there is/was a member who collected bricks. Presumably unusual and old ones. Probably doesn't help, but 'brick was included in username. However, as others mention, I'd call that a 'tile' even if fairly chunky.

https://cr4.globalspec.com/member/14213/Bricktop

???

"took down a chimney"

I take it these were ornamental on the outside of the chimney?

No, The pattern is on a single face and they were laid with the pattern up, so it was in the mortar joint. The bricks were laid in a single course around the central clay tile, so 6 bricks made each course. I suspect the pattern was unique to the manufacturer but was also able to improve the mortar bond. Nobody has suggested who made the bricks--I had hoped for that answer.

--JMM

The answer is in the first reply by SE.

Carefully read the links from SE in reply #1.

They reference Northwestern Terra Cotta Co.

"It had a large plant at the corner of Clybourn and Wrightwood now long gone"(from the link in #1).

It looks like one of their patterns.

A very similar pattern is shown in the link.

Interesting. So they were being used structurally? I've seen similar "terra cotta pavers" use alot in 1950's Florida construction, usually patios or pool decks. Very cool stuff. Thanks.

Friends,

I looked at SE's suggestion in his reply #1. The pattern is significantly different but has the same right/left mirror imaging. The reason this couldn't have come from the suggested company is that the item is a slightly oversize brick, not a piece of architectural terra cotta (which is generally less than an inch thick). These are slightly larger in all three dimensions, compared to any other brick I have handled. They are somewhat softer than the typical paving bricks I have worked with many times--many of them have started to crumble from long-term exposure to moisture or flue gases in areas where the chimney was not well-protected from the weather or from the flue gases near its bottom.

I did find what appeared to be the pattern when I looked at a website of bricks listed by state (ibcabrick.com). However the image that appears to match had a broken url, and an email to the address listed on that site has not been answered.

Suggestions?