Dear Jonathan,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
Lester Breininger was a renowned Pennsylvania potter known for his handmade redware pottery, which was inspired by traditional Pennsylvania German techniques. His pieces, often decorated with colorful glazes and whimsical folk art designs, are highly collectible. Breininger meticulously crafted each item, preserving 18th- and 19th-century methods, making his work a bridge between past and present. His pottery frequently featured sgraffito and slip decorations, which gave his pieces their distinctive rustic charm and historical significance.
His redware production was prolific and a quick search of one online auction platform of "Breininger Redware" comes up with more than 1200 results; narrowing that by adding the word "pitcher" and I'm getting nearly 70 results, ranging in price from $30 for a 9-1/2-inch-tall water pitcher to $1,100 to a character face pitcher; most of his pitchers are sold in groups and most of those sold individually have yellow glaze or are highly decorated with flowers; those with iron and manganese glaze (red and black) typically sell for $50 or less.

The closest comparison I see to what you have is a covered pitcher made in 1980 that sold in the summer of 2023 for nearly $50.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A vintage Lester Breininger redware pitcher
made in Robesonia, Penn., in 1982
Of circular section with characteristic red and black glaze, pinched rim, single strap handle and a body with modest impressed banding, on a slightly flared foot marked "Breininger Robesonia 1982"
7 inches tall, 8 inches width across handle
CONDITION: This pitcher appears to be in good condition
PROVENANCE: Acquired at auction
$30-50*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia