American Toby Jug Museum 

The Postman character jug modeled by Stanley J. Taylor and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1988 limited edition of 5,000 commissioned by Lawleys By Post. The postal system is a vital system of communication that has developed over the centuries beginning with the medieval system of royal messengers who were first employed to transport government documents in the seventh century. Almost 500 years ago in England, Henry VIII appointed a master of the post, and the services came to include private correspondence as well. In line with progress, the mail has been transported by horse, stagecoach, and railway. In 1919, the first regular airmail service began to operate between London and Paris. Despite the high-tech mechanization of today's postal system, it still remains one of the most labor-intensive service industries, one that reaches the individual each day by way of the postman. A pillar post box forms the handle of this jug.