Many people have stories to tell about the Carr frog ashtrays that appear very rarely. Were they the work of employees on their own? Were they available for sale, or were they made as advertising pieces?

Some were marked, but more often they had no backstamp.

Howard L. Freeze, a longtime Grafton resident and collector, has told us that it was Andrew Burdell "Andy" Moats who carved the mold for the frog ashtrays. He died in 1951, at age 59..

The top photo of the two frogs is a 2015 addition to our family and came from Joy Bachman's estate. The one on the right has a Carr China Co. backstamp; the one on the left does not (or if it does, it can't be seen against the black.)

The frog ashtray below these, with the same decoration as the green one, came from Joyce Ann Kirkpatrick, who grew up in Grafton about a mile from the Carr plant. She had a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law who both worked there.

She was kind enough to share these photos of her mother's Carr frog, complete with spots and backstamp. He's wonderful!

This ashtray sold on ebay on Dec. 18, 2011, in a single bid for $900.