American Toby Jug Museum 

Marco Polo tiny character jug modeled by Stanley J. Taylor and produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 1997 limited edition of 2,500 for Lawleys By Post. Marco Polo (1254-1324) is famous for his travels in Central Asia and China. Born on the Dalmatian coast island of Korcula (Croatia), then moving to Venice, he spent twenty-four years in the Far East, traveling over 15,000 miles through China, Indochina and Malaysia, much of it in the employ of the Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan. His book, "Description of the World", written upon his return to Venice, gave Europeans their first information about China. The book most likely helped bring to Europe such inventions as the compass, papermaking and printing, and innovations such as a postal system, the mining and use of coal as fuel, and the use of paper money instead of metal coins. A globe and navigation chart of China form the handle of this jug.