A CO Armagh man has uncovered what he believes to be a rare stoneware bottle from Belfast's Crown Bar.
The flagon, which would once have held spirits or beer, is at least 109 years old.
It was dug up in Newry just a few weeks ago and bought by Lurgan collector Fionntán McDonald.
The container is emblazoned with the words 'P Flanigan's Hotel, Great Victoria Street, Belfast'.
Crucially, it is also decorated with the rebus or crown of the reigning monarch, King Edward VII, which enables it to be dated.
Edward acceded to the throne in 1901 after the death of his mother Queen Victoria, and ruled until his death in 1910.
Mr McDonald said he has consulted widely with other collectors and the flagon is believed to be one of the few surviving pieces from the bar, which has served a host of famous names down the years and famously had its interior recreated in a studio in England for the classic 1947 film Odd Man Out.
"This particular flagon holds half a gallon. It's the equivalent of a modern day carry-out. Customers would have gone into the bar and bought one to take home," he said.
The Crown, a Grade A listed building opposite the bus and train station on Great Victoria Street, is arguably the best known bar in Belfast and is now owned by the National Trust.
According to records held by the Department for Communities, the bar was recorded on the 1852 Belfast Street Directory as the Ulster Railway Hotel and Tavern.
It was taken over by Patrick Flanigan in 1880. Described in the records as a 'Roman Catholic spirit merchant who lived at the address with his wife and their seven children', he went on to buy adjoining properties, converting the entire premises into a public house and renaming it the Crown Bar.
