Terracotta Sherd
Unglazed fired clay
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A soft, orange, unglazed ceramic fragment, often from flowerpots or old storage vessels.
- Typical size
- 0.5–3 in
- How often it turns up
- Common
- Collecting
- Check local rules
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Ordinary sherds are fine. Anything with cord marks, incised decoration, or shell temper may be a Native artefact — leave it and report it.
How to tell it apart
- Matte orange-red throughout
- No glaze on either face
- Chalky, slightly absorbent feel
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
Browsing beaches and the full field guide is free. A free account logs unlimited finds and gives you three photo identifications a day.
More beach pottery in the field guide
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