Dave the Potter

For an enslaved artist, man’s shackles could not restrain his pride and creative spirit. Picture from children’s book, “Dave the Potter,” by Laban Carrick Hill. By David McCormick Day after day, enslaved potter David Drake (ca. 1801-1874), known simply as “Dave the Potter,” could be seen bent over his potter’s wheel fashioning and forming an […]

Clowning Around with Red Wing Stoneware

Red Wing Stoneware Company, one of the largest producers of utilitarian pottery and stoneware in the United States, has been an iconic name in Minnesota’s history since 1877. That legacy is still going strong with collectors, who were eager to snap up pieces offered in a July 10 Red Wing Dinnerware, Art Pottery & Stoneware […]

Ceramics

Whenever we are asked about what to collect, we always stress that you should collect what you like and what you want to live with. Fortunately, with the incredible diversity of ceramics available, everyone should be able to find an area they will enjoy. No matter your passion, whether it is Fiesta or a prized […]

Grueby Moth Jar is Pottery Perfection

Perfection in pottery. Few pieces of pottery sell for nearly $140,000, but it’s not surprising this Grueby Moth jar did at a recent Rago auction of early 20th-century design. Produced by the American Grueby Faience Company between 1898 and 1910, the rare work is emblematic of the company’s roots in the Arts & Crafts movement. […]

Dalpayrat Vase

Q:  Can you help me identify the maker and current value of this vase?   A:  This vase was made by the French artist Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat (1844–1910). He worked as a porcelain painter at several factories before settling in Bourg-la-Reine, near Paris, in 1889. He began working in stoneware. In 1892 he went into partnership with […]

Dave Drake Stoneware Jar

A stoneware jar attributed to Dave Drake, an enslaved man who worked as a potter from the 1830s to the 1860s, sold at Brunk Auctions for $369,000. This was the highest price for an unsigned Dave jar. The jar has an inscription and is dated 12 April 1836. Later jars are signed “Dave.”    

Dish Tucked Away in a Drawer Sells for Nearly $2 Million

Who knows what you may find when rummaging through drawers? Auctioneers looking through a country house in rural southeast Scotland recognized a rare 16th-century dish tucked away in a drawer as a valuable find. Little did they know how valuable! The rare dish sold for $1.7 million, significantly above the $109,000 to $163,000 estimate. Images […]

Mocha Pottery Attracts Collectors 

If you told a peasant of 18th-century England that his common mug would sell for thousands of pounds someday, he’d probably be surprised. Earthenware pottery with designs made from colored liquid clay known as mocha or mochaware has transformed from an everyday pottery of the past to a popular sought after collectible today. A recent […]

July 2021 Prices

ADVERTISING Dispenser, Curtis Baby Ruth Chocolate Fudge, warmer, removable china insert, flip top lid, tin body, red paint, aluminum Baby Ruth tag, ladle, paper tag on bottom, No. 3, instructions, Fountain Maid, Chicago, 9 x 6 in., $230 Tin, Thurber’s Best Yeast Power, revolving cylinder for different spices, lithograph, woman in oval, red & black, […]

March 2021 Prices

ADVERTISING Menu board, Golden Ice Cream, “World’s Best Ice Cream Value!” chalkboard, tin lithograph, 24 x 16 in., $100 Thermometer, Cincinnati Sporting Good, red & black, lithographed, “For Your Riding Apparel/Driving Pants/Sports Cloths…” R.J. Becht & Son, 1981, 36 in. , $230 Poster, Apple II computer, Rainbow Apple logo, stylized black text “Apple ][, home/personal […]