Wednesday, April 28, 2010

CRACKED "UMBRELLA STAND" FOUND IN A PILE OF TRASH SELLS FOR $7,475

Steve Johnson of Circa Antiques & Historical Artifacts in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was packing and sorting things for clients to sell. They were downsizing. There were Civil War items, good glassware, furniture, charitable donations and, in a corner, a pile of boxes and trash. Steve told us he saw the top of a crock in the trash and pulled it out. The 6-gallon stoneware crock had been used as an umbrella stand for years. It had a cobalt tulip decoration, the date 1857 on the side, and the impressed name "Jacob Swank" under the handle. The potter worked in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and few artifacts survived the 1889 flood there, so marked pieces are rare. The owners told Johnson the crock had been in the family for years and they never noticed the name and date. Crocker Farm auctioned it on April 17, 2010.

3 comments:

Linda B. said...

You hear a lot about wonderful treasures that got rescued from the trash. It's really upsetting to think about those that did not. Do we have so much anymore that we can't even tell the difference between trash and something that has value?

Marlene said...

What a wonderful story? It really is good to know there are "finds" still out there. It goes to show one can not know everything.
bjtreasuresstore.com

Fine Estate Sales said...

Love a story like this, and as an Estate Liquidator, I always am on the look out for something like this.

There is not much better than being able to report back to a client, "Remember That Old Crock?" well we sold it for $7,475.00

Thanks
Martin