A stoneware crock that had sat for decades on a Nebraska back porch and was expected to sell for about $20 instead fetched $32,000 at auction.The item belonged to Lois Jurgens, a Nebraska resident who originally planned to sell the crock for about $20 at a garage sale. Instead, the antique piece was eventually included in an auction organised by Bramer Auction & Realty in Amherst, Nebraska.According to reports, the sale took place on January 10, which also happened to be Jurgens’ 91st birthday.
The $20 crock before the auction
For many years, the large crock remained on the back porch of Jurgens’ home, where it was used as a makeshift table. Because the piece was very heavy, it never made it into the garage sale where she had intended to sell it.Later, Jurgens noticed an announcement in the local newspaper about an upcoming auction for antiques and collectables. The auction included Red Wing crocks, which encouraged her family to submit the piece.At the time, the family expected the crock might sell for around the same price they had planned for the garage sale.
Why the Red Wing crock attracted collectors
The crock turned out to be a rare example of Red Wing Stoneware, which was historically produced in Red Wing, Minnesota.According to reports, it is a 30-gallon stoneware crock featuring several details that attracted collectors. The crock has moulded side handles, a blue butterfly decoration, and the Red Wing name stamped twice on the surface.Another feature of the piece is its salt-glazed finish, which creates a rough texture compared with smoother zinc-glazed pieces.These characteristics helped the experts to estimate that the crock was produced between 1877 and 1900, placing it in the early years of Red Wing stoneware production.Stoneware crocks were commonly used in households before modern refrigeration for preserving foods such as pickles and sauerkraut.According to Ken Bramer, owner of Bramer Auction & Realty, the combination of features made the piece particularly unusual.Bramer said he had not encountered a similar crock during 40 years as an auctioneer.
How the price rose at the auction
After Bramer posted photographs of the crock on his website and Facebook page, collectors from across the United States showed interest in the piece. When the auction began, bidding quickly rose from $1,000 to a final price of $32,000, with the crock purchased by a collector in Kansas.Jurgens said she could not remember exactly how she and her husband, who died in 2022, had originally obtained the crock.When the auction ended at $32,000, the result surprised her.The sale also took place on her birthday, making the auction outcome an unexpected event connected with the antique item that had remained on her porch for decades.