Rochester Cream Pot Rises to $44,000 in Waasdorp Stoneware Sale

CLARENCE, N.Y.

:Bruce and Vicki Waasdorp's most recent absentee American pottery auction was a success, according to the Waasdorps. There were many new participants and more than 160 winning bidders.

American folk art was still in demand at this semiannual stoneware auction. The top lot was a standing stag on a six-gallon cream pot signed "John Burger, Rochester." The winning bid of $44,000 was made by New York City dealer Leigh Keno.

Other animal decorated pieces also did well. A signed L. Lehman New York three-gallon crock with two deer reached $23,650. Another New York signed three-gallon crock with a prancing zebra sold for $8,250, even with some damage to the piece.

The Norton Bennington Factory was well represented. A three-gallon cream pot with a deer and house design sold for $13,750. A four-gallon advertising jar decorated with a lion design reached $19,800.

Great examples from the Cowden & Wilcox, Harrisburg, Penn., factory proved popular with buyers as well. Three highly detailed floral designs on three-gallon jugs sold for $8,800, $7,700 and $15,400, respectively. An oversized cream pot with a rare double bird design reached $14,300.

A number of signed Stetzenmeyer, Rochester, pieces were featured in this sale. The lifelong collection of a prominent Texas resident was competitively bid by many participants. This Rochester, N.Y., factory's elaborate floral designs are a prized addition to any collection, and prices ranged from $2,000 to $4,500.

A last-minute consignment to the sale was an extraordinary early stoneware inkwell. Impressed and blue accented "E. Sheldon Troy 1829" on the front, it was competitively bid to $16,500.

Prices reflect ten percent buyer's premium.