SPARKS, MD. – Crocker Farm continued its success with stoneware vessels of the African American enslaved potter Dave from the Edgefield District, S.C. Out of public offer for 168 years, a rare 3-gallon alkaline-glazed stoneware jug, seen left, signed “Lm/Aug. 17,1852/ Dave” led Crocker Farm’s August 21 summer stoneware auction. Selling for $96,000 with premium, the highly ovoid jug was closely followed by another Dave piece, a rare 4-gallon double-handled stoneware jug with alkaline glaze, also from 1852. It finished at $72,000, inclusive of buyer’s premium. Crocker Farm holds the record for Dave stoneware, having sold a 16-inch-high, 8-gallon stoneware jar by Dave for $216,000 to a private collector in April of this year. According to the firm’s specialist Mark Zipp, the jugs were won by the same private collector. The sale totaled $1,102,560, including buyer’s premium. Watch for a full review in an upcoming issue.
