Cross Artifacts, Jeffersonville, Ohio

Saturday we drove out to Jeffersonville, Ohio, to an auction held by Cross Artifacts. It was just a little outside of the town, at a large metal building surrounded by farms. It was very easy to find, and there was plenty of parking for the crowd that arrived. The spacious interior had lots of seating, and it was fairly easy to get through the tables to inspect the goods. There was a second ring for coins and furniture, but they were able to control the speaker systems to make it easy for everyone. We were surprised to find that the crowd of around 70 people were happy to pay retail prices for many of the items for sale, but of course as resellers we were looking for the undervalued items. We came away with a few nice Cowan pieces, a little McCoy and Van Briggle, and even a Moorcroft piece. There were several dozen pieces of vintage Weller pottery, but for a variety of reasons we did not end up with any of it. 

Weller stork umbrella stand at Cross Auctions

One neat piece of Weller pottery was a large umbrella stand with a stork on each side. Most of the professionals were in agreement that it had been extensively restored, but it still went for around $300. A very interesting piece with great eye appeal.

Various Weller pieces at Cross Auctions

The Eocean piece was unrestored with a minuscule fleabite to the lip, and the glaze had over a dozen distracting pops all of the way around it. Nonetheless, it still commanded nearly $200 which seemed a bit excessive for the condition. The Hudson piece with daffodils was well-signed and in nice shape, but the bidding got moving pretty quickly. We missed a bid on it and it went for $275 which left our competition with a bit of a bargain.  The silvertone wall pocket came in at $150, and by then most of the really nice stuff was gone.

We did not come away with a large amount of stuff, and missed a few deals, but we still feel we did well and that it was well worth the trip.

Wickliff Auctions, Carmel, Indiana

On the last day of February, 2015, Wickliff Auctions produced a good sized estate auction in Carmel, Indiana. The auction was primarily jewelry and wall art, but there was a smattering of early American art pottery from several major manufacturers. The facilities were excellent as always, the staff was very professional and friendly, and the participants were of the highest caliber. Refreshments were provided throughout the auction, and a security officer was ever-present to ensure the safety of all involved. Catalogs were provided to all participants, with excellent descriptions and each lot sequentially numbered. Two large monitors provided images of the items as the came up for bid so that everyone could clearly see the items.

Sadly, there was only a single Weller Pottery lot, consisting of two vases.

We would normally have been pleased to take these Weller vases home, but the larger vase had a an almost 2 inch by 1 inch chunk of glaze missing on the other side. The blue piece was dirty but in decent shape, so we figured to take them if the bidding remained low. Alas, it was not to be, because although the description included "some imperfections", the internet bidders could not know the extent of the damage. This lot sold to an internet bidder for $250, and with 15% buyers premium and a 7% sales tax, they ended up paying $305  for the pair, not including shipping. This should be an object lesson for anyone who thinks internet bidding is a good substitute for actually being there when purchasing pottery. We stopped bidding at $30.00, and do have great sympathy for the winner.

We did pick up some great deals on Lalique and Steuben Glass, so the day ended well for us. Overall a nice way to spend an afternoon.