Did You Hear the One About: The 91-Year-Old Nebraska Woman’s Rare Porch Crock

With a shotgun under his arm and a phone in his hand, a man obsessed with classic Red Wing pottery paused his pheasant hunt and bought a 30-gallon crock for $32,000.

It was Jan. 10 and at an auction in Nebraska, the man on the phone outbid everyone, including a man standing at the back of the room who continued bidding until it hit $19,000. Then all that were left were the heavy hitters calling in.

“We had three people on cell phones calling in bids, one from Iowa, one from Kansas, and I think one from either Arizona or Texas. … the guy in Kansas won out on it,” remembered Ken Bramer, the auctioneer.

“Passion. We refer to them as passionate collectors,” explained Red Wing expert Larry Peterson, who has done business with the unnamed Kansas buyer. He apparently went back to hunting pheasant after making the purchase.

“This is a unique piece. It’s 30 gallons, which makes it extremely rare,” explained Peterson. "It’s got stenciling on the side, which is not common at all.”