Terry Ferrell and his son, Steve Ferrell, collected mostly pre-civil war pottery since the 1960s. Their collection was auctioned this past week by Wooten and Wooten in Camden, South Carolina. The Thomas Chandler water cooler was estimated to bring $60,000 to $90,000. These utilitarian crocks sold for between 10 to 12 cents a gallon in their day.
The Ferrells saw the importance of the Edgefield Potteries in South Carolina before other's thought to collect the unique pottery. The Ferrells felt the pottery combined English, African, and Asian techniques and glazes to create pottery unique to the United States. One of the Edgefield's most famous potters was a slave who sometimes signed his pots "Dave" and sometimes scratched poems in the side. Several of Dave's pieces were auctioned in the Ferrell sale.
Above is a face jug from the mid-1800s. Unfortunately I read the paper the day after the auction; I would like to have been there. Not that I could afford any pieces but seeing the pieces in person and experiencing the excitement of the auction would have been fun. Got to run am having he phone and internet service installed to day. More later. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
