Earlam flaring umbrella stand, $5,750.

Two-handled vase embossed with freesia, $4,600.

Roseville Pottery Grosses $700,000 in New Jersey

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – The pottery collection of David L. Auclair, assembled over 30 years, was offered on May 5 and 6 at David Rago Auctions.

The two-day sale which generated interest from collectors and dealers alike, was also the largest and highest-grossing Roseville sale held anywhere to date, according to the gallery. Over 1,200 lots included individual pieces, small groupings and box lots, with more than 1,100 absentee bids left by over 100 bidders, in competition with close to 200 people in-house, 91 bidders on-line through real-bidder.com and 20 phone bidders across the country. With only a handful of buy-ins, at 99.9 percent sold, the sale brought $700,000.

The success of the auction was a tribute to David Auclair, who was founding member and the first president of the Wisconsin Pottery Association and an active member of the Ceramic Arts Studio Collectors Association and of Pottery Lovers as well as a pilgrim to Zanesville, Ohio every July. He is sorely missed by his many friends and fellow collectors.

There are many highlights to the auction. A large blue Wisteria bulbous vase brought $2,530 and a rare Earlham flaring umbrella stand came to $5,750. An experimental two-handled vase embossed with freesia and incised flowers on the reverse had glaze codes marked on the bottom. It sold for $4,600.

Another highlight was a large green Falline ovoid vessel. It brought $4,025. A tall two-handled Futura vase with a squat base found a buyer for $4,312, while an experimental blue Magnolia bulbous urn came to $4,025.

A Ladyslipper hand-carved experimental vase with three sets of trial numbers for glaze was sold for $4,600, and a Jonquil strawberry planter with an attached underplate brought $3,105.

All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.