A good selection of red earthenware and stoneware sold today at Conestoga Auctions in Mannheim, Pennsylvania, although the most significant object may have been a nineteenth century red earthenware butter tub made at the John Bell Pottery in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. The base of the object was inscribed in script, "Routh Poe, Leitersburg, Md., Dec. 25, 1881."
The context of this inscription in relationship to the Bell Pottery is unknown to me, but this may have been a Christmas present, seeing that there was a "Ruth" Zeigler Poe (1880-1939) born in Leitersburg, Maryland on November 19, 1880. This is also the only Ruth or Routh living in Leitersburg in 1881; her parents were Mark (1840-1919) and Clara Virginia Poe (1846-1926); Mark was born and died in Leitersburg, while Clara was born in Baltimore and died in Leitersburg. It is unclear if Mark had any involvement with the pottery industry, but he is cited as a "farmer," a "store keeper," a "day laborer" and working "odd jobs" in the 1870-1910 United States Federal Censuses.
Furthermore, the distance between Leitersburg and Waynesboro is only five miles, and Mark Poe's occupation in 1881 was a store keeper based on the 1880 United States Federal Census. Poe also had two other children, although Ruth was the only child living in 1881; Mary Poe (1882-1962) was born in 1882 and there was an infant son who died in 1879.
Interestingly, this is obviously a family heirloom of the Poe family of Leitersburg; how this object left the family likely in the twentieth century is unknown to me, but this may have been the first time this object sold publicly, whereas a knowledgable friend of Pennsylvania redware said to me a few days ago that he had never seen a piece of John Bell pottery with this type of inscription before bearing information unrelated to members of the Bell family.
Nonetheless, the butter tub sold for $2,800 plus the buyer's premium; it was consigned to the auction house from the estate of Eugene and Vera Charles of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
For more information about the John Bell Pottery - see a three-page cover story I wrote for December 7, 2018 issue of Antiques & Auction News, titled, The Bell Pottery Collection at the Renfrew Museum in Waynesboro, Pa.: https://antiquesandauctionnews.net/articles/The-Bell-Pottery-Collection-At-The-Renfrew-Museum-In-Waynesboro%2C-Pa~/.
Note: A similar slightly larger red earthenware butter tub without the inscription that was also made at the John Bell Pottery sold last night at Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland for $300 plus the buyer's premium: https://www.crockerfarm.com/stoneware-auction/2024-11-15/lot-298/JOHN-BELL-Waynesboro-Pennsylvania-Redware-Rope-Handled-Butter-Tub/.
One other object of note from this sale was an excellent nineteenth century stoneware covered jar with incised decoration highlighted with cobalt that was thought to have been made in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which was stamped with a person's initials "H.S.;" the jar sold for $4,750 plus the buyer's premium. The jar was produced with twisted rope handles, which is also a style found with some stoneware made at the Hissong Pottery in Cassville, Pennsylvania.
Note: For the rest of the pottery in today's sale - see the auction catalog: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/347015_2024-fall-antiques-and-americana-auction/
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