Pennsylvania Stoneware Crocks
![](https://www-tc.pbs.org/prod-media/antiques-roadshow/__sized__/Images/Columbus_19990814_02/199907A20/anro-001827-wa199907A20-hires-crop-c0-24__0-52-676x380.jpg)
GUEST:
They belonged to our grandmother and my uncle, who lived with them his whole life. When he died two years ago, my father got everything then. And we went back and broke up the household, sold the house and brought all the contents here. Found them in the basement. Found them in the basement.
APPRAISER:
Well, these, of course, are salt-glaze stoneware. Now, at the end of the 18th century, it came to be found out that redware had lead glaze and it could kill you. I mean, it was full of lead which could flake off into your dinner. And so the answer was salt-glaze stoneware. When this is being fired, it's fired very, very hot. It's fired at a temperature that would melt ordinary redware. And as soon as it got to a point where the clay would fuse, become hard, they threw in salt through the ports of the kiln-- ordinary table salt-- and it formed like a layer of glass on the outside of the pot.
GUEST:
The salt did?
APPRAISER:
Well, it combined actually...
GUEST:
With the glaze?
APPRAISER:
With the silica on the body of the pot and formed not just a coating but it penetrated in and became a part of it. Now, these particular pots were made in western Pennsylvania. Western Pennsylvania, the area where this one was made-- in particular, Greensboro-- is one of the earliest centers of stoneware production in this part of the country. They are representative of the type of ware that was made in Greensboro and neighboring... Is it Brownsville?
GUEST:
Brownsville.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, and the designs are stenciled with cobalt. And being as they're of this size, I would estimate their value to be probably around $800 to $900 apiece.
GUEST:
Wow...
APPRAISER:
You like that?
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah...
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.