Edwin & Mary Scheier Bowls, ca. 1955
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GUEST:
I collect a local pottery, and I came across a lady who was selling these, looking for the other pottery.
APPRAISER:
And what did she tell you about these?
GUEST:
She got them from her godparents, and that the potters are from New Hampshire. They bought them in the '50s, when he was going to MIT. That's pretty much what I know about them.
APPRAISER:
And do you remember what you paid for them?
GUEST:
I paid $600 for each bowl. That's more than I had ever spent on a piece of pottery before in my life, so... But these were pretty special. I liked the way they looked, I liked the designs on them. They kind of reminded me of some of the abstract artists on canvas.
APPRAISER:
These were made by Edwin and Mary Scheier. The Scheiers ended up spending quite a bit of time in New Hampshire. They ended up then moving away from New Hampshire, and they went to Oaxaca, Mexico, and they were there for about ten years, and they were influenced by the cultures that they saw there as well. And then they moved to Arizona. Together, they were a really great team. And they worked in many different media, but this is what they're known for. Now, these are pretty special for many reasons. They're quite early. They started potting in the late '30s, but they weren't doing things like this until probably the late '40s or early '50s. And they're more collectible. This one I like particularly.
GUEST:
That's my favorite, too.
APPRAISER:
Because, as you said, there's definitely something of the abstract artists on it, like Picasso or like Paul Klee. It also has a beautiful ring to it. When you grab it... (ring) See? You can tell that the pot is in beautiful condition when it sounds like that, like a bell.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The other piece here is more figural. They ended up doing a lot more of this type of work. His style was a lot about fertility, so it feels very early, primitive, and this was all happening even before they went to Mexico. This particular pot is not in as good a condition as the first one, and you can tell... (dull ring) ...when you're ringing this one. So this is definitely damaged. The two of them are signed "Scheier" underneath here. As far as prices go, I think you did well with your investment of $600, however difficult it may have been at the time. Something like this with the crack would easily be, at auction, $2,500 to $3,500 and more.
GUEST:
Wow, wow.
APPRAISER:
This one is in beautiful condition. It's the type of decoration that is even more valuable, more interesting, and this, at auction, would bring $5,000 and easily more.
GUEST:
Wow. That's really good. I'm surprised. Wow, that's really good.
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