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American
Art Pottery &
20th Century Design
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Selected
Consignments Welcome,
but No Pottery ID's orAppraisals
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Starting in the fall of 2005, Mark
returned to his profession
as a (part-time) instructor of writing and other general-education
courses (at Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland, Ohio). For information about his activities, please read the
News page.
Mark Bassett can not provide
you with any ID's or appraisals. Sorry!
He does not
have any interest in the concept of values or appraisals, nor does he
consider himself an expert in that subject. Meanwhile, with numerous
specialized books on pottery available, along with Ebay and other
on-line resources, there is no reason you cannot conduct your own
research and come up with values yourself.
Instead of trying to get a "quick fix" by emailing or
telephoning folks whose names you find on the
Net... I personally recommend...
Join the American Art Pottery
Association, and you can find LOTS of other folks who love to
speculate about makers, values, and related topics... and read the
AAPA's outstanding bimonthly journal, for which Mark serves as Book
Review Editor. The AAPA also runs a pottery discussion group, runs
photos of unidentified pots on its website, and also offers services
such as an on-line translator of foreign phrases into English.
Meanwhile ...
Mark DOES enjoy taking selected consignments
on commission from collectors, to be offered for sale at one of the
shows in which he participates as an exhibitor/dealer. In particular,
the annual July "Pottery Festival" in Zanesville and Cambridge, Ohio,
is an outstanding opportunity for selling your rarest items.
Consultations are free, and the commission is reasonable. References
available upon request. Be sure also to read about the Roseville Tourist wall pocket that
Mark sold on consignment a few years ago.

If you are planning to attend an antique show or pottery-related
event, why not bring along that pot you haven't been able to identify?
Pottery lovers enjoy testing their knowledge, and it is easy to gather
a variety of opinions that way. In no time, you will discover that the
maker of your piece can be narrowed down to just a few likely
manufacturers.
This is the ideal place to find several dozen folks who won't mind
giving you guestimates
of value and all kinds of other advice.
While at an antique show,
Mark
Bassett (like other pottery lovers) enjoys speaking with everyone about
our various collections, research activities and
other interests. In that setting, he is often invited to offer his "two
cents"
about an unmarked pot and is happy to do so.
No one should expect to conduct all
research on a pot's
maker and/or value exclusively on the Internet! (You'll
get what you paid for.)
Reference books and
first-hand
study are also essential to a fuller appreciation of our ceramic art
history.
© 2006 Mark Bassett
Updated
6/15/06
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