Weller Eocean Claude Leffler Pot, ca. 1905
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GUEST:
I think it's a mousetrap. You put a piece of cheese in it, and the mouse gets in, and don't get out.
APPRAISER:
Well, either the mouse would have to be really large or one of the dimmer mice out there, but it could be. It's a piece of Weller pottery, and it says on the bottom, "Weller, Eocean Rose," those are all indicators of where it was made, when it made, and what it was intended to be. So, Weller Pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, would have been made around 1905 to 1910. Eocean means it's a hand-painted line, so rather than the later production ware, where the design was embossed in mold, these mice were actually painted on the surface of the pot. On the side is the signature of Claude Leffler, who was one of their best painters. Because of the chip on this piece and the little bit of damage, the value is somewhere between $500 and $750. It's not great value, but it's a really great little piece. It's a statement of a time and a place, and what Claude Leffler, the Zanesville artist, chose to paint on that day.
GUEST:
Wow. Thank you.
Appraisal Details
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