LONE JACK, Mo. – A little more than 350 lots of rare and unusual Weller Pottery and Royal Bayreuth figurals from the single-owner lifetime collection of Dale and Nancy Carter will come up for bid on Saturday, April 26th, at Dirk Soulis Auctions, in the firm’s gallery located at 529 West Lone Jack-Lee’s Summit Road in Lone Jack. The sale will get underway at 10 a.m. (CST).

Both Weller and Royal Bayreuth are wildly popular with collectors, and the Carters themselves were serious and dedicated collectors. The Weller will include several unusual and seldom-seen varieties, including trial glaze and Arts & Crafts pieces. The Royal Bayreuth will not be common – no Rose Tapestry pattern, no scenics, no novelties and no Sunbonnet Babies, just rare figurals.

A few of the more unusual Weller pieces are a Gnomes and Toadstools garden ornament, 16 ½ inches tall, hand-incised with the Weller Pottery mark (est. $3,000-$5,000); a Jewell Fish vase, 10 ½ inches tall, signed “RL” (for modeler Rudolph Lorber), hand-incised (est. $600-$800); and a Muskota bowl with butterflies, double-impressed with Weller mark as an “X” (est. $400-$500).

Additional Weller lots will feature an Etna vase with frog and snake decoration, 7 ½ inches tall, hand-incised with the Etna mark on the bottom (est. $400-$600); a Scottie Dog garden ornament, unmarked, measuring 12 inches by 10 inches (est. $800-$1,200); and a Coppertone Frog garden sprinkler, marked with the half kiln ink stamp and 8 ¼ inches by 7 ½ inches (est. $750-$1,200).

Yet more Weller will include a Brighton Dodo, one of only 12 known, with a Weller Pottery Museum Exposition sticker and the base marked “A Dodo, 1681 Ext.” (est. $600-$800); a Terrier/Cocker Spaniel garden ornament, unmarked with a matte glaze (est. $600-$800); and a unique experimental vase with hunting dogs decoration, 5 ½ inches in height (est. $800-$1,200).

Royal Bayreuth will feature a figural Kangaroo creamer, 5 inches by 5 inches and carrying a blue ink stamp #15 (est. $600-$800); a rare figural Squirrel creamer with gray glaze and with a blue ink stamp #9, measuring 4 ½ inches by 4 ¼ inches (est. $500-$700); and a figural Art Nouveau vase depicting an angelic lady, 7 ½ inches tall and showing blue ink stamp #15 (est. $200-$300).

Other Royal Bayreuth lots will include a figural Beetle creamer cut out under the eyes, marked with blue ink stamp #15 and measuring 4 inches by 4 ½ inches (est. $400-$600); a Gray Mouse milk pitcher, with no ink stamp, impressed “Registered”, 5 ½ inches tall (est. $800-$1,200); and a figural Fish Head lemonade pitcher, unmarked with a brown and green glaze (est. $300-$400).

Not every lot will be Weller or Royal Bayreuth. An example is a Roseville Luffa jardinière with matching pedestal and having a green, white and tan glaze, marked with a Roseville foil sticker on the top of the pedestal and measuring 28 ¾ inches by 14 ½ inches (est. $600-$800). Nearly everything in the auction is in very good to excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or repairs.

Weller Pottery was founded by Samuel Weller in Fultonham, Ohio, in 1872. In 1882 he moved the company to Zanesville, Ohio, where he produced flower pots, crocks, bowls and vases. In 1895 Weller purchased Lonhuda Pottery and the company grew in size and prestige, producing historic patterns such as Eocean, Etna LaSa and Sicardi – all of which are in the April 26 auction.

Royal Bayreuth has been produced in the same factory in Tettau, Germany since its founding in 1794. It remains the finest and oldest German porcelain producer, best known for its tableware for daily use (mainly beautiful dinnerware and tea and coffee sets) and a wide variety of colorful figural pieces that are highly sought after by collectors. The firm has survived wars and disasters.

For those unable to attend the auction in person, internet bidding will be facilitated by the online platforms LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. For preview times and dates, go to the Dirk Soulis Auctions website, at DirkSoulisAuctions.com.

Dirk Soulis Auctions is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To inquire about consigning a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (816) 697-3830; or, you can e-mail them at dirksoulis@gmail.com. To learn more about the April 26th Weller and Royal Bayreuth auction of the Carter collection, please log on to www.DirkSoulisAuctions.com.

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