The Bob & Irene Harms Rosemeade Pottery Auction

The Bob & Irene Harms
Rosemeade Pottery
Auction

October 12, 13, & 14, 2007

Moorhead AmericInn
600 – 30th Ave SW
Moorhead, MN

North Star Auction & Appraisal
Mandan, ND
701.667-2935

About Bob & Irene Harms by Irene Harms

“Unknowingly, the collection of North Dakota pottery, particularly
Rosemeade, started in 1944 as Irene’s salt and pepper shaker collection.
There were no thoughts about the origin of the pottery, such as where it
was made, when it was made, who made it, or anything else about it, just
the beauty.

Several stores close to home were selling these beautiful shakers for 98
cents and you get them on sale for 75 cents. Once in a while you could
pick them up at garage sales for 25 cents. Many of our pieces signify a
special occasion when we received them as gifts. After collecting for
several years, we decided to branch out to include all forms and shapes of
North Dakota pottery.

Irene co-authored the book entitled “Beautiful Rosemeade” c. 1986. The
112 page book served as the first major pictorial reference and price guide
for collectors to learn about Rosemeade Pottery.

Bob and Irene are charter members of the North Dakota Pottery Collectors
Society where Irene served on the Board of Directors at the origin of the
society and continues as a member today. Bob and Irene were married in
1947 and Bob passed away in 2002.

Many happy memories of people and places are involved in this collection.
I sincerely hope that each of you enjoy collecting Rosemeade as did Bob
and I. Thank you for your interest in attending our sale.”

Rosemeade Pottery

Under the direction of Laura Taylor Hughes, Rosemeade Pottery was
produced in Wahpeton, ND from 1940 to 1961. A wide range of products
were produced over that time as well as experimental and “lunch-hour”
pieces. Detailed production records were not kept so it is not known how
many different pieces were produced nor was information kept of the
various glazes or colors used. It is apparent that there are literally
hundreds of different pattern, color, and glaze combinations. Because of
this limitless variety, Rosemeade Pottery remains highly popular with
collectors today.

About the Collection

The Harms Rosemeade Collection is one of the premier collections of
Rosemeade Pottery. It features many rare, hard-to-find, and one-of-kind
pieces as well as all of the common pieces. This collection is truly
representative of all the product lines that Rosemeade produced.

Irene is a recognized authority on Rosemeade Pottery. She co-authored
the first reference book on Rosemeade entitled “Beautiful Rosemeade” in
1986. She has significant knowledge of Rosemeade Pottery and is always
willing to share that knowledge with others. Irene is well-known in the
North Dakota pottery and salt and pepper shaker collecting arena.

The auction will feature something for every level of collector from the
beginning collector to the advanced collector looking to find that rare, one-
of-kind piece.

North Dakota Pottery Collectors Society

The North Dakota Pottery Collectors Society is an organization that was
created to enhance interest in collecting pottery produced in North Dakota
such as Rosemeade, UND, WPA, Dickota, Messer, 3 Tribes, Turtle
Mountain, and Little Heart. The society has an annual meeting which is an
excellent way to meet people with similar collecting interests. They also
produce four newsletters per year.

If you are not already a member, I encourage you to join. Membership
information will be available at the auction.

Auction Information

Time and Dates: 4:00 PM, October 12th (items #1-225)
10:00 AM, October 13th (items #226-850)
11:00 AM, October 14th (items #851-1130)

Sale Location: Moorhead AmericInn, 600 – 30th Ave South, Moorhead
Minnesota (an earlier ad indicated that the auction will
be held at the Moorhead VFW; however, that has been
changed and the entire sale will be held at the Moorhead
AmericInn, we apologize for any confusion)

Rooms: A block of rooms has been reserved. Call 218-287-
7100 to reserve your room (identify yourself with the
Harms Auction or North Star Auction).

Preview: A preview will be held prior to each day’s auction for
only that days auction items. Following the
completion of that day’s auction, the auction items
for the next day will be set out and will be available
for preview both later that evening and early the
next day. Please use common courtesy when
previewing items by not lingering too long at one
location to allow everyone a chance to preview all
items. Please handle all items with care! You will
be held responsible for any damage you cause.

Payment: Please pay for your purchases at the end of that
day’s auction or when you are ready to leave the
auction for the day. Please do not wait until Sunday
afternoon to pay for all three days purchases.
Check or cash are acceptable payment methods.
Sorry credit card payments are not accepted.

Absentee Bids Absentee bids are gladly accepted. Please call
701.527.5353 prior to the sale (evenings preferably)
or email absentee bids to
[email protected]. Bidders name,
address, phone number, item number(s) to be bid
on, and maximum bid amount must be specified.
“Buy-It” bids are not accepted. Absentee bidders

will be responsible for paying any shipping and
handling costs.

Bidders Numbers: The bidder number that you are issued is
good for all three days of the auction. Please
take care of it accordingly.

Sale Order: The sale order will follow the order listed in the
auction catalog. No items will be sold out of order
and no items will be “held” until a particular person
can attend. We cannot be responsible if you
missed bidding on a specific item. A few periodic
breaks will be provided throughout each day.

Condition: The auction catalog indicates any damage or flaws
as they were reported to us. If no damage or flaws
are listed, you can assume that the item is
undamaged. However, we strongly encourage you
to rely on your own inspection and judgment
regarding damage and flaws.

All salt and pepper shakers are sets unless
otherwise specified (single) in the listing. Color can
assume to be “natural” unless otherwise specified in
the listing. All items can be assumed to be
Rosemeade unless otherwise specified. There are
a few pieces of UND, Messer, Dickota, Little Heart,
and Black Hills Pottery on the auction list. There
are also a few pieces of unknown pottery
manufacture. Any statements made at the time of
the sale will take precedence over any advertising
material.

Miscellaneous: Several hundred copies of Irene’s book “Beautiful
Rosemeade” will be auctioned off throughout the
auction. Some are listed, most are not.

Not responsible for any errors or omissions in the
catalog

Select Photos of the Auction Items

The Peacock Lamp (right side, item #650) is the only one known to exist!

All white Chicken Lamp (#425), Peacock Lamp (#650), Rooster Lamp
(#1000), Unglazed Open House Souvenir Piece (#269)

The all white Chicken Lamp is from Laura Taylor’s home.

Stag Lamp (#920), Doe Lamp (#625), UND Figurine (#325)

Various Fish Plaques Brahma Bull Shakers (#962)

Zebra Shakers (#597) Jayhawk Shakers (#899)

Eagle Shakers (#431) Geographical Center of NA Shakers (#751)

Puma Shakers (#749) Badger Shakers (#1020)

Hear, See, Speak-No-Evil Monkey Figurines (#454, 457, 463)
Pointer Dog Shakers (#1038)

Cocker Spaniel Figurines (#190, 235, 1077, 1096)
Bullhead Shakers (#290) & Catfish Shakers (#409)

Mt. Rushmore Figurines (#500 & 950)
Midwest Garden Spot Plates (#224 & 662)

Norwegian Couple (#747) Palomino Horse Lamp w/ Shade (#255)

Sweet as Honey Feeds Ashtray (#1010)
Ft. Lincoln Blockhouse Shakers (#396)

Prairie Rose Pin (#927) Flowered Heart Piece, handpainted (#707)

Pheasant Wall Plaques (#872 & 875)
ND Capitol Building Figurine (#600)

Alligator Figurine (#944) Panda Bear Figurine (#630)

Messer Hereford Bull & Cow Figurines (#413 & 793)
Teddy Roosevelt Lodge Bank (#680)