Featured Earliest Known American Porcelain Teapot

John Bartlam teapot to be sold next month in England, it's in pretty rough shape so estimate is low considering. Bartlam was a potter in Charleston SC. I know nothing about pottery but MAD article hooked me on Earliest Known American..... Story at the link
https://www.maineantiquedigest.com/stories/john-bartlam-teapot-discovered-in-the-uk/6713

 

Wow! Charleston collectors go crazy for historical pieces. I hope it goes home!

 

Me Too! I have a feeling this little guy is headed back across the pond very soon.

 

Holy Moley ! Im keeping my eye out for this stuff now! Fascinating article,thank you for sharing.

 

Very interesting, thanks for posting this.

 

No problem, glad you found it interesting. I have no clue at all about pottery and very little interest as well but, MAD has some clever writers to lure people like me into clicking their story, was glad i did as i found out about an object that i know nothing about.
Many folks are not aware but Charleston SC was the biggest city in america in the 18th century and, it was also the richest, by far. Charleston exported more products to england/europe than the other 13 colonies COMBINED! very wealthy place once upon a time.

 

OK, Teapot sold for $837,905. The MET was the buyer, figured there would be institutional interest on this pot. Story at link
https://www.maineantiquedigest.com/stories/bartlam-teapot-brings-837905/6801

 

I can see museums all over the nation dialing for dollars their deep pocket patrons, HELP!!! PLEASE!!! Which is why it went so high, the estimate was only 20-30k, it is in pretty rough condition. But, in the end it didn't matter, a million dollar teapot

 

Incredible. The auctioneers are only a half hour drive from me, i should have popped down...

 

Yeah is, and the consignor i bet was REALLY happy as he/she bought this teapot for chump change.
"No other piece of English or American porcelain has sold for more. The consignor, a collector from southwest England, bought it in the Midlands for £15."

 

Amazing!

I second this

 

Holy Moly.
Do they have to pay an income tax on sales like we do?

 

Not to get all my-city-is-better-than-your-city on you but according to Wikipedia, Boston, Philadelphia and Manhatten all had larger population in 1790 and 1800 (they don't show earlier years). Interesting to see all had populations below 40,000.

 

The consignor was doing the happy dance all the way home. For a teapot with no lid and a glued handle... dang.

 

Sorry it didn't come back to South Carolina, but happy it will be at the MET where people can view it.

 

Hi,
The dealer must of known something. To pay £15 for a broken missing part teapot seems crazy to me.
greg

 

He probably knew it was "good", but not that good!

 

It was a collector, not a dealer that bought it.

 

I like the fact that a very sharp collector known for buying "mystery" and "problem" pieces brought this banged up teapot out of the shadows. What was the clue that started the research into this pot? The Palm tree decoration!
For anyone that's ever been to Charleston SC, that's one of the first things you notice, Palm trees! I live only 180 miles from Charleston but Palm trees won't survive here in Charlotte which frustrates the hell out of gardeners that try to plant them here.