ABOUT US
Who We Are
We are a family business owned and operated by Anthony, Barbara, Brandt, Luke, and Mark Zipp. We have been selling stoneware and redware since 1983, and possess an unsurpassed knowledge of the art form. Our company is the industry leader in selling antique American stoneware and redware pottery, and our auctions have transformed the marketplace, realizing numerous major world auction records and achieving over $40 million sold. We are based out of our historic gallery, the 1841 Gorsuch Barn, in Sparks, Maryland.
Click here to read a brief biography.
What We Offer
Professional, first-rate handling of your objects:
Long-standing, close relationships with major buyers ranging from specialized collectors to museums to general antiques/folk art dealers at the very top of the market.
Correct, informed attributions and painstaking descriptions, reproduced in our highly-acclaimed full-color catalog and at multiple high traffic websites on the internet.
Professional photography and presentation of your objects. We take great care and time in both photographing and digitally editing the images of your items.
Unsurpassed understanding of the American stoneware and redware market--we know how to best present your pieces and to whom they should be marketed.
Expertise that is unmatched -- we are the undisputed go-to source for assistance with period utilitarian ceramics, regularly asked to consult with the highest level of American museums.
Click here to read more about having us sell your pottery for you.
Extensive advertising campaigns:
In the major antiques trade papers (Maine Antique Digest, Antiques and the Arts Weekly, Antique Week, etc.) Click here to view an example of one of our print ads.
Through high-quality, print mailings to our extensive mailing list. Click here to view an example of one of our mailings.
Via emails delivered to our large electronic mailing list.
Through targeted social media posts and our well-known videos.
Perhaps most importantly, via our own website, the most prominent site on the subject of antique American stoneware and redware pottery in the entire world, with a very large following.
Very fair rates:
Our seller's commission is as low as 12.5%--one of the lowest you will find for the services we offer. (Click here for more information.)
Honesty and integrity:
Our belief in being completely honest in all of our business dealings and as transparent as possible in our auctions informs everything we do.
Just a couple examples of this are our painstaking condition reports (Mark's descriptions are some of the most detailed in the entire world of American antiques auctions) and the way we handle your confidential absentee bids (we have had pieces sell for tens of thousands of dollars less than someone's maximum left bid).
Please have a look at our Bio, our FAQ, and the many Articles About Us for more info ...