Important North Carolina Wooden Redware Pipe-Making Machine, early to mid 19th century

Spring 2022 Stoneware Auction

Lot #: 207

Price Realized: $1,560.00

($1,300 hammer, plus 20% buyer's premium)

PLEASE NOTE: This result is 2 years old, and the American ceramics market frequently changes. Additionally, small nuances of color, condition, shape, etc. can mean huge differences in price. If you're interested in having us sell a similar item for you, please contact us here.

Spring 2022 Auction Catalog

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Exceedingly Rare and Important Wooden Redware Pipe Press, NC origin, early to mid 19th century, with mortise-and-tenon and square-head-nail construction, featuring a two-piece wooden mold for producing tobacco pipes in the form of a man's head with tall head covering, possibly a Native American in headdress. The press includes two sliding wooden rods with lathe-turned embellishments, designed to hollow a piece of clay within the mold, forming the interior of the bowl and stem of the pipe. Few examples of 19th century American pottery machinery have survived, particularly from this period. Family history connects this object to nearby Lexington, North Carolina, roughly twenty-five miles from Salem. The anthropomorphic pipes produced from this mold are closely-related in style to those from the Moravian tradition of Salem and Bethabara and may have been made within this school of potters. Provenance: Previously descended in the family of David Everhart (d. 1893) of Davidson County, NC. Excellent, working condition. L 18" ; W 12 1/2" ; H 19".