Like many elderly folks in the Midwest, Lois Jurgens' family used stoneware crocks for sauerkraut, holding on to one particular crock for 40 years. It sat on her porch, weathering decades of harsh Nebraska winters until earlier this month when she was planning for a yard sale. She had an idea that the heavy crock might be worth around $100 if it could be put up for auction, instead of selling it at a yard sale. That’s when she contacted Ken Bramer, whose auction house had already secured dozens of antique Red Wing crocks for an event that would draw 300 excited bidders to Buffalo County. When the 90-year-old called Ken saying she had an old crock, he was hesitant. Then he thought, “What the heck, I’ll drive out and take a look.” When he saw the huge 30-gallon Red Wing crock and looked closely at the details, he knew it would be the darling of the auction. The day of the auction turned out to be Jurgens’ 91st birthday and she was volunteering at church, so she missed the crock being sold. As soon as Ken saw Jurgens arrive, he gave her the best birthday present she could have ever received: “We got you $32,000!” Ken noticed that Jurgens’ crock was salt glazed rather than zinc glazed, which is quite rare. The tan-colored crocks were manufactured in Red Wing, Minn., beginning in 1877 until about 1900. What people on social media pointed out is that Ken had the opportunity to buy it from Jurgens for $100 and sell it himself for quite a profit, but he didn’t. “It’s proof there are good people in this world,” posted one commenter. Jurgens knows that first-hand.
