Vintage Vallee

01/13/2026

It's part of our marriage contract 😂

01/13/2026

Fun story, every collectors dream!

A 91-year-old Nebraska grandma almost put her old porch crock in a garage sale. Instead, it just sold at an auction in central Nebraska for $32,000.

The 30-gallon Red Wing Stoneware crock sat outside on her porch weathering the Nebraska elements for more than 40 years. When she saw that Bramer Auction and Realty was holding a sale featuring antique crocks, she called to ask if they could squeeze hers in.

At first, auctioneer Ken Bramer wasn't sure about a last minute addition. The ads had already been placed and the sale was just days away. But he decided, "What's one more?" and went to check it out.

When Ken saw the crock, it was covered with a hand-made lid to keep out snow and leaves. When Ken spun it around, he knew right away it was valuable.

The blue butterfly markings were rare-- but what made his jaw drop was that it was stamped twice, a once-in-a-lifetime find for a serious Red Wing collector.

Ken asked what she thought it was worth.

She said, "Maybe you can get me $100." Ken replied, "I think you're going to be surprised."

A few days later, on auction day, about 300 bidders packed the county fairgrounds. When the crock hit $19,000, it came down to three bidders on the phone-- from Texas, Kansas, and Iowa.

The now 91-year-old couldn’t be there. It was her birthday and she was volunteering at church.

Later, when she walked into the fairgrounds, Ken paused the auction to tell her the news. “We did a little better than $100,” he said. “We got you $32,000.”

Ken describes her as going weak in the knees and she was helped to the stage to take a seat -- which happened to be right next to her crock. A few moments later, this photo was taken-- an unforgettable birthday surprise for an unforgettable lady.

I asked Ken about his next auction. He said it's January 24th in Holdrege. And then, like it was just another day, another auction, he said, “We’ve got a horse-drawn buggy from Riverdale, it's really old. We've also got some great primitives and antiques… and.. more crocks.”

Much more to this story (including why this crock is so special) coming up in the next issue of The Bright Side with Colleen. Bramer Auction and Realty

01/12/2026

Exciting News! The 2026 Dates have been announced and I have added them to my Spring/Summer Schedule. The Locations will not Dissapoint and I will update as soon as I Can!
Save the Dated Bazaar Peeps!!!s

01/08/2026

01/08/2026

Who can relate ?!?

01/08/2026

The life of a thrifter!

01/05/2026

What I say when I look at all my antiques in my basement 😆
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Bz5Zogaai/?mibextid=wwXIfr

01/02/2026

12/31/2025

New friendships, letting go of old ones, Dad kicking Cancers ass, successes, failure, growth and everything in between, it's been a hell of a year ✌️ #2025