South Dakota collector's $750 crock had a rare twin that sold for $32,000

Image: Colleen Williams/Ken Bramer More than 30 years ago, a South Dakota collector who goes only by Rick paid $750 for a 30-gallon Red Wing stoneware crock at an auction, storing it in an old granary on his farm, where it sat largely forgotten for decades. It wasn't until he saw photos of a nearly identical crock selling for $32,000 in January that he realised what he had. Here's how a routine farm auction find turned into a rare twin to one of the most talked-about crocks in the antiques world.The South Dakota collector's $750 crock discoveryRick's crock, double-stamped, salt-glazed, and decorated with the same hand-painted cobalt butterfly pattern found on the famous $32,000 piece, had spent decades in storage on his farm after his original $750 purchase. When he recognised the resemblance from news photos, he called Nebraska auctioneer Ken Bramer directly. "A guy from up by Watertown, South Dakota, called me and said, 'I got the fourth crock,'" Bramer told Cowboy State Daily. "He said, 'That one you sold down there for such big money? I got the twin sister to it.'" By the next morning, Rick had driven 400 miles overnight to reach Bramer's driveway by 8am.How the $32,000 sale to...