02/23/2026
A one-in-a million crock...twice? Nebraska auctioneer Ken Bramer never expected lightning to strike again. He’s the auctioneer behind the porch crock that nearly went in a yard sale — and ended up selling for $32,000. He thought he’d never come across another crock like that again. He was wrong.
Thirty years ago, Rick, a collector from South Dakota, purchased a 30-gallon Red Wing at an auction for $750. Since then, it's been "sitting out in an old grainery," and he hasn't really given it a second thought.
Until... he read about the Nebraska crock auction. The photo stopped him in his tracks. Rick thought that crock looked an awful lot like his.
Read about the Red Wing Crock that sold for $32,000 here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DyQf8byHJ/
But the Nebraska crock belonging to the 91-year-old grandmother was rare. Double stamped, salt-glazed, with a cobalt blue butterfly pattern you almost never see. A Red Wing expert told Cowboy State Daily he believes there are probably only four or five double-stamped butterfly crocks in existence.
What are the odds Rick had one of the rare crocks himself?
Turns out, he did.
The first thing he did was look up the Nebraska auctioneer, Ken Bramer, to see if he would be willing to auction it off. By the next day, Rick and his crock were on the road to the Cornhusker State— an 800 mile round trip.
The lifelong auctioneer still can't believe it — not just the first $32,000 sale, but the fact that two of these ultra‑rare butterfly crocks have crossed his path in a matter of weeks.
Since word got out about the rare butterfly crock, millions of people saw the story, thousands went to check their own crocks to see if they might have a hidden treasure. And for one man in South Dakota, that search paid off — he really did have the jackpot crock.
This 2nd crock is a twin to the first -- more fraternal than identical.
It's double-stamped, but the stamps are in different places. It has the same hand-painted butterfly pattern, but on a smaller scale. And while the Nebraska crock was in near perfect condition, the second one has a crack in the back.
Rick also brought along another Red Wing treasure — one he’s even more excited about than the crock. It’s a massive Red Wing bowl measuring 18 inches across, a size so unusual it doesn’t even appear in the standard collector guides. Ken plans to send that one across the auction block, too.
You can find the auction listing at Bramer Auction and Realty. The sale is set for Saturday, April 18th starting at 9:00am.
Hope to see you there.
Pictured: Sherry & Ken Bramer and their puppy dog, Abby.
