Trash to Treasure - The Story of a McCoy Pink & Blue Stoneware Bowl

Trash to Treasure - The Story of a McCoy Pink & Blue Stoneware Bowl

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," or so the cliche goes.  But is that true?  Can something that is totally worthless to one person actually have value for someone else?

The answer to this question came to me quite unexpectedly.  I was in my late teens or early twenties at the time.  I had begun to acquire quite a bit of knowledge of pottery and glass collectibles and antiques.  My mother and I had been selling on Ebay for a few years, and we had discovered that some antique & collectible items just would not sell on Ebay so we began exploring additional markets for some of our finds.

One day I learned that an antique mall had been opened in Monteagle, Tennessee.  After talking with the owner, Mama and I decided to rent a booth.  We stocked the booth with a variety of items hoping that someone would find some pieces they just couldn't pass on.  Soon, I found myself going by the antique mall and hanging out with the owner.  I shared my knowledge of pottery and glass while she educated me about jewelry.

One morning she called to tell me that a man from Germany had come by to see if she was interested in buying some items.  His mother who lived in Sewanee, TN, on the campus of the University of the South had passed away.  She had left behind some antiques and collectibles that her son was either unable or unwilling to take back to Germany.

Mama and I were so excited.  We hurried to the antique mall, met up with the owner, and made our way to Sewanee.  Many of the items for sale were out of our budget, and we purchased very little that day.  In fact, I can't recall a single item we bought.  However, there was on treasure we did bring home with us.  At the back of the house was a large trash can.  Broken bottles, antique dishes and pieces of pottery filled the can.  Unashamedly, I dug through the contents.  A few layers down I dug out a 1920s Nelson McCoy Pottery pink and blue band mixing bowl.  It was the 5" diameter size...the rarest size you can find in this pattern.  Although the bowl was cracked, to Mama and me it was a great find to add to our collection.  This man, whose mother had left the bowl behind when she passed away, had seen the bowl as a cracked, worthless piece of trash.  To us, however, it was a treasure to bring home and display proudly above the kitchen cabinets.  So, there it sits in its place of honor --- a treasure rescued from someone's trash amid other treasures all with a story to tell if only an audience of busy passersby will listen.

"One man's trash TRULY is another man's treasure."