She planned to sell her pot for R300. It fetched R500k at auction

A 114-LITRE stoneware pot sat in the corner of Lois Jurgens’s back patio for nearly three decades, collecting dust through Nebraska summers and snow through the winters.

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Her late husband used it as a makeshift table to rest braai tongs and platters. They almost never thought of it.On January 10, that same ceramic pot, known as a crock in the US, sold at auction for more than R500 000.

“I just couldn't believe it,” said Jurgens, who turned 91 on the day the crock was sold. “It’s the biggest thing I've ever gotten on my birthday.”

The crock was manufactured by Red Wing Stoneware, probably between 1877 and 1900. The nearly knee-high crock features moulded side handles and a cobalt blue butterfly, along with the company name stamped twice. Unlike later models finished with a smoother zinc glaze, the crock is salt glazed, giving it a coarser texture. Despite its many years outdoors, it is still in good condition.