GUEST:

I found it at an estate sale in Eugene, Oregon. It was up in barn. It was covered with dirt and straw. Looked like some chicken droppings were on it. It was very dirty. I had to have it. It speaks to me.

APPRAISER:

When it spoke to you, what was it saying?

GUEST:

It was saying, "I'm very unusual."

APPRAISER:

(laughs)

GUEST:

"I'm very different."

APPRAISER:

There are grotesque face jugs out there. In my experience, to a certain degree, they tend to be predictable, and in fact, some of them are attributable, and some of them are signed, and they even make grotesque face jugs today. When we turn this around, there's a whole variety of, well, characters, and this particular person looks like he had an eye injury. They've stitched his eye closed. They all have very distinctive characters or personalities. This person speaks with a forked tongue, it would seem. There's a little damage here and there. For example, this particular face looks like his tongue was stuck out at us. So we've been spared that. When we look at the base clay, it's red ware, and the potter has used an impressive array of techniques to come up with this extraordinary texture. This, in its own way, is really over the top. It's bizarre and wonderful. You even see a little bit of, like, Pablo Picasso going on here. It's a little difficult to identify precisely when this was made, but I think it's probably late 19th or early 20th century.

GUEST:

Wow.

APPRAISER:

Probably its origin, it's coast of the United States, maybe Middle Atlantic states headed southward. Estimating its value is a little difficult. I think in a retail setting, somebody might well ask in the area of between $30,000 and $50,000 for this.

GUEST:

What?!

APPRAISER:

It's... I think it's just...It's amazing, just an amazing thing.

GUEST:

No!

APPRAISER:

Well, that's my opinion. Did you say what you paid for it?

GUEST:

I thought I over... excuse me. (laughing) Excuse me, I thought I overpaid. I paid $300 for it.

APPRAISER:

Yes, it would appear in our opinion that you didn't overpay. (laughing)

GUEST:

You said $30,000 retail?

APPRAISER:

Or more-- $30,000 to $50,000 or more. I've never seen anything quite like it, ever.

GUEST:

Oh my God.

APPRAISER:

And I've been doing this for 20 years.

GUEST:

I don't know if I can walk out of here.

APPRAISER:

Well, we'll assist you if need be.

GUEST:

Wow.