DES MOINES – Despite the rough economy, more than 350 people attended this year’s Red Wing Collectors Society (RWCS) MidWinter GetTogether, held Feb. 6-8 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in Des Moines, Ia.

As always, there were many buyers roaming the hotel’s halls, looking for good deals and rare items. Several collectors sold stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery from their rooms and many reported that they were pleased with their sales, especially considering the recession.

Although many collectors arrived early to buy and sell Red Wing, the event officially kicked off with a reception on the evening of Friday, Feb. 6. The theme of this year’s event was “Back to the 50s”, and many members dressed up in 1950s attire for a good ole’ fashioned Red Wing “Crock Hop”.

Insurance agent and RWCS member Bob Kubes of the Musty-Barnhart Agency gave the event’s keynote presentation the following morning, discussing the right ways to insure collections of pottery and stoneware. Several educational sessions followed, including presentations by longtime pottery dump diggers Steve Showers, Dennis Nygaard and Austin Fjerestad – all of whom presented some of their recent findings. RWCS Newsletter Editor Rick Natynski shared his enthusiasm for salt glaze stoneware created by the Red Wing and Minnesota Stoneware companies in the late 1800s, Mike Orgler discussed Red Wing flower pots, and experts Larry Roschen and Terry Moe held an in-depth talk on Red Wing dinnerware. In addition, members of the RWCS Foundation Board shared recent news, including talks about fundraising and the possibility of a new Red Wing Pottery Museum in the city of Red Wing’s future.

More than 20 kids attended the event with their parents, and they all had a good time participating in the KidsView educational activities.

The always popular Saturday Show & Sale was followed by an independently sponsored auction, which was once again conducted by Richard and Todd Houghton of Houghton’s Auction Services, Red Wing, Minn. – experts in selling Red Wing items throughout the Midwest.

The top item in this year’s auction was a 2 gallon water cooler with lid and spigot, which sold for $1400. A 40 gallon birchleaf crock brought $675 event though its molded handles were missing.

One of the top art pottery pieces was a small vase in the desirable Nokomis glaze, which crossed the block at $290. A dinnerware plate with test glaze numbers on the back sold for $80.

One of the more surprising leaders of the auction was a Ft. Dodge stoneware mug with blue bands and Cedar Rapids advertising that sold for $600. Other notable pieces included a mint 25 gallon wing crock, $275; a 4 gallon ribcage crock that was backstamped “Minnesota Stoneware Co.”, $250; and a nicely decorated 4 gallon “single P” crock, $220.

The MidWinter GetTogether is a precursor to the national RWCS Convention held every July since 1977 in Red Wing, Minn. This year’s Convention, July 9-11, will attract thousands of collectors to Red Wing for a week of educational meetings, auctions, buying, selling and fun for the whole family.

The Red Wing Collectors Society was founded in 1977 in Red Wing, Minn. and is devoted to educating people about all American pottery. There are more than 4,500 members worldwide. The Red Wing Potteries had diverse pottery lines that included stoneware, dinnerware and art pottery. For more information or to become a member, call the RWCS business office at 800-977-7927, e-mail membership@redwingcollectors.org or log on to www.redwingcollectors.org.