One elderly woman from Nebraska just learned that even the most unassuming household items can come with jaw-dropping price tags. What sat quietly outside for decades as simple porch décor turned out to be a rare antique worth more than most people’s cars, and the internet can’t get enough of the story.
The woman at the center of this surprise windfall is 91-year-old Lois Jurgens, who lives in central Nebraska. For more than 40 years, a massive hand-painted crock rested on her porch, blending into the background of everyday life. It wasn’t locked away, insured, or treated like a collector’s item. In fact, just last summer, Jurgens considered tossing it into a garage sale with a modest $20 price tag. Thankfully for her bank account, that plan never happened, per Daily Mail.
Instead, curiosity won out. Months later, Jurgens reached out to Bramer Auction House to ask what the old pottery might actually be worth. That decision changed everything. The piece, a 30-gallon Red Wing crock dating back to the late 1800s, went up for auction on January 10 in Phelps County, drawing a crowd of roughly 300 people. As fate would have it, the auction landed on Jurgens’s birthday.
Nebraska Woman Earns Huge Sum For Giant Porch Crock
She didn’t even get to see the bidding frenzy firsthand. Jurgens missed the auction that morning due to a funeral and arrived later in the afternoon. That’s when auctioneer Ken Bramer spotted her in the crowd and called her forward. He asked her what she hoped the crock had sold for.
“Well, I hope you got $100,” she replied. The response stunned her and everyone watching. “We did just a little bit better,” Bramer said, revealing the final price: $32,000.
The moment was so overwhelming that Jurgens reportedly had to be physically supported as the news sank in. After decades of treating the crock like simple porch décor, the reality of its value nearly knocked her off her feet.
Experts say the price makes sense. According to a Red Wing specialist, the crock’s size alone puts it in an elite category. At 30 gallons, it’s considered extremely rare. Add in its stenciled design another uncommon feature and you’ve got a collector’s dream. The expert noted that there may only be “four or five” similar crocks left in the world.
“It’s 30 gallons, which makes it extremely rare. It’s got stenciling on the side, which is not common at all,” said an expert.
Originally shaped using clay from Red Wing, Minnesota, crocks like this were once everyday storage vessels for meat, dairy, vegetables, and even gasoline. Over time, most were broken, repurposed, or lost. Jurgens’s survived decades outdoors, which only adds to its unlikely story.
Once photos hit social media, interest exploded. One buyer even offered $10,000 in cash on the spot just to take it immediately. Comparable crocks have sold for five figures before, but this one soared past expectations.
In the end, this remarkable moment feels especially fitting for Nebraska, a reminder that history can hide in plain sight, and sometimes the most valuable treasures are the ones you walk past every single day.
Dylan Cook 
Kenna Raye 
