Newcomb College Pottery

Newcomb College pottery is one of the most valuable American art potteries. The median across 1,480 lots sold since 2018 is $1,500, and roughly a quarter of them sold for over $3,000. Very little of it is cheap. Revere Auctions has sold a high glaze jug vase at $3,600 and a Sadie Irvine vase at $2,500. We offer free auction estimates: send photographs of the piece and the base, including any marks and letters.

What Newcomb College Pottery Is Worth

Newcomb College was the women’s college of Tulane University in New Orleans. Its pottery enterprise ran from 1895 to 1940, and the pots were decorated by named women artists rather than produced anonymously. The output was small, which is why the whole market sits high.

Based on 1,480 sold lots. All prices are hammer prices (before buyer’s premium), from U.S. auction results January 2018 through June 2026.

Newcomb is unusual in that the middle of the market is strong. 355 of 1,480 lots, roughly a quarter, sold above $3,000, and the median across everything is $1,500. The very top is far higher, and rare: the best result since 2018 was $210,000. Most owners will not have that pot, but a plain Newcomb vase is still worth considerably more than most American art pottery.

Early High Glaze Is the Top of the Market

Newcomb is best known for soft blue and green matte landscapes with moss-draped oaks, made mostly after 1910. Those are the familiar pots. The earlier work, from roughly 1895 to 1910, used a glossy high glaze and a wider palette, and it is far rarer and considerably more valuable.

If your pot is glossy rather than matte, photograph it carefully and do not assume it is a later reproduction. Early high glaze Newcomb is where the five-figure results come from.

Sadie Irvine for Newcomb College, Organic Vase, Sold $2,500 by Revere Auctions

Why Newcomb Pots Are Signed

Newcomb College was the women’s coordinate college of Tulane University. The pottery was set up in 1895 partly as a practical enterprise: to give educated Southern women a way to earn a professional income at a time when there were very few.

That is the reason the pots are signed. Decorators were treated as artists rather than as factory labour, and they marked their work accordingly. It is also why attribution drives value here more than at almost any other American pottery. When you look at a Newcomb base you are reading a named woman’s signature, not a production code.

The enterprise ran until 1940. Newcomb won medals at international expositions in the 1900s, which again lines up with the period that now brings the highest prices.

Marks and Decorators

Newcomb pieces normally carry an N within a C, plus a decorator’s mark, a shape number, and often a letter indicating the clay body and a registration number. Together these date the pot and name the artist, so photograph the entire base.

Decorators whose names carry a premium include Sadie Irvine, Anna Frances Simpson, Harriet Joor, Henrietta Bailey and Mary Sheerer. Sheerer was one of the founders of the enterprise.

Newcomb College at Revere Auctions

Revere sells Newcomb College through its Arts and Crafts and Americana auctions, catalogued by decorator and period rather than as generic art pottery, which is how this market buys.

Revere Auctions results. All prices are hammer prices (before buyer’s premium), from U.S. auction results January 2018 through June 2026.

This is a market where a single good pot is worth having looked at on its own. If you have Newcomb, send photographs before selling it as part of a general lot of pottery.

Newcomb College Pottery Appraisals

An auction estimate and a formal appraisal answer different questions.

A free auction estimate tells you what a piece would likely sell for at auction. It costs nothing and it is usually enough to decide whether to sell. Send photographs including the base and we will respond with a range.

A formal written appraisal is a signed document stating a value for a stated purpose: insurance, estate settlement and probate, or charitable donation. It is a paid service written to a different standard of value, and insurance appraisals in particular are normally higher than the auction estimate for the same piece.

Revere Auctions provides both through our appraisal and valuation services team. If you are not sure which you need, ask for the free auction estimate first.

How to Sell Newcomb College Pottery

The strongest results for Newcomb College pottery come at auction, where national and international collectors bid against each other. Revere Auctions offers free, no-obligation auction estimates: send photos and dimensions and our specialists respond with a current market valuation and a recommendation on how to sell. Consigned works are professionally photographed, cataloged, and marketed through our fine art auctions to a worldwide bidder base, and we regularly arrange shipping for consignors across the country. If you need a formal written valuation for insurance or estate purposes, our appraisal and valuation services team can help; you can also read more about how selling at auction works.

Related guides: art pottery values, Rookwood pottery, Grueby pottery, our decorative art department.

Reviewed by the fine art specialists at Revere Auctions, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Newcomb College Pottery: Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Newcomb College pottery worth?

Newcomb College is one of the most valuable American art potteries. The median across 1,480 lots sold at auction since 2018 is $1,500, and 355 of those sold for over $3,000. The record in that period is $210,000 for an important lamp.

What is the difference between matte and high glaze Newcomb?

The familiar blue and green matte landscape pots were made mostly after 1910. The earlier work, roughly 1895 to 1910, used a glossy high glaze and a wider palette. Early high glaze Newcomb is much rarer and is where the five-figure prices come from.

How do I identify Newcomb College pottery?

Look for an N within a C on the base, together with a decorator mark, a shape number, and often a clay-body letter and a registration number. Photograph the entire base, because those marks name the artist and date the pot.

Who were the Newcomb College decorators?

Newcomb pots were decorated by named women artists rather than produced anonymously. Sadie Irvine, Anna Frances Simpson, Harriet Joor, Henrietta Bailey and Mary Sheerer are among the names that carry a premium.

Where can I sell Newcomb College pottery?

Auction reaches the collectors who follow Newcomb by decorator and period. Revere Auctions provides free auction estimates: send photographs of the pot and the full base and our specialists will respond with a valuation and a recommendation on how to sell.

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