A 91-year-old woman hoped to sell a crock for $300, and it sold for more than 100 times that

A grandmother’s antique crock that sat quietly on a back porch for nearly three decades has turned into one of the most surprising sales a Nebraska family has ever seen.

The large clay pot belonged to Lois Jurgens, a 91-year-old woman from Holdrege, Nebraska.

For years, it rested beside the family grill. It looked ordinary. It was heavy. It was used. No one believed it could be worth much.

Then came the shock.

“You just can’t imagine that something that’s been sitting on the back porch for almost 30 years brought that kind of money,” Vicki Stepanich tells TODAY.com over the phone. “So it is just kind of shocking.”

Vicki, Lois’ daughter, said the sale felt almost unreal.

A family heirloom nearly forgotten

The antique crock was a 30-gallon Red Wing Stoneware piece. It had been in the family for generations.

Vicki believes it may have come from a farm they once lived on. It likely belonged to her grandfather or even his parents before being passed down to her.

Still, it never stood out as something special.

“I can’t remember seeing it growing up,” she said.

Over time, the crock simply faded into the background. It was not displayed inside the house.

It was not protected like a collector’s item. Instead, it sat outside, exposed to the weather, treated more like furniture than history.

For nearly 30 years, it stayed in the same spot on the back porch.

What makes a grandmother’s antique crock valuable?

Crocks were once common household tools. Long before modern refrigerators, families used them to store food.

“Back in the 1800s, a lot of people bought crocks and they put them in their cellars and it’d be like a refrigerator,” said Ken Bramer, owner of Bramer Auction and Realty, the company that later sold the piece.

He explained that families stored meat and vegetables inside and sealed them with a thick layer of lard to keep air out.

Some placed carrots and potatoes in sand inside the crock to help preserve them.

Today, many people use old crocks in different ways.

“A lot of these that people inherited through the years, they use them for planting flowers,” Lois says. “That really isn’t the best thing to do.”

The family’s crock had several rare features. It had two maker’s stamps and special handles shaped like “elephant ears.”

It also had a shiny glaze and was in very good condition. These details made the antique crock stand out among similar pieces.

The grandmother’s antique crock was once a porch table

For decades, the crock was used simply. Lois’ late husband used it as a small table while grilling.

He placed plates of meat and cooking tools on top of it. At one point, the family even stored an extra gas tank for the grill inside the crock.

Because it was large and heavy, it was difficult to move. So it stayed where it was.

When Lois decided to move into a smaller home, she knew it was time to let it go.

At first, the family considered selling it at a yard sale. They thought it might bring between $20 and $100.

Instead, Lois called Ken to ask if he would include it in an auction. He nearly declined because his schedule was full, but after speaking with her, he agreed to take it.

From $300 hope to $32,000 sale

The family did not expect much from the auction.

“We were hoping for maybe $300,” Lois said.

But once bidding began, the price quickly climbed. The rare details of this grandmother’s antique crock caught attention. Bidders continued raising their offers.

In the end, the crock sold for $32,000 to a buyer from Kansas.

The final number left Lois feeling dizzy with happiness. At 91, she had just experienced one of the biggest surprises of her life.

Colleen Williams, who shares uplifting stories through her newsletter, helped spread the word about the sale.

“It’s been a joy to play a part of this reaching so many people and I know that Lois has said it’s one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to her — and at age 91!” Colleen said.

As the story gained attention, Lois found herself with a new nickname.

“My name has been changed to Crock Lady,” she wrote. “It’s been a fun and interesting three weeks.”

A simple life, even after a big surprise

Despite the large payout, Lois has simple plans. She intends to give some of the money to her church.

She does not plan to travel far or make big purchases. She is content staying home in Nebraska.

The grandmother’s antique crock that once sat quietly beside a grill has now become part of a much larger story — one about history, family, and unexpected blessings.

For Lois, the value was never just about money. It was about discovering that something ordinary, something overlooked for years, could still hold hidden worth.

And at 91, that discovery made all the difference.

Watch the video from Colleen Williams to see the incredible auction where a grandmother’s antique crock sold for $32,000: