Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

I met Bill Streffon in the late 1970s through our mutual interest in American art pottery and Rookwood in particular. I occasionally advertised in the Wanted sections of the Tri-State Trader and Antique Week looking for Rookwood. Bill saw my ad and reached out to me. He did not want to sell, but, like any good collector, he wanted to share. He invited me to Detroit to see his and Joyce’s collection and when I did, I was blown away. It seems Bill and I liked many of the same artists and types of pottery. He had acquired some wonderful and rare examples, many of which we offer in our Early 20th Century Design and Keramics & Rookwood: American & European Art Pottery sales. I visited Bill and Joyce again several years later as a representative of Cincinnati Art Galleries and, because of our mutual interest and respect, Bill instructed his children to keep in touch. With Bill and Joyce’s passing, the family contacted me to help sell the collection that I found so exciting and enticing on my first visit. I am still amazed at some of the examples Bill and Joyce gathered back in the day when people collected without the aid of the internet.

Riley Humler, Specialist