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 Collecting Eclectic Mystery Items
By Rosemary Lee Potter
Special to Tropical Breeze
The reason I wanted to talk with David Dorsett, teacher, is I was
intrigued with our ongoing, but fragmented
|  Collecting mystery items
is one thing. Collecting
the reference books which
identify them is another. 
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conversations for
several months about items he’s collected. First there was a
photo of a Native American rug he’d acquired and how he was
trying to find out more about it. Then there was the casual remark
that he also has a collection of Native American silver and
pottery. Then there was the mention of American art pottery and
knives. Had to talk. We arranged an after-school meeting with my
hopes high of seeing some of this stuff and hearing the tale of
Dorsett’s many adventures collecting it. I was not at all
disappointed!
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Photos for Tropical Breeze by Ron Friley
Large Hopi pottery bowl by Zella Cheeda, David Dorsett Collection. |
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| Antelope artist mark on the underside of theZella Cheeda pottery bowl. |
We sat down to chat, me dying to know what David had on the table
all wrapped up in newspapers. First things first, though. David had
no chance of avoiding becoming a collector.
From childhood, David was surrounded by artifacts and collectibles.
In West Virginia, his grandparents’ home had all kinds of
antiques from tools used to plow and an incubator to kettles for
making soap and devices to turn out sausages.
Then there was an uncle whom his family cherished, one who was
interested in taking time to talk with family youngsters. He was
the one who let the boys dig minié balls out of the
house’s logs and to choose clay marbles to own. He was the
one who made sure David’s sister got an antique pin cushion
and an old iron. David talked of trunks and quilts and beautiful
furniture the uncle had made using gorgeous chestnut planks.
When David and his wife, Clara, married they furnished their home
with antique furniture which back then could be purchased cheaply
— such as a cherry drop-leaf table. Amazing! They bought a
dresser with a mirror behind which, when it was later broken, the
Dorsetts found newspapers dating to the 1840’s.
The first item which David finally unwrapped that day was a large
pottery bowl. He’d had it around 10-12 years and had
purchased it at the Oldsmar Flea Market for $40. Its particularly
striking designs fascinated David, enough so that he began to do
research to determine its origin and perhaps even the artist who
had created the pottery. He began using various reference books
— some of which he’d purchased at flea markets and one
which was sent to him. David phoned a curator at the Museum of
Northern Arizona, who, having found a design book, one of only two
in the archives, and having detected David’s passionate
curiosity to identify the bowl and its artist, sent him one copy
free! See! Collecting zeal is infectious!
With study, David learned that this marvelous bowl is from the Hopi
tribe made in the 1930s by artist Zella Cheeda of the Sand and
Snake clan, and probably in the village of Sichomovi. The artist
was named by the mark of an antelope found on the underside of the
vessel.
Soon David unwrapped some of his other mysterious goodies for me
— one, a silver- handled fruit knife obtained at a flea
market in Arcadia. It had the name of the owner engraved on the
handle. Sure enough, David showed me a booklet entitled Silver
Folding Fruit Knives he’d used to learn more about the knife!
Then there was a blue and white porcelain vase called Parian ware,
c.1850, bisque-like in the mode of Wedgwood. Next there was some
beautiful American Art Pottery — a spongeware (may be
referred to as majolica) vase with a colorful rim.
As David revealed each item to me, he explained with gusto how and
where he’d acquired it.
Collecting mystery items is one thing. Collecting the reference
books which identify them is another. David opened various
collecting reference books he’s obtained in order to identify
his finds. He pointed to one book and to a specific photograph
which showed a spongeware vase identical to the one he’d
bought at which we were looking. Bennington Pottery and Porcelain
by Richard Carter Barret (Bonanza Books).
Clearly, David Dorsett, be they Native American rugs, pottery or
jewelry — a handsome belt buckle, one of his treasures, or
other American art antiques, is enjoying his lively hunt, his
life-long, investigative pursuit — collecting! In fact, when
I called him to check on an interview item or two, he was just
coming in from an afternoon of antiquing. This time all he’d
say was he’d found, “A few things.”
See what I mean? Collects eclectic mystery items!
© 2006 Rosemary Lee Potter. All Rights Reserved.
Rosemary Lee Potter is a confirmed victim of the collecting bug and
can be reached by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or write to her
in care of Tropical Breeze, P.O. Box 585, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.
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Tropical Breeze Photo by
Rosemary Lee Potter
A sample of David Dorsett’s collecting finds and identification sources, including a bookwith pottery marks of items from the North Arizonan plateau.
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