Randy Clark, left, with Dexter City Auction Gallery, and Chris Sieverdes, right, founder of the Millersburg Glass Museum in Millersburg, Ohio, hold a rare carnival glass vase which sold for a record $250,000 at auction in November. Sieverdes purchased the vase for his museum with Clark as auctioneer. (Photo Provided)

DEXTER CITY, Ohio — A rare carnival glass vase has set a new world record at Dexter City Auction, selling for $250,000.

The unique cobalt blue vase, previously unknown to collectors, became the ninth documented piece of its kind.

It began with a phone call from just outside Gettysburg, Pa. A couple purchased the contents of a hoarder house to help clean it out. They own a secondhand store nearby and wanted to see what treasures they might find. They packed up the items they wanted to resell and discarded the rest. The selected boxes were then stored in their garage until they could sort and price them for their shop.

The vase had been perched on a shelf in the hoarder house for so many years that when it was finally moved, the woodgrain veneer beneath it remained stuck to its base. Unfamiliar with this piece of glass, the couple priced the vase at a modest $25 in their secondhand store. Shortly after, a knowledgeable customer examined the piece and suggested it might be significantly more valuable due to its age.

They recommended the couple contact Randy Clark, an auctioneer at Dexter City Auction Gallery, for a professional assessment.

Clark recalled the moment vividly: “I got the call and asked them to send pictures, which they did. When I saw the pictures, I immediately knew what they had and called them back, offering to sell it for them. A contract went out the next day and was quickly signed.

“Initially, they planned to mail the vase, but I suggested sending someone to pick it up instead. At the time, only eight of these vases were known to exist according to company records. This vase was the ninth–and remarkably, it was a rare cobalt blue with the best radiance of them all. We created an unpacking video once the vase was in our possession, and that video has since garnered over 60,000 views on Facebook,” Clark said.

On Nov. 30, with enthusiasts across the country, auction day was electric with anticipation, Clark said. He took the podium as the bidding commenced, starting at $100,000 and quickly escalating past $200,000. Four bidders were present in the auction house, with an additional collector joining by phone from Texas.

The final bidder was Chris Sieverdes, founder of the Millersburg Glass Museum in Millersburg, Ohio. Sieverdes secured the rare vase with a winning bid of $250,000, which rose to $275,000 with the buyer’s premium.

The rare carnival vase now resides on display at the Millersburg Glass Museum. Its sale price of $250,000 shattered the previous world record of $175,000, which was held by a carnival punch bowl set from Wheeling, W.Va.

For more information about the vase and the museum, visit the Facebook pages of Millersburg Glass Association or Dexter City Auction.