University of North Dakota School of Mines pottery occupies a unique position in American art pottery history. Produced at a public university using locally sourced North Dakota clay, these pieces represent the intersection of academic ceramics education, regional identity, and early twentieth-century American design. From the first experimental pieces exhibited at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair through the program’s formal end in 1963, UND pottery reflects nearly sixty years of artistic development driven by a small, dedicated group of artists and educators.
Today, UND pottery is collected for its regional significance, distinctive matte glazes, strong artist attribution system, and authentic connection to the Arts & Crafts movement. Because pieces are individually signed by the artist who made them, attribution is more precise than for most American art pottery, a fact that directly affects collecting strategy and market value.
This guide covers the full history of the program, every major artist with their marks and production dates, how to identify and date pieces using the documented numbering system, what drives value in today’s market, and how to approach buying and selling with confidence.
UND Pottery: Recent Sold Prices at Crafted Auctions
All prices are hammer prices from Crafted Auctions sales. Buyer’s premium applies. Results reflect competitive online bidding by registered collectors nationwide.
To understand what drives these results, and what separates a modest student piece from a significant Cable original, start with the story behind the pottery.
History: From Clay Surveys to National Recognition
The School of Mines and Earle Babcock
The University of North Dakota School of Mines was established in 1890 as part of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Its original focus was the study and development of North Dakota’s natural resources, minerals, clays, and building materials, with practical commercial application in mind.
In 1889, Earle J. Babcock was hired as a chemistry instructor. Babcock was the first person to recognize the artistic and commercial potential of North Dakota’s clay deposits. Through systematic field surveys, he identified high-quality clay deposits with unusual purity, material suitable not just for industrial use but for genuine art pottery production.
Babcock’s approach to demonstrating this potential was creative and entrepreneurial. Rather than building a pottery program immediately, he sent North Dakota clay samples to established pottery firms and asked them to produce pieces using his clay, marking them to document their North Dakota origin. He placed orders with several companies including Roseville Pottery, Owens Pottery, Meyer Pottery, the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis, and Ferock Studio of Zanesville, Ohio.
The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair
The first major public demonstration of North Dakota clay’s potential came at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the St. Louis World’s Fair. Babcock displayed the pieces produced by outside pottery firms using North Dakota clay, many of them marked “ND” to document their regional origin.
A rare Owens Utopian vase marked “ND” from this exhibition survives in the University collection today. Also in the collection is a tray made by Marcia Bisbee, marked “Bisbee 1904”, widely considered the earliest known piece of art pottery produced at the University of North Dakota. The same year, regional art potteries were emerging elsewhere in the country, including Ouachita Pottery in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which drew on local clay resources in much the same way.
The 1909 National Corn Exposition
Babcock used the 1909 National Corn Exposition in Omaha, Nebraska as a second major exhibition opportunity. For this event he commissioned pottery from the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis and Ferock Studio of Zanesville, both marked “ND.” The positive reception at both expositions validated the regional clay and helped build the case for a formal ceramics program at the university.
Formal Ceramics Instruction Begins: 1909
In 1909, Babcock formally added ceramic courses to UND’s academic offerings, taught within the Chemistry department by Babcock and Marcia Bisbee. This marks the true beginning of the ceramics program as an educational enterprise rather than an exhibition project. UND was not alone in combining ceramics with education during this period; Paul Revere Pottery in Boston was founded on a similar educational mission just a few years earlier.
Margaret Cable Joins: 1910
The hiring of Margaret Kelly Cable in 1910 to lead the newly formalized ceramics department transformed the program. Cable brought professional training, genuine artistic skill, and decades of dedication that elevated UND pottery from a regional curiosity to a nationally recognized body of work.
Under Cable’s direction, the program grew substantially. The cobalt blue circular seal mark, featuring the words “University of North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D. / Made at School of Mines N.D. Clay”, was introduced in 1913 and became the standard mark on virtually every piece produced through 1963.
Production Periods
- 1904–1912: Pre-seal period. Pieces marked simply “UND” or unmarked. Earliest and rarest production.
- 1913–1949: Cable era. The cobalt blue seal appears on all pieces alongside individual artist marks. The most artistically significant and most actively collected period.
- 1949–1963: Post-Cable period. Margaret Pachl leads the department after Cable’s retirement. Production for public sale decreases substantially. Julia Mattson retires in 1963, ending use of the cobalt blue seal.
- Post-1963: Only student or instructor names appear. The blue seal is retired. Production continues as academic ceramics but no longer as art pottery for the collector market.
The Artists: A Complete Guide
Understanding who made what and when is the foundation of UND pottery collecting and valuation. Because nearly every piece carries both the pottery’s seal and the individual artist’s mark, attribution is more precise than in most American art pottery categories.
1. Margaret Kelly Cable (Active at UND 1910–1949)
Margaret Cable is the central figure in UND pottery history and the most sought-after artist in the collection. She studied at the Handicraft Guild in Minneapolis and in East Liverpool, Ohio, a major American pottery center, before being hired at UND in 1910. After joining the university, she continued developing her skills under two of the most influential ceramics educators in American history: Frederick H. Rhead and Charles F. Binns.
Cable led the ceramics department for nearly four decades, instructing thousands of students, exhibiting nationally, and establishing UND pottery as a recognized category within American decorative arts. She exhibited at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915 and at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933–34. In 1937 she spent six months at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota teaching pottery making, a collaboration that produced a distinct and now separately collected body of work.
Cable retired in 1949 and subsequently moved to California, where she died in 1960.
Artist marks used by Margaret Cable: M. Cable | MKC | MC | Maggie | Maggie Mud
Pieces marked with Cable’s initials or name represent the benchmark of quality and value in UND pottery collecting.
2. Hildegarde Fried (Active at UND 1918–1924)
Hildegarde Fried was the first teaching staff member added to the ceramics department beyond Cable herself. She graduated from UND in 1913 and was hired as an instructor in 1918. She worked in the department until 1924.
Artist marks used by Hildegarde Fried: Freid | HF
3. Flora Cable Huckfield (Active at UND 1924–1949)
Flora Huckfield was Margaret Cable’s sister. She joined the UND pottery staff in 1924 and, though University records do not list her as faculty after 1930, she remained active at the university helping her sister until they both retired in 1949. Her contribution to the program over more than two decades makes her one of its most significant long-term figures.
Artist marks used by Flora Cable Huckfield: Huckie | Huck | Huck in a circle | FCH | H | H in a circle
4. Julia Edna Mattson (Active at UND 1924–1963)
Julia Mattson joined the ceramics department faculty in 1924, the same year she graduated from UND. She spent the next thirty-nine years teaching in the department, the longest tenure of any UND ceramics faculty member. She was meticulous and deeply devoted to the production of UND art pottery, continuing to work until her retirement in 1963.
Mattson’s retirement marked a significant milestone: when she left, the University discontinued the cobalt blue seal that had appeared on UND pottery since 1913. Her nearly four-decade career makes her one of the most important and most frequently encountered artists in the UND collection.
Artist marks used by Julia Mattson: JM | JEM | Mattson
5. Frieda L. Hammers (Active at UND 1926–1939)
Frieda Hammers was a student in the UND ceramics department before joining the faculty. She received her Master’s degree in 1925 and began teaching in 1926. She was known for meticulous work in testing UND art pottery glazes and clays, her systematic approach to glaze development contributed to the technical quality of the program’s output. She retired due to health issues in 1939 and later died in California in 1977.
Artist marks used by Frieda Hammers: FLH | FH (reversed F) | Hammers
6. Margaret Pachl (Active at UND 1949–1970)
After Cable’s retirement in 1949, Margaret Pachl became assistant professor of UND ceramics. Before UND, she had worked at the Kalamazoo Institute of Fine Arts. She continued to produce and teach pottery at UND until 1970, working beyond the program’s active art pottery period. After leaving UND, she maintained a studio in Eureka Springs, Arkansas until her death in 1982.
Notable Students
Two UND-trained students went on to significant careers in North Dakota pottery:
Charles Grantier — went on to design pottery for the Dickinson Clay Products Company, extending the UND tradition into commercial production.
Laura Taylor — became a significant figure in North Dakota pottery in her own right.
Pine Ridge Pottery: A Distinct Subcategory
In 1937, Margaret Cable spent six months at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota teaching pottery making and training teachers for what became Pine Ridge Pottery. Pieces created during this collaboration feature Sioux-inspired decorative elements and were typically finished and fired at the university.
These pieces are typically marked “Pine Ridge, Sioux Indian” and represent a unique fusion of academic ceramics and Indigenous design traditions. Pine Ridge pieces occupy a distinct collecting subcategory, they are sought by both UND pottery collectors and collectors of Native American arts and crafts, which broadens their potential buyer audience and can affect pricing accordingly.
Condition and the strength of the Sioux-inspired decoration are the primary value drivers within this subcategory. Well-executed examples with clear marks and strong decorative elements attract genuine collector interest from both communities.
Marks and Identification: A Complete Guide
The Cobalt Blue Circular Seal (1913–1963)
The primary identifying mark on UND pottery is the cobalt blue circular stamp bearing the words:
“University of North Dakota / Grand Forks, N.D. / Made at School of Mines / N.D. Clay”
This seal appears on virtually every piece produced between 1913 and 1963. Its presence immediately identifies a piece as genuine UND production from the program’s main period. The retirement of this seal in 1963 when Julia Mattson retired provides a precise end date for marked production.
Pre-1913 Marks
Pieces produced before the cobalt blue seal was introduced in 1913 carry simpler marks:
- “UND” incised or stamped earliest production, pre-seal period
- Artist name rather than initials some of the very earliest pieces
Pre-1913 pieces are the rarest in the UND collection and carry a premium accordingly.
Artist Marks
Alongside the pottery seal, individual artist marks identify who made each piece. These marks appear as incised signatures, initials, or ciphers on the base.
| Artist | Active Period | Known Marks |
| Margaret Cable | 1910–1949 | M. Cable, MKC, MC, Maggie, Maggie Mud |
| Hildegarde Fried | 1918–1924 | Freid, HF |
| Flora Cable Huckfield | 1924–1949 | Huckie, Huck, Huck in circle, FCH, H, H in circle |
| Julia Mattson | 1924–1963 | JM, JEM, Mattson |
| Frieda Hammers | 1926–1939 | FLH, FH (reversed F), Hammers |
| Margaret Pachl | 1949–1970 | [Pachl marks] |
Identification Numbers and Dating
One of the most useful and underappreciated tools for dating UND pottery is the identification number system documented by Donald Miller in University of North Dakota Pottery: The Cable Years. Pieces produced between 1918 and 1939 carry identification numbers that, combined with the artist mark, allow precise dating to a specific year.
Flora Cable Huckfield, Dating by Identification Number
| Year | Design Number Range |
| 1924 | 450 to 520 |
| 1925 | 521 to 574 |
| 1926 | 575 to 703 |
| 1927 | 704 to 729 and 1 to 457 |
| 1928 | 458 to 549 |
| 1929 | 550 to 914 |
| 1930 | 915 to 1099 and 2000 to 2285 |
| 1931 | 1100 to 1613 and 2286 to 2297 |
| 1932 | 1614 to 1999 and 2298 to 2406 |
| 1933 | 2407 to 2791 |
| 1934 | 2792 to 3700 |
| 1935 | 3701 to 4237 |
| 1936 | 4238 to 4910 |
| 1937 | 4911 to 5056 |
Julia Mattson, Dating by Identification Number
| Year | Design Number Range |
| 1928 | 352 |
| 1929 | 1 to 243 |
| 1930 | 244 to 470 |
| 1931 | 471 to 724 |
| 1932 | 725 to 966 |
| 1933 | 967 to 2023 |
| 1934 | 2024 to 2463 |
| 1935 | 2464 to 2873 |
| 1936 | 2874 to 3381 |
Frieda Hammers, Dating by Identification Number
| Year | Design Number Range |
| 1928 | 1 to 107 |
| 1929 | 108 to 346 |
| 1930 | 347 to 497 |
| 1931 | 498 to 614 |
| 1932 | 615 to 775 |
| 1933 | 776 to 835 |
| 1934 | 838 to 857 |
| 1935 | 858 to 861 |
| 1936 | 862 to 922 |
| 1937 | 923 to 1227 |
| 1938 | 1228 to 1370 |
Hildegarde Fried, Dating by Identification Number
| Year | Design Number Range |
| 1918 | 50 to 98 |
| 1919 | 99 to 159 |
| 1920 | 160 to 165 |
| 1921 | 166 to 205 |
| 1922 | 206 to 268 |
| 1923 | 269 to 348 |
How to use these tables:
Find the identification number on the base of the piece. Match it to the artist mark present on the same piece. Cross-reference with the corresponding artist’s table to determine the year of production. This system allows precise dating of pieces from the 1918–1939 period that would otherwise only be approximately datable.
Design: What Defines UND Pottery
Form
UND pottery spans a wide range of functional and decorative forms:
- Vases of all sizes and profiles
- Bowls, pitchers, and tableware
- Tea sets and tankard sets
- Tiles and architectural ceramics
- Candleholders and bookends
- Animal figurines
- Decorative objects and novelty pieces
- Advertising pieces for organizations including 4-H Clubs and the American Legion
The program emphasized both functional and decorative production, everyday objects treated with genuine artistic attention.
Surface Decoration
Surface decoration on UND pottery reflects the program’s Arts & Crafts roots and regional character:
- Nature-inspired motifs, flowers, wheat, prairie landscapes, local botanicals
- Native American and Indigenous design elements, particularly on Pine Ridge pieces
- Carved or cutaway decoration producing layered visual effects
- Incised linear decoration
- Slip decoration and painted surface work
The most collectible pieces carry ambitious surface decoration that integrates with the form, particularly carved botanical designs, multi-color painted scenes, and pieces with strong regional character.
Glazes
UND pottery glaze colors reflect the earthen quality of the regional clay:
- Matte and semi-matte green, one of the most recognizable and widely collected
- Brown and earth tones
- Blue
- Orange
- Pink and lavender tones
- Bentonite clays, when used, fire to a distinctive burnt sienna, often used for pieces with Native American motifs
Matte and semi-matte glazes dominate the collection and are most strongly associated with the UND aesthetic. Glaze depth, evenness, and color richness are important quality indicators when evaluating individual pieces. The matte green tradition UND worked within was shared by other Arts & Crafts makers, most notably Teco Pottery, where matte green became the defining visual signature of the entire line.
Authentication: What to Look For
1. The Cobalt Blue Seal
An authentic cobalt blue seal should appear as a clean, clearly legible circular stamp in cobalt blue. The text should be fully readable. Faded, blurry, or inconsistent stamps are worth examining carefully, though glaze drips can obscure marks on otherwise authentic pieces.
2. Artist Marks
Artist marks should be incised or impressed into the clay, not painted on. The character of the mark should be consistent with hand-incising: slightly variable in depth and pressure rather than mechanically uniform.
3. Clay Body Character
UND pottery was produced from specific North Dakota clay sources. The clay body on unglazed areas should appear consistent with local clay character, typically a buff or medium-toned clay rather than stark white or strongly reddish clay. Bentonite clay used for some pieces produces a distinctive warm fired color.
4. Condition Assessment
Condition directly affects value in UND pottery.
For artware and vases:
- Chips to rims and bases reduce desirability substantially
- Hairline cracks through decorated areas are the most significant condition issue
- Losses to the glaze surface, particularly in carved or incised areas, affect visual appeal and value
- Restoration should be examined under ultraviolet light
For figurines and novelty pieces:
- Chips to projecting elements, animal ears, tails, and applied decorative details, are the most common damage type
- Even small chips significantly reduce desirability
For tiles:
- Cracks through the body are common and should be disclosed
- Surface glaze condition is the primary consideration
What Is My UND Pottery Worth?
The Key Value Factors
1. Artist attribution
Artist attribution is the single most important value driver in UND pottery. Margaret Cable pieces consistently achieve the strongest results. Julia Mattson, Flora Huckfield, and Frieda Hammers pieces occupy the next tier. Student work and unattributed pieces achieve more modest results.
2. Production period
Early pieces from the pre-seal period (1904–1912) are the rarest and can command significant premiums when clearly documented. The Cable era (1913–1949) represents the heart of the collectible market. Post-Cable production is more accessible.
3. Design quality and decoration
Ambitious surface decoration, carved botanical designs, multi-color painted scenes, strong regional motifs, drives value above simply glazed equivalents from the same artist and period.
4. Form
Larger, more visually dramatic vases and sculptural pieces generally outperform small examples in the same category. Unusual or rare forms attract more collector interest than standard production shapes.
5. Condition
As with all art pottery, undamaged and unrestored examples in original condition consistently outperform damaged or restored equivalents, often by 50% or more.
6. Mark clarity
A clearly readable cobalt blue seal alongside a legible artist mark provides the authentication foundation collectors require. Partially obscured marks introduce uncertainty that buyers price into their offers.
7. Pine Ridge attribution
Pine Ridge pieces with clear “Pine Ridge, Sioux Indian” marks and strong decorative execution attract buyers from both the UND pottery and Native American arts communities, which can broaden the competitive bidder pool.
General Market Value Ranges
UND pottery spans a wide value range depending on artist, period, and design quality:
- Common student pieces with standard glazes: $75–$250
- Signed faculty pieces with simple decoration: $200–$600
- Strong signed pieces by Cable, Mattson, Huckfield, or Hammers: $500–$2,500
- Exceptional Cable pieces with ambitious carved or painted decoration: $2,500–$8,000+
- Pre-seal early pieces with documentation: premium over equivalent Cable-era pieces
These ranges reflect general market conditions and should be verified against current auction results before any buying or selling decisions.
Auction vs. Private Sale
For quality UND pottery, particularly signed Cable pieces and strong examples from the Cable era, specialist auction consistently produces the best results. The collector base for significant UND pieces is national, and online auction provides the exposure necessary to reach buyers who specifically follow this category.
Private sale to a dealer means accepting a wholesale price. For common student pieces or standard production examples where the value difference is modest, private sale can be convenient. For significant artist-attributed pieces, the competitive dynamic of specialist auction is difficult to replicate.
Collecting UND Pottery: Strategy
Start With Artist Knowledge
Because artist attribution drives value more directly than in most art pottery categories, developing solid knowledge of each artist’s marks, active period, and design vocabulary is the most important collecting skill. The identification number dating tables allow pieces to be dated precisely, a depth of documentation unusual in American ceramics. Overbeck Pottery offers a similar advantage for collectors, with individual sister marks that identify who designed and threw each piece.
Focus on the Cable Era
For collectors building a serious UND collection, the 1913–1949 period under Margaret Cable’s direction offers the strongest artistic quality and the most significant long-term collector interest. Pieces bearing Cable’s own marks represent the benchmark.
Use the Dating System
The identification number tables documented by Donald Miller allow collectors to date pieces precisely within the 1918–1939 period, use them. A dated piece with known artist attribution is more valuable and more marketable than an equivalent undated piece.
Pine Ridge as a Subcategory
Pine Ridge pieces represent a distinct collecting opportunity, dual market appeal to both UND pottery collectors and Native American arts collectors. Well-marked examples with strong Sioux-inspired decoration deserve separate evaluation from standard UND production.
Entry-Level Collecting
Signed pieces by Mattson, Huckfield, or Hammers offer accessible entry points into the UND market at more modest price points than Cable pieces. Building familiarity with these artists’ marks and design vocabularies before moving into Cable pieces is a practical strategy.
Care and Storage
Glazed pieces:
- Clean with a soft, dry cloth; avoid harsh chemical cleaners
- Hand wash only, never dishwasher
- Display away from direct sunlight, which can affect matte glaze surfaces over time
- Store with soft padding between pieces; never stack
Tiles:
- Handle carefully; the body is more structurally vulnerable than vase forms
- Store flat with padding between them
All pieces:
- Handle from the base rather than by rims or applied elements
- Display away from high-traffic areas where contact damage is likely
Resources for Collectors and Sellers
Essential reference: University of North Dakota Pottery: The Cable Years by Donald Miller, the definitive reference for dating UND pieces using the identification number system, essential for any serious collector
University collection: UND Pottery Collection, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, images of over 900 pieces from the University’s own collection are available digitally at commons.und.edu/pottery/
Request a Professional Evaluation
If you have University of North Dakota School of Mines pottery, whether a single piece, a collection, or items from an estate, our team at Crafted Auctions can provide expert evaluation and guidance on auction placement and current market value.
We offer:
- Complimentary evaluations with no obligation
- Auction estimates based on current market demand
- Professional photography and specialist catalog descriptions
- Nationwide marketing exposure to active collectors
- Transparent consignment terms with no hidden fees
- Payment within 30 days of sale
Submit photos of your piece, including the cobalt blue seal, any artist marks, identification numbers, and overall form, to begin the evaluation process.
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