Rex & Patti Stark were a power couple in the antiques world. With Patti’s constant support and sharp eye, Rex built a vast inventory and unrivaled collection of eclectic American political material and Anglo-American political ceramics.

Rex was a lion. His offerings were highly anticipated and never failed to surprise, often bringing discoveries to market. A pillar of the hobby, he advanced scholarship in political campaign material and through his passion, encouraged new interest in his lifelong pursuit of the finest. And Patti was there every step of the way.

Hake’s and I, Scott Mussell, are honored and humbled to present the Starks’ collection. The pieces offered here have not been seen in decades and in some cases, have never before been seen.

I first met Rex & Patti at an APIC show in Columbus Ohio. I had poured over Rex’s catalogs many a time and his reputation was frankly intimidating. His booth was even better than imagined. In time Patti would assure me that his gruff exterior covered a relatively shy man who was always happy to talk about the material culture of American history with a deep passion.

As I came to know Rex, his demeanor softened ever so slightly and once in a while my father, Lee Mussell, even managed to eek a smile out of him. I recall one particularly intense negotiation when after drawing my line in the sand he just said in that deep baritone “Scott, go back to your table” and I did. That was Rex the dealer, but the side few saw was about to reveal itself.

Years later when Ted and I were privileged enough to visit the house, Patti broke the ice before we arrived by asking if we knew that Rex collected teddy bears. My mind raced to a huge collection of Steiff and the like. When I asked, Rex tipped those glasses down to the edge of his nose and said “not cute enough”. Sure enough the house was full of cute stuffed animals mixed right in with the antiques and have since been donated as comfort animals for children testifying in court.

It was that night that Rex showed us his fabled ceramics collection in a room commonly referred to as the sanctum. In the next few hours I learned more about Anglo-American ceramics than in all the years prior. Seeing Rex so immersed in his collection was nothing short of inspiring.

In many ways it’s difficult to accept that Rex was mortal. The last time that I saw him was picking up after an auction, gathering what he felt important until the very end. He encouraged me to stay the course and let my own enthusiasm guide me engaging new collectors to keep this material strong.

I am humbled to be the one bringing this historic collection back to the collecting community, just as Rex would have wanted, to inspire new passions and live on.