Betty Ward has first-hand experience with this subject. She was raised near Zanesville in a family of major collectors and researchers of American art pottery, patricularly the Weller and Roseville wares, and is an experienced dealer in antiques. Today she runs the White Pillars Antiques Mall in Norwich, Ohio. Nancy Schiffer has appraised and researched many important decorative arts collections for private clients and has written many books about decorative arts, particularly ceramics.