Antique Cookie Jar Value

For many people finding a special old cookie jar at an antique show or flea market inspires a flood of happy memories that makes them quickly realize the antique cookie jar value is far more than monetary.

Watch a slideshow of antique cookie jars

Cookie jars, just as all antiques and collectibles, have many different values. Many collectors are interested in the monetary value attached to their cookie jar collection. They hope their cookie jars continue to increase in worth making them more valuable on the collector’s market.

However, for many collectors, cookie jars hold a special kind of magic. They remember them filled with special treats lovingly made by grandmothers and mothers. Others think of them as the family piggy bank, where the household money carefully was tucked away as they waited for mom and dad to announce there was enough for that special toy or new two-wheeled bicycle.

Without question antique cookie jars hold a special place in the hearts of many people everywhere.

Cookie jars made their appearance in England as biscuit jars in the mid to late 1800s. The transition from the beautiful porcelain, earthenware or crystal containers of Victorian England, many adorned with elegant floral motifs, to the whimsical faces and character cookie jars that became popular in American kitchens took place over several decades.

In the United States in the early 1900s, large glass jars filled with cookies were found on the shelves of bakeries and general stores holding their sweet treats. By the end of the 1920s, as the Great Depression began and people were spending less, many homemakers found themselves baking more. They needed a place to store their homemade cookies and the cookie jar found its place in homes across America.

In 1929, a significant step in cookie jar history took place in Zanesville, Ohio. There the Brush Pottery Company produced the Kolorkraft #344, the first ceramic cookie jar. The simple green jar, which proudly displayed the word Cookies, was the forerunner of many simply shaped bean pot and cylindrical containers.

It was not long before other pottery companies began making cookie jars in novelty shapes and whimsical designs. Cookie jars reached their peak of their popularity in the 1940s and it lasted until the early 1970s.

One of the key resources for determining the value of antique cookie jars is having a current cookie jar price and identification guide. In addition to listing the current market price range, most reliable guides also provide valuable information that includes:

• Descriptions and dimensions of specific cookie jars
• Information on spotting reproductions and fakes
• Maker’s marks
• Historical information on manufacturers and designers

• The Complete Cookie Jar Book by Mike Schneider is considered by many to be one of the most complete cookie jar books ever published. With more than 2,000 full color cookie jar illustrations, the book includes:
  • Information on popular cookie jar manufacturers such as McCoy, Hull and American Bisque
  • Information on retailers, distributors and importers
  • Condition guidelines
  • Information on production techniques
  • Tips on spotting counterfeits
• Warman's Cookie Jars: Identification & Price Guide by Mark F. Morman
• Although An Illustrated Value Guide to Cookie Jars by Ermagene Westfall was originally published in 1983, it was updated in 2003 and includes the market prices of that year. This book is a valuable resource for identification as it includes hundreds of beautiful color photographs.
• The Ultimate Collector’s Encyclopedia of Cookie Jars: Identification and Values by Joyce and Fred Roerig includes more than 1200 photographs.

The following are several resources to help determine the value of an antique or collectible cookie jar:

• Kovels provides an online price guide
• Worth Point
• Compare your cookie jar to similar ones on eBay
• Collectibles Museums

• McCoy
• Red Wing
• Hull
• Roseville
• Shawnee
• Hall
• American Bisque
• Brush
• Abingdon
• California Originals
• Dorranne of California
• Metlox
• Regal China
• Robinson Ransbotton
• Treasure Craft
• Twin Winton

For many collectors, antique cookie jar value is determined by monetary value, market conditions and memories.

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