Nancy's Hand in the Cookie Jar

She Has Her Hand in Cookie Jars
By Terry Ely

What's in a cookie jar? If you are an avid collector, a cookie jar can hold hours of enjoyment. "Cookie jars are not hard to find; and they make you smile when you look at them," says Barbara Crews of Oklahoma City, president of the American Cookie Jar Association. "If you're a beginning collector, collect with your heart, but be smart. It is very rare to pass up a jar and never see it again. Start with a price guide, particularly for identification purposes."

Barbara Crews helped found the American Cookie Jar Association and sends a free e-mail cookie jar newsletter to a number of subscribers. "The Association is a way to network with other collectors. Last July, we had our first formal club event at the Palmer Wirf Antique show. Don Winton, commonly known as the Father of Cookie Jars and former owner of his own pottery company, designed and made his last cookie jar for our show," Crews relates.

This is just part of Nancy Allen's extensive cookie jar collection.

Cookie jars came into existence in Britain in the late 1800s as British biscuit jars. Early American cookie jars began to appear around the beginning of the Depression and were usually glass jars with screw-on lids. Brush Pottery of Zanesville, Ohio, is credited with producing the first cookie jar. During the 1930s, stoneware became the predominant cookie jar material. These cookie jars were cylindrical and painted with flowers or leaf decorations. By the late 1930s, most manufacturers were creating cookie jars in the shapes of fruits, vegetables and animals. Other well-known cookie jar producers were McCoy, American Bisque, Shawnee, Metlox and Abingdon.

"These are all loved by collectors and hold their values well," says Crews. "Shawnee is extremely popular and steadily rising in value while McCoy seems to be the most prolific of the old companies. You have to look out for cookie jars marked McCoy that were not made by them or are reproductions."

Nancy Allen of Tulsa, treasurer of the American Cookie Jar Association and former antique dealer, says collectors can also find a variety of new cookie jars. "Quite a few companies also manufacture cookie jars for special promotions. Collectors of older cookie jars can easily find the more common varieties at local flea markets. Other ways to find specific cookie jars are using eBay or perhaps traveling to an auction," Allen comments. Allen advises collectors to do their homework before shopping on eBay.

"Unfortunately, there are lots of reproductions that some people will try to sell as originals," she explains. "You need to learn what marks to look for, what sizes and colors indicate an original and what prices to expect. There is nothing wrong with collecting reproductions, you just want to get them for the right price."

Crews says the condition of an older cookie jar is very important because a crack or hairline fracture will likely devalue the jar.

For more tips on collecting cookie jars, subscribe to Barbara's free internet newsletter at thecookiejar.net. To join the American Cookie Jar Association, go to cookiejarclub.com.