As with many early pottery companies, the lineage can be a bit at confusing at times. George Brush worked at J. W. McCoy Pottery in 1909, he later became a partner in the Brush-McCoy Pottery when it was founded in 1911. In 1925 the two companies separated and went their own ways.
Facts About Brush Pottery
- What is believed to be the first Brush cookie jar, made in 1929, is pictured in The Complete Cookie Jar Book by Mike Schneider. The jar is called Brush Kolorkraft, part of a line from the 1920s.
- Ross and Don Winton designed many of Brush’s cookie jars. The jars they had a hand in designing have a W in the markings on the bottom. See below.
- Brush jars have been widely reproduced and it can be hard to tell reproductions from the originals for several reasons, not only because of copied reproductions like JD James and others.
- The original molds were sold and used later for reproductions. The molds were also used in the early 2000s by American Retro Company to make identical sized jars.
- The Brush Pottery Company in Roseville, Ohio closed its doors in 1982.
One important thing to remember is — there is NO such thing as an authentic Brush-McCoy cookie jar. McCoy made cookie jars and Brush made cookie jars, but it was after the two companies went their own ways.
There are several different marks on Brush Pottery, the one shown is from the Clock shown above. The “W” is on the jars that were designed by the Don and Ross Winton.
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