Pottery company well known for its colorful cookie jars
Q: I amcurious to knowwhat you can tell me about this pair of cookie jars. I got them frommy grandmother, and if I remember correctly, they were given to herby a pair of sisterswhoboarded with her, my mom and my uncle in Grand Island, Nebraska, duringWorldWar II. I am trying to find four identical sets for my four children, but all I can find have
different patterns. Can you help?
A: First of all, it is important to knowthat although the jars are just marked “USA,” they were made by the Shawnee Pottery Company of Zanesville, Ohio, which began operation in 1937 and went out of business in 1961. It should also be mentioned that during the WWII years of 1941 to 1946, Shawnee was taken over by the United States Army Air Corps and used as a supply depot and parts manufacturing facility.
During their relatively brief time in business, Shawnee made everything from aquarium ornaments to salt and pepper shakers, pie birds, flowerpots, lamps, planters, pitchers, miscellaneous kitchenwares, dinnerware and yes, cookie jars.
Shawnee is perhaps most famous for their “Corn King” and “Corn Queen” lines andfor their cookie jars. “Smiley Pig” iswell known, as are “Winnie Pig,” “Muggsy” (an adorable pup wearing a toothache scarf around his head), “Puss n’ Boots,” “Sailor Boy” and “Drum Major.” Collectors especially look for elaborately decorated “Lucky the Elephant” and “CookieHouse.”
The pair in today’s question are “Dutch Boy” and “Dutch Girl,” which we have also seen referred to as “Happy Jack” and “Happy Jill.” Most of the character jars came in a variety of decorations and color schemes. Those with unusual coloration, various decals and gold trim can demand something of a premium. In the case of “Dutch Boy” and “Dutch Girl,” look for the examples marked “GreatNorthern.”
In this case, Jack’s stripped pants are a plus, but if decals representing patches or small florals had been added, that would havemadethe piecemuchmore monetarily valuable. The tulip on Jill’s dress is nice, but a color to the skirt, some decals and gold trim would have made the piece more desirable.
Having a pair is nice and does help the dollar value a bit. As for finding four sets that exactly match, good luck, but we discovered similar examples are for sale on eBay and Etsy for as low as $20. Most, however, were in the $50 to $80 range. Add the interest in a pair andwe think the retail value of this couplewould be in the range of $150 to $200, if they are in perfect condition.