Founded in 1910 as the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Company, the Roseville, Ohio company produced many highly sought-after collectibles, especially their cookie jars, which the company started producing in the 1930s. McCoy closed in 1990, but the company's decorative stoneware continues to be a favorite among collectors.
Here's a sampling of McCoy cookie jars and their auction prices.
McCoy Santa
Is it a huge cookie jar or a giant decorative ornament? You decide. This McCoy Santa piece was sold as a Holiday Giant and a picture in an old article also shows a Snowman Giant.
- Issued: Late 1980s
- Mark: McCoy Limited
- Production # A3444
- Size: 20.5" high
- Price: $3,000.
McCoy Clown in a Barrel Cookie Jar - RARE
The solid color McCoy clown rare is indeed a very rare jar. These jars were done in various colors including blue, green, yellow, pink and white. But those production jars were not a solid color as this one is. The jar is green, but when looking at the mark and paper tag, the factory called it slate blue.
- McCoy Clown in a Barrel
- Issue: 1953
- Mark: McCoy
- Sold Date: May 2009
- Sold Price: $2,125
McCoy Cauliflower Mammy
McCoy Pottery only made two Black mammy cookie jars. Both jars are widely reproduced which has caused values to come down quite a bit over the last few years. A jar with good cold paint is hard to find.
- Made: 1939
- Mark: McCoy, USA
- Rare
- Cold Painted
- Values: $600 to $1,000
McCoy Mammy
Mammy #2 originally had the words "Dem Cookies show am good" on the front of the dress on the jars made from 1944 through 1947. The words were changed in 1948 to "Cookies". This same mold was made with the words "Dem Cookies Sho Got Dat Vitamin A", but it's believed that this particular jar was never put into production.
McCoy produced these jar in the colors of solid aqua, solid yellow and white with decorative cold paint.
- Made: 1944 through 1957
- Mark: McCoy
- Size: 11"
- Cold Painted
- Values: $125 - $200
McCoy Squirrel Cookie Jar
When a jar is as rare as this one, values are hard to pin down, therefore the online auction price is shown.
- Jar is approximately 10 1/2" tall
- 1961 Vintage
- Sold on eBay (01/03) for $3148.
The colors are a little different in various books. The glaze on this jar is similar to the one in Roerig's Book #1, called Fox Squirrel.
McCoy Quaker Oats Cookie Jar
It is believed that McCoy made a model for the Quaker Oats jar, but McCoy had trouble with the decals being blurred. Only a few wound up being produced and those were not used by Quaker Oats, that's when Regal got the contract to produce the Quaker Oats cookie jar.
- Made in the 1970s
- Height: 9.5"
- Values: $450 - $550
McCoy Carousel Cookie Jar
How many times have you seen the word rare or hard-to-find on a description of a cookie jar? Too many sellers, rare means the manufacturer is sold out or perhaps the run was a limited edition of 5,000.
But the McCoy Carousel cookie jar is the definition of rare.
Dan Beem has owned this jar since 1977 - when it was discovered it in the basement of a house he bought. It so happens that the house was formerly lived in by people whose relatives worked at the McCoy Factory. Beem also worked at McCoy for many years.
When the jar was found the maker was unknown but thought to be a real McCoy. It was finally authenticated when a 1965 McCoy catalog surfaced.
No one knows how many of these jars exist.
No marks are on the bottom of the jar and it has small "chiggers" on the lid and crazing all over the jar. The jar can be seen at the Ohio Ceramic Center in Roseville, Ohio.
The jar was for sale at the price of $7,500 through the Ohio Ceramic Center.
J.W. McCoy Willow Ware
From The Collector's Encyclopedia of McCoy Pottery by Huxford: "White-Stone Bristol glaze (ivory) shaded top and bottom with blue in a basketweave design. The tankard is further decorated with a floral spray."
- 1916
- 7.5" tall, 5" wide
- J. W. McCoy Pottery Co.
- Auction Date: March 2004
- Auction Price: $1,225.
McCoy Coalby Cat
One of the classics from McCoy Pottery. The Coalby Cat is all black, with cold-painted features, including gold trim on the paws and whiskers.
- Issued: 1967/1968
- Size: 11" high
- Estimated Values: $300. - $400
Santa Bank Head Cookie Jar
The McCoy Pottery company was not especially known for the seasonal type of jar, but this one is a favorite among collectors of vintage cookie jars, especially Santa collectors.
- Manufacturer: McCoy Pottery
- Auction Date: May 2010
- Auction Price: $55.
This was part of a lot of over 2000 items offered for sale at the Charlie Snyder estate auction held at Mickelson Auction.
McCoy Lovebirds Cookie Jar
McCoy Lovebirds Cookie Jar might also be called the McCoy Penguin jar. The jar was produced in white with cold paint decorating, also was produced in a special black glaze, but only two or three of these black jars are known.
- Produced in 1942
- Mark: McCoy (same as this mark)
- Size: 8.5" high
- Values: $40 - $60
McCoy Pottery Resources