Vintage Regal China Cookie Jars
Regal China Company was founded by Herman Kravitz in 1938, in Chicago but moved fifty miles north in 1940 to Antioch, Illinois. The company began existence with the production of items for the novelty and premiums business such as pitchers for Ovaltine, cookie jars for Quaker oats and ships for Old Spice. It was purchased by the Royal China & Novelty company in the mid 1940s. In 1955 Regal began manufacturing the decanters for Jim Beam Distilleries, for which they are perhaps best known. In 1968 Jim Beam purchased and operated Regal as a wholly owned subsidiary. The plant operated until it was closed 1992 when interest in whiskey decanters declined sharply.
For collectors the designs of Regal China cookie jars can sometimes be quite perplexing. This is because they purchased and used the molds of many other potteries. The practice often produced cookie jars that were clones of others already on the market. Hull, Shawnee, American Bisque, and Abingdon all have one of more jars very similar to those in the Regal line. Since Regal didn't distribute as many jars as the larger potteries; today the Regal jar, when properly identified, will sometimes sell for much higher prices than their identical counterpart.
Identifying Vintage Regal China Cookie Jars
Very few of Regal China's cookie jars will have their name incised on the bottom or fired into the glaze pattern. Many experts have difficulty identifying Regal cookie jars because marks on their jars where the exception not the rule. Add this to the fact that they made so many clones from purchased molds and the ability to identify their jars becomes a real nightmare. If a duplicate jar has the name of the character on the bottom, such as "Humpty Dumpty" or "Little Miss Muffet" it is most likely to be the Regal jar.
Vintage Regal China Cookie Jar Prices
As is true of all collectibles the "law of supply and demand" controls prices, and Regal China cookie jars are no exception. Some of the more common jars, such as "Quaker Oats" and "Kraft Marshmallows Bear" can readily be found for under $50, while one of the rarest of all cookie jars, Regal's "Alice in Wonderland" has been known to command prices in the $2000 to $3000 price range.
One of the easiest ways to get an idea of the value of a particular jar, or to find out how much yours may be worth, is to see if any others like it have sold recently on eBay. And if so at what price? Do this by going to eBay Here
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It is important to note that the following cookie jars are auction listings, over which this site has no control with respect to their vintage authenticity. Collectors should take the precautions outlined in "Fakes and Counterfeits" prior to bidding on any vintage cookie jar over $100.
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