Shawnee Cookie Jars
Shawnee Pottery Company of Zanesville, Ohio was founded in 1937in the old American Encaustic Tiling Company plant. The new plant employed some of the same craftsmen that had worked for American Encaustic; however, most of the old kilns in the plant were removed and replaced with state-of-the-art equipment prior to Shawnee's opening. Legend has it that the Shawnee name and distinctive logo can be attributed to an arrowhead found on the grounds of the then unnamed plant. The area is rich with the history of the Shawnee Indians who were known to have lived and produced pottery in the area long before it was settled.
Shawnee's initial production was items such as dinnerware, vases, flower pots, lamp bases, cookie jars, salt and pepper shakers, character figurines, and much more. Mass retailers such as Woolworth's, McCrory, Benjamin Franklin, Kresge and Sears were the major players among Shawnees accounts and much of their production was privately designed specifically for distribution by these customers.
During its hay-day, the company was producing around 100,000 pieces of pottery a day, but like many of its contemporaries, they could not compete against cheaper foreign imports and ceased operation in 1961. When Shawnee closed its doors some of their molds were purchased by the Terrace Ceramics Company who produced identical Winnie, Smiley, and Muggsy cookie jars but with much less decorations.
Identifying Vintage Shawnee Cookie Jars
Much of Shawnee's ceramic pieces can be difficult to identify, since they did not mark many pieces. However that is not the case with Shawnee cookie jars. On their jars Shawnee used markings such as Smiley 60, Winnie 61, Shawnee, USA, Great Northern, Kenwood USA, Patented Chanticleer USA and other variations that included numbers. Most pieces had paper stickers as identification labels, but these have most likely not survived.
Vintage Shawnee Cookie Jars Prices
As is true of all collectibles the "law of supply and demand" controls prices, and Shawnee cookie jars are no exception. Some of the plainer and more common jars, such as "Jugs" and "Octagons" can readily be found for under $30, while the harder to find jars like "JoJo the Clown" or "Drummer Boy" have been known to command prices in the $300 to $500 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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