Question:
I a redwing cookie jar that belonged to my grandmother. It is a blue monk in his robe holding up two fingers and with a banner that says "Thou Shall Not Steal". Can you tell me when this was made and the approximate value? Thanks Pam

Answer:
Pam, The "Friar Tuck" cookie jar was introduced by Red Wing in 1941, along with his friends Katrina the Dutch girl and Pierre the Chef. Price lists from 1942, 1943 and 1944 show them as being available in blue, yellow, and tan colors. An undated brochure, probably from the mid to late 1940s adds green as an available color. These three cookie jars were great sellers for Red Wing. Many thousands of them were made and production continued into the mid 1950s.

While these cookie jars are not at all rare, jars in excellent condition are not easy to find in any color. After years of use (often by the small hands of children more interested in the contents than the jar), these jars are usually chipped or cracked and have grease stains. A Friar Tuck cookie jar in excellent condition would be worth around $100 to $125 in the yellow or tan colors, with another $25 to $50 for blue. Green would be worth more because the color is less common.

Larry