Question:
Hi! I am looking for some information on the value of a cookie jar I purchased at an estate sale a few years ago. I hope you might be able to help me. Thank you!

Answer: According to a July 1942 sales brochure, you have an "Incised Peasant" cookie jar. It is one of three items available in the Incised Peasant design. The other two are a Munch Jar (similar to the cookie jar but low and squat) and an 11" Salad Bowl. The bowl is the only piece that is marked Red Wing. All three items were available in three colors: Brown, Green and White. Unlike most Red Wing hand painted pottery, the peasant figures were cold painted (over the glaze). Because the colors are not sealed under the glaze they are easily removed. After 60-some years many of these pieces have lost a considerable amount of their original paint .

The Incised Peasant cookie jar must have sold well because it is quite common today. In excellent condition and with intact original paint, such a jar would be worth $35 to $50, with the white color on the low end and green on the high end. Loss of paint detracts from the value, as do any chips and cracks.

Larry