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Question:
I have a Red Wing Recipe and preserve book by the Red Wing Union Stoneware Co. I am enclosing pictures of it. It measures 8 3/4" x 6". It has no date, it has 32 pages,I never seen one before, It was written by C. Houston Goudiss, New York City. Can you help me with some information and value of this piece. Thanks for your time. Phil
Answer: This isn’t really a dinnerware question but I’ll give it a try. The cover of your booklet should state "Home Packing Preserving" and "The Red Wing Way". The booklet was issued by Red Wing Union Stoneware Co; it is not dated but was likely published in the early 1920s. One point of clarification about the author: C. Houston Goudiss wrote a two page article included in the booklet; he did not write the entire booklet.
This booklet is well known among Red Wing collectors and is relatively common. Homemakers probably found the advice useful and kept the booklet with their cookbooks. The cover on my copy of this booklet is ink stamped "A.C. Mason Company". This may by a business that sold the booklet to consumers, or it may have been used by the business as a giveaway to good customers. The price inside the cover is listed as 35 cents.
A vintage copy of this booklet would sell in the $50 to $100 range, depending on condition. Copies in well-worn condition would likely sell for less than $50. A word of caution — this booklet has been reproduced. I do not know if the reproductions are dated or marked in any way to differentiate them from the originals.