Question:
Can you give me any information about this Redwing pottery? The cookie jar was in my early-childhood home in Lakeview, Oregon. I am 71-years old and have lived all over the country. The pottery has been a bit of a mystery to me as I was raised by people other than my biological parents — really, this is the only thing I have that connects me to those early years. Sonja

Answer: Friar Tuck is the name of your cookie jar. 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 quite common, 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 $75 to $100 in the yellow or tan colors, with another $25 or so for blue. Green would be worth more because the color is less common. Chips, flakes, cracks, stains or other damage will reduce the value significantly.

Larry