Question:
Good Day! My mother has a crock with a white finish. It has bails with black wooden handles.The information stenciled on it is: Redwing Potteries 5 (I assume meaning 5 gallon) [An image of a red wing] Patented Dec 21, 1915 (this appears up near the lip of the crock)

She also has another crock: The name Western Stoneware Co. is stencilled inside an image of a maple leaf. It has a 6 on it. It does not have bails or handles, but also has the standard white finish. Do you think either off these items has any particular value, or are they "common as dirt?" Thanks for the help. Linda Murken

Answer: Linda, your mother’s 5 gallon Red Wing crock and the 6 gallon Western crock are fairly common (not as common as dirt though). In mint condition, the Red Wing crock would have a value of $50 to $75. The Western 6 gallon crock in mint condition would be in the range of $40 to $60. Al Kohlman