Question:
My wife was passed down a success Filter Natural Tripoli Stone Patented July :/ Made by The Red wing Stoneware Co Red Wing Minnesota. It Measures 12" Deep By 11" wide on the outside. It is Black inside and brown with blue writing outside. It has a brass Fitting in the bottom of it. It also has Art work on the top and bottom rim. We were wondering what this was used for and a possible est. value. Thank You, Wesley Monson,JR.

Answer: Wesley, your mother passed down a Red Wing Salt glazed Success Filter. These Success Filters, came in two sizes. Either a 4 gallon or the large 10 gallon (used in Hotels). It sounds like you have the top of a two piece set. The way these Success filters worked was water was placed in the top crock (the one your mother gave you) and it moved through a filter stone through a drip tube and into the lower crock. The bottom crock had a spigot hole on the side where you could then open the attached spigot to retrieve your filter water. The patented date on the side of the crock should read July 7,89 (that was July 7, 1889). In Mint condition with the bottom, it has a book value of $2,500 to $3,000. If a collector had a mint bottom and needed a top to match, I would think your piece would be worth half of it’s total value or around $1,200 to $1,500.. Nice piece! Al Kohlman