Question:
I have a fairly good sized butter and beater jar crock collection with advertising on them plus r Red Wing and other named crocks in my collection. I have heard there is a different value placed on crocks based on if they’re firsts, seconds, etc. Can you give me more info as to what and how these gradings are done and how it affects values? What do I look for to determine if its a first or second grade crock for example? Thank your!

Answer: The different values are do to a number of things. If the advertising on the piece is common, the value will be lower than that of a rarer piece of advertising. If you have a piece that is flawless in terms of imperfections on a piece then it’s value will be higher than one that has flaws. If the markings are dark and very clear, the value will be higher than those that are light and somewhat blurry. Lastly, any chips, flakes, cracks, stains or hairlines will reduce a value as well. So adding all of these IMPERFECTIONS on to a piece and you will begin to understant first or second grade crocks. Al Kohlman