Question:

if this is real or a prototype? Did red wing ever make one like this? About what year is it from? What would be value at if real?

Answer:

I don’t recall seeing a black & white Katrina cookie jar, but I have seen the Chef jar in those colors.  I would need to inspect the jar before I could say with certainly that this jar is authentic, but from the photos it certainly seems to be a real Red Wing cookie jar.  A key point is whether the black color is under the glaze or was added over the glaze. 

The Chef, Friar and Katrina cookie jars were introduced in 1941 and continued to be produced into the early 1950s.  This jar has only RED WING USA pressed into the clay; jars made in the 1940s were marked with an ink stamp.  Thus this jar was probably made in the 1950s.  Red Wing tried several new color schemes during this time but most examples are found on the Chef jar, not Katrina.  Hard to say if this is a prototype or a limited production item.  Prototypes, samples and lunch hour items almost always have unusual markings and this jar does not, so I lean towards limited production. 

If this is an authentic cookie jar produced by Red Wing, I’d estimate the value to be $500 to $750 if it was in excellent condition. The photos show damage to one tip of Katrina’s hat and significant staining to the base.  Can’t tell if there is additional damage.  The visible damage would reduce the value by at least 25% and probably a bit more.

Larry