Question:

Dear Mr. Kohlman,

My husband and I discovered this 8 Gallon Red Wing Water Jug at a country auction we recently attended in a neighboring county of Virginia.  We were immediately attracted to the stoneware by its beauty.  We did some research at home and discovered your website and all the different stoneware containers.  We are now “hooked” on the Red Wing Stoneware and plan to keep our eyes open for more.

In the meantime, could you please tell us the history of this piece…what age date do you put on the piece, the value of the piece and the fair selling price if we were to sell it in the future.  As you can see from the attached pictures. the piece is in perfect condition in the body with original spigot and handles. There are no spider lines, chips or cracks in the body. It has the top which at some point had a piece knock out of the rim.  The Red Wing symbol is prominently displayed in the middle under the 8 Gallon Water Cooler with the Red Wing Company name and place of origin in the circle at the bottom.  The stoneware has a glaze presence.

Thank you for any information you can share with us!

Best Regards, Steve and Martha

Answer:

Steve & Martha, nice to hear that you two enjoy this stoneware site.  Your 8 gallon Red Wing Stoneware water cooler was produced between 1939 & 1947. This was the last production era for Red Wing stoneware.  The cooler by itself has a value between $350 & $400.  The lid with the chuck taken out (many folks used a ladle rather than use the spigot) to support a ladle will have a very low value.  Value on it will be in the area of $50.   Nice piece.  Al Kohlman