Question:

Good Evening Mr. Kohlman…My husband and I recently attended a country auction here in Virginia and came upon this beautiful 8 gallon Red Wing Cooler. The cooler is in excellent condition, no hairline cracks, original spigot intact and solid, both original handles, the top and a nice glaze covers the item. The top is the only part that has an issue, a broken piece out of the rim as seen in the picture. The markings on the front are crisp with the Red Wing sign and an oval at the bottom above the spigot with the Red Wing information inside. Could you please provide us with any information you can share about the date of the piece, the value of the piece, a sale price if we were to sell it and any other information you have on the piece.

Thank you for your time and any information you can share with us…Steve and Martha

Answer:

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Steve & Martha, your Red Wing 8 gallon water cooler was produced between 1936 & 1947.  This was the newest version of the Red Wing water coolers.   The cooler itself in perfect condition and being a larger size than most found has a value in the area of $400 to $500.  The lid with the piece knocked out is valued around $50.  When folks were using these coolers a number the had taken a hammer and knocked out a small area for a ladle.   If the lid were perfect, it would have a value in the $500 range.  Hope this helps.  Al Kohlman