Question:
Could you tell me if the king tart cookie jar was made without the chin being painted black on the speckled blue jar, I have seen it both ways and am wondering if they are both original pieces and which came first the "gotee painted black or plain. Thanks Also the value of a mint shape king tart in speckled blue. Thanks Mary

Answer: Hi Mary, One thing that can be said about Red Wing — they were consistently inconsistent. I have several photos of King of Tarts cookie jars in four different colors. The handpainted multicolored jar has a gray goatee (same color as the king’s hair). None of the blue, pink or yellow jars has a painted goatee. But on some jars the king’s crown, scepter and the word "Tarts" are black, while on others these features are the same color as the rest of the jar. Red Wing catalogs from 1955 and 1956 show the crown, scepter and Tarts in black, but not the goatee. Whether the plain jars reflect an intentional change in style, an oversight by a pottery worker, or a special order from a customer I cannot say. My best guess would be the plain jars were made later as a means to reduce the cost of production.

Without a photo it’s difficult to say much about your jar with the black goatee. It would not surprise me at all if Red Wing at one time glazed the king’s goatee black along with the crown, scepter and Tarts. It’s also possible a previous owner painted the goatee black over the glaze, but hopefully you’ve probably already checked for that. I am not aware of any reproductions of the King of Tarts cookie jar but cannot be certain. The best verification of authenticity would be to compare the fleck blue glaze of the questionable jar to the same glaze on another piece.

Value for a blue fleck King of Tarts cookie jar in excellent condition would be $200-300.

Larry