Question:
Hi Al. I have recently acquired a 5 gallon Red Wing water cooler. It looks beautiful but unfortunately has a crack on the inside bottom edge. The crack barely shows on the outside. It also has a very small and barely noticeable hairline on the outside. No chips anywhere that I can see. The oval is 1 ¾ wide and say Red Wing Potteries. The wing is the smaller 2 ¼ size. It does have the original spigot that appears functional. It came with a lid, but it’s not the standard water cooler lid and I don’t believe it’s a Red Wing. The lid does have two hairline cracks that run from the edge about 3 inches toward the center. Can you tell me the date of production and the approximate value of the water cooler? And what about the lid? Thanks, Chris H.

 P.S. I have a couple of crocks I will be emailing you on. Thanks for the help!

Answer: Chris, your Red Wing Potteries water cooler was manufactured between 1936 & 1947. With the hairlines on your cooler, it would have a value around $200. The lid is not Red Wing and would sell for about $30 in the condition it is in. Al Kohlman