Question:
We have 2 butter churns and are unsure if they are red wing or another brand. Can you tell by the pix? Also, how can one estimate the approximate age of the churns? thanks cathy

Answer: Cathy, it is hard for me to tell if your churns are Red Wing or from another stoneware company from what I can see of them, but will do my best to clarify. The 3 gallon churn does not look to be Red Wing, but again I could be mistaken. What makes me stay this is the rim on the 3 churn, the dark decoration or cobalt and the small ear with the little lines off of the target design does not look to be Red Wing. The 5 gallon churn on the other hand looks like it could very well be Red Wing. Both of your churns are salt glaze and this tells me that they were manufactured anywhere from the late 1860′s to around 1895. After 1895 zinc glaze began to take over and the salt glaze era faded away. Hope this helps. Al Kohlman