Question:
I bought a 20# Red Wing butter crock with a large wing at a farm auction. It was not listed on the auction bill, only a sponge ware cookie jar was listed. I bought each piece for 725.00. The butter crock has 2 small rim chips, no other cracks or chips, Its the best one I’ve ever seen and the cookie jar is mint. Did I pay too much? Thanks Gail L.

Answer:
Gail, you must have had a little competition at the auction to get to the $725 price for your 20 lb buttercrock. In mint condition with a 4 " wing, a pretty 20 lb butter crock will fetch $1000. If your rim chips are small and do not detract from it’s beauty I think you did alright. Al Kohlman

Question:
I recently submitted a question but have not seen an answer. I have become interested in collecting Red Wing stoneware after seeing it so often on eBay. I was surprised to see a Red wing piece for sale at the recent Adirondacks antique show in Indian Lake, N.Y. I bought it for $180.00 but think I may have gotten off to a bad start as far as collecting Red Wing stoneware. It’s a 15 gallon crock with a blue 15 and a large wing but no oval or bottom marking. It has a spigot on the bottom and a hole near the top on the right side when viewing from the front and is in excellent condition. It also has a cover in great shape that is not marked but has the petals and a bail handle and looks just like one I’ve seen in a Red Wing book. The cover has a more salt glazed look to it than the more white looking crock. Could this have been a water cooler or perhaps just something used to make something like pickles? Did I pay way too much? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Fred C.

Answer:
Fred, it sounds like you made an excellent purchase with your 15 gallon Red Wing crock with lid. The crock alone is valued in the area of $200 to $250 with the large wing and two spigot holes. The spigot if stamped "Central" and in good condition is valued at $50. The lid (being a little salty brings the price down some) is valued between $100 & $150. With all this being said, if your piece is as nice as it sounds, you should have no problems doubling your investment should you decide to sell it. Al Kohlman

Question:
I have a stone crock pot approximately 5 gallons pass to me from my Grandmother who was born in the late 1890′s. Description: 5 gallons with the marking of “5" in blue; the 5 is located on one side centered on the outside of the pot. It has handles on both sides. Color; top half brown, bottom half stone color. My mother said it was used to make wine. What is the estimated value of this pot? Thanks, Gerald

Answer:
Gerald, your 5 gallon stoneware crock was not manufactured by the Red Wing Stoneware Company. Red Wing did not produce two tone crocks. My best guess (without seeing a photo of your crock) would be the Western Stoneware Company who manufactured your grandmother’s crock. With no damage, the value on your crock would be in the range of $50 to $75. Al Kohlman

Question:
Hi, I have a butter churn that I would really like to know a little more about. It is 16 1/4" tall and 9 3/4" in diameter. It has a blue mark on the front that I believe is maybe a 6. The lid is marked 5-6. I also have several crocks that I would love to get some information on, but I think I can only send one picture at a time. Thank you for any and all information you can send me on the butter churn. I sent an earlier email but got an error message so I’m not sure it went through, if so I apologize for the repeat. Thank you, Gail Kramer

Answer:
Gail, you have a 5 gallon salt glaze churn. The markings are known as a "lazy eight target mark". Churns with this marking were manufactured by both Red Wing Stoneware and the Western Stoneware Companies. Your churn will date anywhere from 1878 to 1895. By looking at just the front of the churn, I cannot be certain if you churn is Red Wing or Western. The approximate valve is between $200 & $300 if there is no damage to the churn. Hope this helps. Al Kohlman

Question:
I have seen three different Hamm’s beer Krug Klub mugs. The first one is all brown inside and out underneath bottom is RW stamp. Second one is brown on outside with white inside RW stamped on bottom. Then is one that is brown on outside white inside but no RW stamp on bottom and is sold as Red Wing made mug. Were all three made by Red Wing? Thanks Ray

Answer:
Ray, I cannot say for sure if all three of the mugs you mentioned were manufactured by the Red Wing Stoneware Company without seeing a photo of the one that is not signed. The Hamm’s Brewing Company commissioned the Red Wing Potteries to produce several different premiums in the 1950′s. I know of two different sizes of mugs which are embossed with the words "Hamm’s Krug Klub" on them. So it is most likely that the mug which is not signed could very well have been manufactured by the Red Wing Stoneware Company. Al Kohlman