Turkey Cookie Jar

McCoy made the turkey cookie jar twice- once in 1945 and again in 1960. This is from the 1960 production. It is marked McCoy, U.S.A. and is 9.25" high. Unusual to find most of the paint intact.

MCCOY WAGON WHEELS

The wagon wheel collection consists of planters, vases and lamps in several different colors. They were produced in the fifties, around 1954.

So far, we have discovered yellow, brown, bluish-gray, green, red and black. This red lamp is the only example of the red wagon wheel that we have found so far.

The Jug-Time Clock

The McCoy Jug-Time Clock was especially difficult to find, and if you do find it, chances are that the stopper in the top is gone or a cork. It wasn't until I found this one that we realized that the stopper was originally ceramic. This clock is in working order and has the original clockworks.
This clock was made by Brush-McCoy in 1924.

McCoy Pitchers

There were many advertising pitchers produced in the 60's for various companies, events, and political parties. The pitchers were made in three sizes of 6 oz., 16 oz., and 32 oz. Some of these pitchers also contain pictures and cute sayings.
The ones shown here are Hersheys, Heini's (a cheese factory in Ohio, Hiram Walker, two Bicentennial, and the small one in the center that says , "God Bless Our Home".

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McCOY CANISTERS

Many patterns that McCoy used were eventually used to make canister sets. These were heavy duty and serviceable, and I'm sure that many are in use in kitchens today. While I don't really collect the canister sets, I have a few that I just couldn't resist.

These canisters sets usually come complete with creamers, sugar bowls, and often mugs and other assorted accessories.
Two of my favorites are the rooster set below, and the Pioneer family at the right.
The brown stripe set is one that I use everyday. There are mixing bowls, creamer and sugar, vino carafe, and pasta dishes that match this durable set.

BRIEF HISTORY OF McCOY POTTERY

The J.W. McCoy Pottery Co. was started in 1899 in Roseville, Ohio. It began by making crocks and soon branched into art pottery.
In 1911, the McCoy Pottery Co. merged with several other companies, and became Brush-McCoy.
In 1925, the McCoy family sold their interest in the company.
In 1910, Nelson McCoy, one of the sons of J.W. McCoy, had organized the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Co., (separate from Brush-McCoy)., and, in 1933 the company came back together, and it was renamed the Nelson McCoy Pottery Co.
In 1950 all the buildings were destroyed by fire and rebuilt.
David Chase, of the Mt. Clemens Pottery Co. bought the company in 1967.
In 1974, the company was sold to the Lancaster Colony Corporation.
Finally, in 1985, the company was sold to Designer Accents, and continued until about 1990.

During the fifties, McCoy was one of, if not the largest, producer of pottery in the U.S.

THE ROOTS OF A BUCKEYE TRADITION

There are a lot of really good pottery companies in the United States, and quite a few of them were, or are in Ohio. Ohio has always been a hotspot for pottery, both along the Ohio river, and in and around the communities of Zanesville and Roseville.
It didn't take the early pioneers to Ohio long to discover that the clay soil might be a challenge to farming, but it was a boon to pottery making.
Companies such as Weller, Roseville, Hull, and, of course, Brush Mccoy, sprang up from the earliest roots of the home pottery businesses.
My particular love of the McCoy pottery started from it's affordability, and grew when I realized that these pieces were, more often then not, the loving, work of individuals, who put their own personalities and artistic creativity in each piece.
Through the years we talked to many people in the Zanesville area who told us that their grandmother worked at the McCoy factory, or their uncle, or their mother. Everyone knew someone who worked there. In an area where industry was scarce, these factories were important, and people who never dreamed that they had an artistic flair, or a creative urge went to work every day and became artists.
As we have collected pieces, we are sometimes awed at a piece that is undoubtedly McCoy, but painted in such a unique way that it is one of a kind. It has also made collecting more of a challenge!
There are many books on the market full of McCoy pottery, and still, there are pieces out there that were never cataloged. While, searching for the Spirit of 76 pattern, we soon discovered that we no sooner believed that we had every piece ever made than we found another one.
While collecting McCoy cookie jars is still our first love, we have branched out to some of the other McCoy pieces such as the Spirit of 76. The problem here was that when we found one piece, we needed to find another, since our goal was to have two complete sets for our sons, who were both born on the 4th of July, five years apart.
We also collected most of the wagon wheel planters, vases and lamps, which we discovered came in gray, green, yellow, brown and red.
McCoy was famous for manufacturing advertising pitchers for anyone from Welch's grape juice to Hershey's to Hiram Walker. They also did banks, ashtrays, and other advertising memorabilia for local towns.
I have collected a few of these pitchers, and a few of their many, many, wall pockets, but I finally had to draw the line somewhere.
So, off we go into another flea market season, and my husband, armed and outfitted with reference books and maps, like a big game hunter on safari, will undoubtedly track down another treasure!




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START OF AN ADDICTION !

A few years ago my family and I went to an antique show in Toledo, Ohio, and I happened to pick up three Indian hand-made pots that caught my eye. I also happened to mention that, since we are from Ohio, we should probably check out the pottery that was made in Ohio. I picked up some books, looked up some facts, and several weeks later, found a McCoy cookie jar at a local flea market. It was only $1.25, so we bought it. We also bought some books on McCoy cookie jars and other McCoy pottery. The following week, we found more, and then, began actively looking for anything marked McCoy.
Many flea markets, antique stores and garage sales later, I now have around 150 McCoy cookie jars, about 100 other pieces of McCoy pottery, and a husband who is the reigning authority on anything McCoy, including the market value, year made, and, believe it or not, what pieces we actually own, and what we do not!
Once we actually delved into this interesting Ohio company, we had to travel to see what is left of the old factory, and get a feel for the little town where so much of the population worked. You see the individuality in each piece, especially the cold painted articles, where each worker added or subtracted decoration and added their own interpretation.
It isn't the most expensive pottery by any means, but it is one of the most unique, as far as I am concerned.







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