Roseville Cookie Jars
The Roseville Pottery Company was founded in 1890, by George Young. Roseville initially produced simple utilitarian ware such as flower pots, stoneware, umbrella stands, cuspidors, and limited painted ware. The company enjoyed a great deal of early success, and by 1898 Young moved his Roseville Pottery to nearby Zanesville, Ohio, fifteen miles north of Roseville. After the move Roseville began to compete in the art pottery fields, with the introduction of its Rozane line, followed shortly by such lines as Fudgi, Crystalis, Della Robbia, and Aztec. In the early teens as demand for the more expensive, handcrafted art pottery declined Roseville shifted its production back to a more commercial style pottery. It was this ability to nimbly adapt to market conditions that contributed to Roseville's success in the first half of the twentieth century.
World War II necessitated another production change for Roseville pottery. During this time period, Roseville introduced the Clematis, Freesia, Magnolia, Water Lily and Zephyr Lily lines. As a part of was these lines, cookie jars were also included. However, unlike many of the other vintage cookie jar manufacturers Roseville didn't make a lot of different designs and shapes. The five listed above and one in the "glossy utility" line is all that are known.
Roseville sales began to decline sharply in the latter half of the 1940s and early 1950s, due in large part to cheaper foreign imports. They were forced to permanently cease operations in 1954 and in November of that year the facilities where sold to the Mosaic Tile company.
Today, Roseville pottery represents the most widely known and most collectible art pottery ever produced, and their cookie jars are are highly prized by cookie jar collectors as well as Roseville collectors. This dual collectibility, along with scarceness, has succeeded in keeping their prices at a high level.
Identifying Vintage Roseville Cookie Jars
Almost all Roseville cookie jars left the factory with marks. You can usually indentfy them by the distinctive "Roseville U.S.A." logo on the bottom. However the "gloss utility" jar just carried the capital letter "R" followed by a number, then U.S.A.
Vintage Roseville Cookie Jar Prices
As is true of all collectibles the "law of supply and demand" controls prices, and Roseville cookie jars are no exception. There are only six known styles and with the exception of the "gloss utility" jar they can be found in the $200 to $500 price range depending on condition.
One of the easiest ways to get an idea of the value of a particular jar, or to find out how much yours may be worth, is to see if any others like it have sold recently on eBay. And if so at what price? Do this by going to eBay Here
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It is important to note that the following cookie jars are auction listings, over which this site has no control with respect to their vintage authenticity. Collectors should take the precautions outlined in "Fakes and Counterfeits" prior to bidding on any vintage cookie jar over $100.
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