Trash to Treasure - The Story of a McCoy Pink & Blue Stoneware Bowl

Trash to Treasure - The Story of a McCoy Pink & Blue Stoneware Bowl

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," or so the cliche goes.  But is that true?  Can something that is totally worthless to one person actually have value for someone else?

The answer to this question came to me quite unexpectedly.  I was in my late teens or early twenties at the time.  I had begun to acquire quite a bit of knowledge of pottery and glass collectibles and antiques.  My mother and I had been selling on Ebay for a few years, and we had discovered that some antique & collectible items just would not sell on Ebay so we began exploring additional markets for some of our finds.

One day I learned that an antique mall had been opened in Monteagle, Tennessee.  After talking with the owner, Mama and I decided to rent a booth.  We stocked the booth with a variety of items hoping that someone would find some pieces they just couldn't pass on.  Soon, I found myself going by the antique mall and hanging out with the owner.  I shared my knowledge of pottery and glass while she educated me about jewelry.

One morning she called to tell me that a man from Germany had come by to see if she was interested in buying some items.  His mother who lived in Sewanee, TN, on the campus of the University of the South had passed away.  She had left behind some antiques and collectibles that her son was either unable or unwilling to take back to Germany.

Mama and I were so excited.  We hurried to the antique mall, met up with the owner, and made our way to Sewanee.  Many of the items for sale were out of our budget, and we purchased very little that day.  In fact, I can't recall a single item we bought.  However, there was on treasure we did bring home with us.  At the back of the house was a large trash can.  Broken bottles, antique dishes and pieces of pottery filled the can.  Unashamedly, I dug through the contents.  A few layers down I dug out a 1920s Nelson McCoy Pottery pink and blue band mixing bowl.  It was the 5" diameter size...the rarest size you can find in this pattern.  Although the bowl was cracked, to Mama and me it was a great find to add to our collection.  This man, whose mother had left the bowl behind when she passed away, had seen the bowl as a cracked, worthless piece of trash.  To us, however, it was a treasure to bring home and display proudly above the kitchen cabinets.  So, there it sits in its place of honor --- a treasure rescued from someone's trash amid other treasures all with a story to tell if only an audience of busy passersby will listen.

"One man's trash TRULY is another man's treasure."



Real, Fake, Fantasy - An Explanation of McCoy Pottery

So you have a piece of pottery marked McCoy and you're wondering...is it Real, Fake, or a Fantasy Item?  Well...here is a easy explaination.  In the late 1800s making stoneware and utilitarian pieces.  It was started in Ohio and was a family business.  The business expanded and became the McCoy pottery we are all familiar with, Nelson McCoy pottery.  However, the founders of McCoy did not register their trademark so anyone could legally make pottery and place McCoy on the bottom and it be the exact mark they were using.  This was found out in the early 1990s by a man named Roger Jensen.  He was from Rockwood, TN and began making pottery with his business partner, Larry Martin.  Martin and Jensen at the time were making pottery by the truckloads (literally).  I have actually seen the warehouse that he used back then and it was a huge building with loading docks for tractor trailers and all. The cookie jar business has since fallen and that building has not been in use since the 1990s.  His items were the first items that were made and marked McCoy but were not Nelson McCoy pottery. However, Jensen and Martin using the McCoy mark was perfectly legal because of the trademark never being applied for.  It did cause a major headache in the antiques community, however, cause now you had old Nelson McCoy and then all this new stuff that looked old but was not in any reference guides.  Back then, Martin and Jensen's cookie jars would bring hundreds of dollars each because no one knew the difference and unscrupulous wouldn't tell the difference.  Recently, I saw one of Jensen's Luzianne Tea Mammy Cookie Jars sell for $200 on an antiques website (not mine)...and it was sold as being a cookie jar not made by Nelson McCoy but newer McCoy item.  So, their items are now becoming collectible even with people knowing they're not Nelson McCoy. Jensen briefly held the patent for the McCoy mark and Jensen McCoy mark, however, he lost it after a short amount of time for an unknown reason.  Jensen and Martin finally split up and went their separate ways, both still making their own versions of jars.  Several years ago a company in Georgia applied for the patent for McCoy and Shawnee pottery.  This company now owns all trademark rights to McCoy and Shawnee.  They import their items from China, however, the quality is good.  It is not as good as USA made items, but they are very beautiful and acceptable cookie jars.  These are all legal imports and are good sellers on Ebay, flea markets, antique shows, etc.  So there you have it...they all are real cookie jars but you just have to know which manufacturer made your jar to determine values.  Some items called "Fantasy" pieces (that is what people call items not originally made by the Nelson McCoy pottery) are not fantasy pieces at all.  They are just new originals made by these other companies...so...know your products that you're buying...Old Nelson McCoy, 1980s to circa 2000 Roger Jensen and Larry Martin McCoy or Brand New Licensed and Trademarked McCoy from the company that currently holds the rights to manufacture.  I sell the New McCoy on my website http://www.memoriesgeneralstore.com/ and this is all from the company is Georgia.  Nice, Fine Quality imports.  I have some of the cheapest prices out there for these beautiful cookie jars.  I have carried Jensen and Martin's jars and wares in the past, however, I am pretty sure that Martin retired and no longer makes any pottery items.  Jensen is not making pottery like he was either. I talked to a dealer some time ago and he told me that Jensen had not sold him any wares in about 9 or 10 months, so undoubtedly it's just not as profitable for them as it once was.  HOWEVER, supply and demand will take hold and that mean's Jensen and Martin's cookie jars will be going up in value.  I've not had the opportunity to buy any of Martin's jars for about 5 or 6 years now and I haven't been able to buy any pottery wares from Jensen for about 3 or 4 years now. I hope this helps all of you collectors and dealers who haven't been able to figure this out thru the years.