Reproductions - McCoy Cookie Jars and More...

REPRODUCTIONS - learn why they just don't measure up to the originals!

This site will provide reproduction information. Unfortunately, there is so much "pottery territory" to cover, we had to break it down into sections:

This site will provide reproduction information. Unfortunately, there is so much "pottery territory" to cover, we had to break it down into sections: Reproduction Cookie Jars, Fakes, Commemoratives, and McCoy Pottery Look-a-Likes;

Definitions

	Reproductions are cookie jars and pottery made by someone other than the original manufacturer, to the likeness of an earlier piece, and marked using an original vintage mark - not the mark of the current pottery. They items are resold in today's collectors market, often misrepresented as vintage original items. Their value - a fraction of the original! Reproductions, even when sold as reproductions, will eventually work their way into the hands of an unsuspecting person - hurting the overall antique and collectible business. Often made by casting a mold from the original piece, reproductions will usually be 6-10% shorter than the original. On a good size jar, that could be a full inch shorter. That is a noticeable difference. On smaller pottery items, it can be barely distinguishable. Pictured to the left is a reproduction McCoy Mammy Cookie Jar.
	Fakes , the remaining bunch of pottery marked McCoy that was never made by McCoy. The market is flooded with newly made imitation pieces of what might have been imports or ceramic pieces from just about anywhere, many made in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They are appearing everywhere, they are now marked McCoy with the hopes of bringing a higher price tag. Examples include stringholders, something McCoy never made. Others are simply figural knick knacks of and whatchamacallits all being falsely marked McCoy. Use caution. Here we've pictured a fake string holder, marked McCoy.
	What are Commemoratives? Unlike reproductions, commemorative cookie jars are produced with the license, permission or public knowledge and are marked accordingly. Often done to "commemorate" a special piece or event, commemorative jars are produced and openly sold to collectors for a fair market value. They are often limited in production. Commemorative jars are sometimes produced from the original mold and therefore can be the same size as the original. If the mold was made from an original jar, the commemoratives will likely be smaller from shrinkage as with reproductions. Usually commemorative jars are done so in a limited number, with permission from the potter of the original jar, and are marked in a manner that is distinguishable from the original. In this respect, commemoratives are not created with the intent of deceitful sales. Opinions differ on whether or not commemoratives have a negative affect on the market value of the originals. Shown here is the Commemorative Pontiac Indian Cookie Jar done by George Williams, originally a McCoy jar from the 1950s.
	Look-a-Likes, for the purpose of this site, are pieces that look like the real McCoy, but are not. They are made by a variety of other companies or by hobbyist. These items strongly resemble the original but have details, which once studied and identified, will allow a discerning collector the opportunity to differentiate the original from the knock-off. How do they come into being? By chance - (perhaps the idea was stolen, but the mold was not!) These Look -a-likes are made by other companies independent of the original piece. They are not made by using a McCoy original as a mold. This doesn't mean a look-a-like wasn't inspired by someone else's work, but they didn't illegally copy someone else's original pieces. They can still be confusing to collectors and can impact the market value of originals. The Chic and Kries flower vases definitely look like the McCoy flower forms, yet their colors do not imitate McCoy's, they are marked by Chic and Kreis in the glaze, and their size and detail differ from McCoy. They could confuse a new collector, but we presume their was no mal-intent on the part of the other ceramic companies and they do not seem to have impacted the value of McCoy Flower Forms. Additionally, these look a likes were made many years ago, not recently to capitalize and imitating a vintage item. McCoy Look a Likes

McCoy Reproduction Cookie Jars

This section covers reproduction cookie jars, which for the most part are marked McCoy. There are exceptions which are included. These reproductions are modeled after original jars made by the Nelson McCoy Pottery as well as other potteries. We will describe the mark on the reproduction, the mark of the original maker, and the side by side photographs which will have the reproduction or fake on the left and the real McCoy on the right. You can remember this easily by right is right! Sadly, reproductions are hitting the market faster than we can post the information.
We encourage anyone who can provide reproduction pictures to do so. A photograph of the original along side the reproduction would be ideal, but we know that isn't always possible, so include what you can; the mark, the size, the color and where it was spotted.

	Davy Crockett Right is Right - Left is a reproduction. Made by McCoy in 1957, the original Davy CJ is 10 1/4" high and is marked USA on the bottom. In 1994 reproductions of Davy Crockett surfaced - believing to have their origin in Ohio. The reproductions are marked the same (USA) but they don't measure up. The reproduction is barely 9 1/2" tall making height a good way to tell whether or not it is "the real McCoy!"
	Chairman of the Board The Chairman of the Board was produced in 1985. It was designed during the brief time that Lancaster Colony owned McCoy. It came in two versions - maroon and brown pants. Both the original and reproduction are marked 162-USA. The original Chairman stands 10 5/8" tall (we couldn't get him to divulge his waist measurement) and the reproduction is 9 3/4". Once again - height can help you determine the authenticity of this cookie jar.
	McCoy Mammy Cookie Jar Front Original Mammy is a full 11 inches tall and does come in white, yellow, and aqua. The bottom is marked McCoy and has a glazed bottom with a dry ring foot. Details on this example are cold painted, on top of the glaze and show much wear. The reproduction jar is 10 1/4", noticeably smaller all around. Unfortunately it is marked the same and the cold painted details can be scratched to look as if it has aged. Height is the best indicator to help authenticate the jar as genuine.
Reproduction Hull/Regal Original	Little Red Riding Hood Left: Reproduction is 12" tall, marked McCoy or B.M. Hull You do not need to measure the height to be sure you are looking at a reproduction. The Nelson McCoy Company in Roseville Ohio NEVER made Little Red Riding Hood. If its marked McCoy, it is not the original cookie jar. There are other reproductions of this jar in the marketplace. Right: Original is 12 3/4" and is marked Little Red Riding Hood Pat Design No 135889 USA.
Reproduction Regal Original	Regal Goldilocks Reproduction Goldilocks is 11 inches tall and marked on the bottom Brush McCoy 4749 "Goldilocks." Other color combinations have been found in the reproductions. Right: Regal Goldilocks (what a GREAT jar) is marked 405 Goldilocks Pat-Pending and the Regal jar stands 11 3/4 inches tall.

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