[Mccoypottery-talk] Brush McCoy Repro...

[Mark Clark]

I haven't written to the list in a long time but had to add my two-cents on the Brush-McCoy cookie jar.  Many who subscribed to this list are familiar with Red Huston with his vast knowledge and years of experience with selling/dealing with cookie jars - particularly McCoy.  I know that he is good friends with the McCoys and attends many jar shows.  I met him last spring at his store in Diamond, Missouri which was an incredible experience seeing a shop dedicated to just pottery - jars/vases/planters/wall pockets.  If you ever get the opportunity, it is quite a sight to see.  I don't collect any cookie jars but have collected McCoy vases/planters for 18 years now.  I was fortunate enough to buy the green McCoy mailbox wallpocket from him - I've looked for it for years.  

Red was trying to fill me in on the latest "repros" he had run into.  His last comment on repros was this:  And if you ever, ever, ever run into a piece marked "Brush-McCoy," run as fast as you can as Brush McCoy marked their pieces ONLY as Brush - NEVER Brush-McCoy.  He said it was a dead giveaway of a repro...  

Red and Mary Ann's Huston's email address on their business card is:  memorylane@4state.com
Someone may want to contact him for further elaboration or just to get his opinion on the subject.  Red,  I'm sorry if you get bombarded with emails!!!!  My most embarrassing moment in life is bragging to Red about getting the Retirement Mug given to employees when Nelson and Billie retired in 1981.  I told him I had just bought it from a man at the Anderson, MO flea market.  He said that it was so funny, his brother had just sold one of those mugs at the Anderson, MO flea market...

I don't collect cookie jars just because of the vast confusion between real and not real - at the prices they go at these days, I can't afford to be wrong.  New collectors:  please, please do your homework and research marks, dates, glazes, mold shapes, sizes, anything you can before investing in a lot of jars.  Do be wary of jars at auctions that keep appearing on a somewhat frequent basis.  The same goes for Roseville pottery too.  Nothing is more heartbreaking than to be proud of your new great "find" only to find out it really isn't so great...

On another note, I would love for everyone to email with their favorite find in their collection.  I know what mine is and have often wondered what others were.  To me, a great find (or "score") is either a more rare piece or a piece that the dealer didn't know what it was and it was so cheap you practically stole it!!!  I'd also like to read some stories about the great lengths collectors went to in order to get a piece.  I know the quest can be relentless!

Hope to hear from some of you!

Kelly (gottahavemccoys)