Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Real McCoy

           Be warned.  Collecting McCoy pottery is addicting.  With hundreds of designs in a plethora of colors to choose from, you may find yourself adding shelf space to display your finds.  McCoy is fun, affordable, and fairly easy to find as you get started.


            McCoy began in America’s heartland—Muskingum County, Ohio.  Ohio is also home to Shawnee, Hull, Weller, and Roseville, all popular with collectors, but McCoy became the country’s largest pottery manufacturer, making more product than all the other companies combined.  


Today, you can find the pottery at a variety of places from yard sales to antique stores, many for less than $10.  The McCoy family began producing their pottery in the late 19th century and continued for four generations.  Their first pieces were functional—crocks and cookware for everyday use.  In the 1930s and 40s, McCoy introduced vases, cachepots, and novelty shapes like animals and fish for flowers and plants. 


After WWII ended, McCoy’s popularity soared, and the company developed hundreds of new styles to meet public demand.  At that time, the pottery was sold in five-and-dime stores.  The massive volume of production then is why pieces are still readily available today.


            Each design and line had names such as Blossom Time and Hobnail.  Collectors could mix and match patterns in different styles—such as a pitcher that matched a flowerpot.  The colors used were in line with midcentury tastes:  glazed turquoise, pink, yellow, and green.  


Today, collectors have the choice of specializing in certain colors, styles, or decades.  “Lunch hour” pieces are intriguing to most collectors; they were painted by McCoy employees on their lunch hours in colors that didn’t match the rest of the collections the company put out, so one may find unexpected designs in one-of-a-kind colors.


            Be sure to look for the McCoy mark on the bottom of pieces.  There are copycat pottery company products that may fool you, but as your collection grows, your eye will become trained to recognize the distinctive glaze and color of McCoy. 


Dedicated collectors have formed the McCoy Pottery Collectors’ Society that puts out a quarterly journal for members.  Every July a week long Pottery Lovers Reunion is held in Zanesville, Ohio where people come to buy, sell, look, learn, and trade stories.  Some collectors have amassed hundreds and even thousands of pieces. 

            This spring, a great piece to start your McCoy collection with is the simple flowerpot.  Imagine some violets in a bright colored pot on your windowsill, and the hunt will begin!




Source:   “McCoy Pottery,” Country Gardens, Early Spring 2014, pp. 68-73.

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