Antiques Know How Research
Advertising Cookie Jars Value
Antiques Know How’s in-depth study of hundreds of eBay sales found that advertising cookie jars sell for $25 to $500+, with limited editions going for $400 or more. Popular collectibles are Pepsi jars, Dairy Queen jars, Tony the Tiger jars, Oreo jars, Hamburglar jars, Coca-Cola jars, and Pillsbury Doughboy jars. Value depends on brand fame, maker quality, rarity, condition, original boxes, and license stamps.
Antiques Know How
There’s no doubt that vintage cookie jars are common and functional kitchen collectibles, but certain types are much more than that! Advertising cookie jars, for example, are brand memorabilia that brand enthusiasts collect.
Such special jars were made in limited numbers, often in connection with some promotional campaigns or by now-defunct licensed producers. And this is why they command a higher price than regular ceramic jars of similar age and quality!
In this guide, you’ll see some of the most popular and valuable advertising cookie jars and their values, and understand what differentiates between a $15 jar and a $500 gem!
Popular Types of Advertising Cookie Jars
Makers used various types of cookie jars to advertise different brands and products. Some of the most common categories are:
- Mascot-Based Jars: The most collectible type, these jars are designed in the shape of popular brand character icons such as Tony the Tiger or the Hamburglar.
- Product-Shaped Jars: These jars are designed in the shape of the advertised product, such as an Oreo cookie jar or a Coca-Cola bottle jar.
- Outlet-Based Jars: These jars are designed to resemble the brand’s original store or building, such as the Dairy Queen store cookie jar.
- Commemorative Jars: These jars are a part of a set released to commemorate the brand’s anniversaries and milestones.
- Promotional Jars: These are premium jars designed by famous brands such as McCoy and Treasure Craft.
Valuable Advertising Cookie Jars to Find Now!
Now, let’s take a look at some highly collectible advertising cookie jars from renowned brands!
1. Pepsi Cola “Pepsi & Pete” Cookie Jars
| Average Value | $200 – $400 per pair |
| Production Period | Limited Edition (multiple years) |
| Brand | PepsiCo |
| Maker | Pottery by JD |
| Collectibility | Very High |
| Collector Notes | Check for “Pottery by JD” & the PepsiCo trademark |
Pottery by JD, a small American studio, made these Pepsi advertising jars in a limited edition of only 250 numbered sets. Each set includes two 1930s-era “Pepsi cop” character jars, “Pepsi” and “Pete!”
Authentic Pottery by JD pieces have 24-karat gold trim on the buttons, badges, and hat details. These jars are an example of the brand’s early comic strip advertising, making them historically significant. Plus, their limited production makes them rare!
2. Dairy Queen Advertising Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $100 – $200+ |
| Production Period | 1970s – 1980s |
| Brand | Dairy Queen |
| Maker | Unknown (Promotional) |
| Collectibility | High (Rare) |
This rare cookie jar is modeled after the classic Dairy Queen store with red roof and blue windows, making it super popular. It also shows the classic DQ soft-serve cone logo with the signature “curl” on top, and reads “Cones Malts Sundaes” on the front.
Unlike Coca-Cola or McDonald’s jars, which were made in large licensed runs, Dairy Queen jars appear to have had much more limited production.
Such fast food chains’ “building” jars are often actively collected today.
3. “Tony the Tiger” Kellogg’s Cereal Advertising Jar
| Average Value | $50 – $150 (with box) |
| Production Period | 2000 – 2002 |
| Brand | Kellogg’s / Frosted Flakes |
| Maker | Gibson Housewares (International) |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
| Collector Notes | Check “Kellog’s” & Gibson stamp |
This Tony the Tiger jar by Gibson Housewares is modeled as Kellogg’s popular Frosted Flakes mascot, making it easily recognizable. The company made these 12-inch ceramic jars starting around 2000 under a full Kellogg’s license.
The 2000 and 2001 versions used a certain facial expression and paint style that Gibson changed in 2002. The 2000s runs are more collectible, especially with the original box!
4. M&M Characters Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $60 – $135 |
| Production Period | 1990s – 2000s |
| Brand | Mars / M&M’s |
| Maker | Various (Galerie, etc.) |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
| Collector Notes | Check M&M trademark on the base |
Mars licensed several companies over the years to produce different M&M’s character ceramic jars. The most collected is the multi-character version showing Red, Yellow, Green, and other M&M characters attached together.
This design was associated with the M&M’s World retail stores and Mars promotional campaigns.
These multi-character M&M jars with the full cast fetch more than single-character jars, like those by Galerie! The “M&M’s World” out-of-the-bag version is another collectible design.
5. McDonald’s “Hamburglar” Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $80 – $150 (with original box) |
| Production Period | 1997 |
| Brand | McDonald’s |
| Maker | Treasure Craft |
| Collectibility | Very High |
| Collector Notes | Impressed Treasure Craft mark on base |
Treasure Craft made this Hamburglar jar in 1997 as part of a licensed McDonald’s collection. It stands roughly 12 inches tall and features the Hamburglar character holding a tray of hamburgers.
Treasure Craft was one of the most respected licensed ceramic producers in the US before being acquired and eventually closed. Plus, McDonald’s memorabilia is among the most actively collected fast food categories globally.
This makes McDonald’s advertising jars highly collectible today. This Hamburglar jar usually trades at $80–$150 when the original box is present.
6. Keebler Millennium “Hollow Tree” Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $80 – $150 (with box) |
| Production Period | 2000 (1st Edition) |
| Brand | Keebler |
| Maker | Keebler Company |
| Collectibility | High |
| Collector Notes | Edition number marked in the base |
This Keebler Millennium Hollow Tree jar was made in 2000 as a limited, numbered edition of 20,000 pieces. Each jar carries its individual number, making it a proper limited-edition collectible.
The design features the Keebler Elves Ernie, Elmer, and Ma Keebler at their “Hollow Tree” bakery; the same tree used in Keebler advertising since the 1960s. This jar is the first of the company’s “Collectible Cookie Jar Series!”
Earlier Keebler tree jars made by McCoy (1981) and Royal Haeger are also collectible, with the Haeger version being the harder find due to its special-order-only distribution.
7. Coca-Cola “Polar Bear” Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $40 – $80 |
| Production Period | 1998 |
| Brand | Coca-Cola |
| Maker | Teleflora |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
| Collector Notes | Check backstam for authenticity |
This Coca-Cola advertising jar by Teleflora shows a cuddly polar bear in a Santa hat. He’s holding a bottle of Coke in one hand, and a cub in the other.
Teleflora made various versions of this jar as promotional holiday items. You can verify the authenticity by the “Marketed by Teleflora/1998 The Coca Cola Company” stamp on the jar’s base.
Because Coca-Cola has one of the largest collector bases in the world, these jars maintain moderate demand and collector value!
8. Pillsbury “Doughboy” Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $40 – $90 (used) |
| Production Period | 1988 |
| Brand | Pillsbury |
| Maker | Benjamin & Medwin, Inc. (New York) |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy, debuted in 1965 and became one of the most recognized advertising mascots in American food history. Three cookie Pillsbury are collected today: the McCoy (circa 1973), the Benjamin & Medwin (1988), and the Danbury Mint (later).
The 1988 Benjamin & Medwin is the most common of the three, but the bankrupt maker’s closure makes it rare. It’s a white ceramic har with painted blue eyes, and the Pillsbury decal on the Doughboy’s hat!
9. Nabisco Stacked Oreo Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $40 – $90 |
| Production Period | 1990s |
| Brand | Nabisco / Oreo |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
| Collector Notes | “The Nabisco Classics Collection” stamp on the base |
This Oreo advertising jar looks like a tall stack of giant Oreo cookies with a small Oreo character as the lid handle. Oreo has been the best-selling cookie in the US since 1912, making these jars steadily desirable.
Also, this jar was a part of a series of Oreo-branded collectibles produced across the 1990s, and is among the most recognizable snack-themed jars for the Nabisco brand!
10. Wally Amos “Chip and Cookie” Jars
| Average Value | $25 – $60 (with original box) |
| Production Period | 1990s |
| Brand | Famous Amos / Wally Amos |
| Collectibility | Moderate |
Wally Amos, the founder of Famous Amos, released these “Chip and Cookie” character jars to promote literacy (via the “Read To Me” theme) and his new brand. The set includes two ceramic jars: “Chip” (a boy with a cap) and “Cookie” (a girl with a flower hat).
Original sets also included a quote plaque featuring Wally Amos’s photo and his saying, “Cookies Are Love You Have To Share.” The first in a limited collector series. These sets with the original box and quote plaque sell for $30–$60 today!
11. Campbell’s Soup Kids Cookie Jar
| Average Value | $25 – $60 |
| Production Period | 1998 |
| Brand | Campbell’s Soup |
| Maker | Benjamin & Medwin, Inc. |
| Collectibility | Moderate to High |
| Collector Notes | Check the license stamp on the base |
Created by Benjamin & Medwin, this jar features the classic Campbell’s Soup in chef attire, peering over the edge of the jar. The jar itself is styled after the iconic red-and-white Campbell’s soup can.
The design is inspired by the 1904 mascots that defined the brand’s “M’m! M’m! Good!” image, marking its 100th anniversary of condensed soup.
Benjamin & Medwin made Campbell’s jars across several years. But these 1998 anniversary versions are the most traded collectibles in this line!
What Makes an Advertising Cookie Jar Valuable?
The value of vintage advertising cookie jars can range from $15 to a stunning $500. The difference between the two comes down to several factors.
- Brand Reputation: Cookie jars from big national or international brands’ culture are of greater value to collectors. Examples are Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Oreo, and Kellogg’s. Lesser-known brand jars have smaller collector bases and lower value.
- Maker Reputation. The maker is the second-most-important value driver. Jars produced by Treasure Craft, McCoy, Pottery by JD, and similar respected makers are more valuable than generic licensed ceramics. So, do your research to find out who made the jar.
- Status: When the company that made the jar, or the company that licensed it, no longer exists, the existing pieces become more desirable. Benjamin & Medwin’s bankruptcy is a good example!
- Limited Production: Jars made in numbered limited editions (like the Keebler Millennium at 20,000 pieces or Pepsi & Pete at 250 sets) have built-in rarity. Such jars usually command a premium over standard advertising jars.
- Condition (Paint): Most advertising jars use cold-painted decoration (paint applied after glazing), which chips and rubs more easily. Any chipping on faces, logos, or character details, as well as severe cracks in the jar, can significantly hurt the value.
- Original Box & Tags: For jars made from the 1980s onward, the original box often doubles the value. Collectors specifically love “new in box” or “mint in box” examples. A jar without its box is still collectible, but the box adds more value.
Note: This article is intended for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Some images are illustrative and may not represent actual brands, products, or related entities. All trademarks, product names, brand logos, packaging, and other intellectual property referenced remain the exclusive property of their respective owners. Any brand mentions or references are provided solely for descriptive and educational context and do not imply any formal or commercial association.
