19 Rare Vintage Cookie Jars Worth Money (Value Guide)

I remember the good old days when I used to help my mother as she baked my favorite cookies. Right from the furnace, the cookies would go into a ceramic masterpiece, an old cookie jar.

Having such vintage biscuit barrels on my shelf always makes me nostalgic. If you’re also looking for a rare vintage cookie jar with a unique story tagged along, this list is just for you!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Limited edition cookie jar collections such as H. Cavanagh’s Yellow Cab Jar and Holt Howard Smiling Tiger Jar are worth up to $1,000. 
  • Vintage silver and cut glass cookie jars with hallmarks and metal purity marks are also rare and valuable. 
  • Look for unique, limited-edition cookie jar models from famous vintage brands such as McCoy, Red Wing, Holt-Howards, & Philip Ashberry to get a rare one! 
  • Limited edition franchise cookie jars, like Disney’s Bambi Jar or Nickelodeon’s Nick@Nite Jar. 

How to Spot Rare Vintage Cookie Jars?

Vintage Cookie Jars

Old and vintage cookie jars will obviously have a handmade touch to them. But apart from rough edges, uneven painting lines, and raw designs, these features are what makes them rare:

  • Expensive materials like porcelain, silver, gold (gilded), & ceramic
  • Unique animal-shaped jars & animal themed designs
  • Figurials or thematic designs of famous cartoon characters or public figures
  • Part of a special, limited edition collection of renowned franchises
  • Marks of brand names, logos, model or serial numbers, origin, etc

List of 19 Vintage Cookie Jars Worth Money

Here are 19 exclusively rare, valuable cookie jars your cabinets are waiting for!

1. Antique Silver Hand Cut Glass Cookie Jar 

This rare antique cookie jar from the 1880s is a lavish piece, thanks to its silver-plated and cut glass body. Apart from unique geometrical cut glass patterns, you’d see a finely detailed carved hinged lid on top and a round-legged base.

Special Features to Verify: 

  • Ornate hand-carved scrolling design and bead border on the lid
  • Floral design and beaded border on the base
  • A beaded frame around the glass jar
Estimated Cost $1,000
Brand/MakerUnbranded
MaterialSilver Plate Metal, Cut Glass
StyleVictorian
Manufacturing Time Period1880s
OriginEngland

2. Brayton Laguna Accordion Player Woman Jar

Being a special model from the first pottery company to get the license to create Walt Disney character figurines, this Brayton Laguna jar is one of the rarest. It is designed as a pretty lady playing accordion.

Important Features to Look For: 

  • Accordion lady with black hair 
  • Disney-style ruffled white, turquoise, & black dress with floral patterns
  • A printed bandana on the head
Estimated Cost $1,000 – $2,000
Brand/MakerBrayton Laguna
MaterialCeramic
StyleCharacter-themed
Manufacturing Time Period1920s
OriginN/A

3. Holt Howard Smiling Tiger “Friends” Cookie Jar 

Millennials must remember that iconic smiling tiger jar from Monica and Rachel’s kitchen in Friends! Yes, although the model is not the one from the set, it’s a limited edition Holt-Howard jar marked Japan!

Important Features to Look For: 

  • Raised features on the body like eyes & nose and carved smiling mouth
  • Two opposite D-shaped pits on the lid to make the handle
  • “HOLT-HOWARD,” “1973,” “JAPAN,” and No. 2686 engraved at the base
Estimated Cost $1,000 or more
Brand/MakerHolt-Howard
MaterialCeramic, Porcelain
Item Height8 inches (Approx.)
StyleAnimal Figurial
Manufacturing Time Period1973
OriginJapan

4. McCoy Davy Crockett Cookie Jar

A special vintage jar from a prominent brand, this 1950s McCoy Davy Crockett Jar can be spotted with its female figurial face. The hair of the figurial makes the lid of this unique cookie jar.

Key Identification Features: 

  • Marked USA 
  • Hand-painted figurial face designs with red lipstick
  • Braided hairstyle
Estimated Cost $1,000 – $2,000
Brand/MakerUnbranded
MaterialCeramic
Item Height10 inches (Approx.)
StyleFigurial
Manufacturing Year1957
OriginUSA

5. Philip Ashberry’s 1850s Silver Plate Biscuit Barrel 

A dream of every antique silverware lover, this silver plate jar looks fantastic with its tapered, bell-shaped body! You’ll also see tiny round legs at the bottom and a lion-rampant handle at the top of the lid/barrel.

Special Features to Verify: 

  • Body covered in engraved celebratory garlands motifs, floral patterns, and cartouches
  • Two loop handles held by mythological goat-like creatures carved on the sides 
  • Purity and brand marks at the bottom
Estimated Cost $800 – $1,000
Brand/MakerPhilip Ashberry
MaterialSilver Plate
Item Height9 inches (Approx.)
StyleVictorian
Manufacturing Year1850
OriginSheffield, England

6. Vintage Henry Cavanagh Yellow Cab Ceramic Jar

A Henry Cavanagh’s limited edition, this cab-shaped jar looks vibrant with its yellow body, black print, and silver-colored details. As marked at the base, the edition had only 200 pieces in the run, making it highly sought-after.

Key Identification Features:

  • B/W checkered border around the jar’s mouth
  • Limited edition model name “Yellow Cab Co.” printed on the sides of the cab (Big City Cab Co. 
  • “H. Cavanagh Ceramicar” printed inside the lid & on the bottom
  • Model no. “43/200” printed on the base
Estimated Cost $900 – $1,000
Brand/MakerHenry Cavanagh
MaterialCeramic, Porcelain
Item Height9 inches (Approx.)
StyleVehicle-themed
Manufacturing Time Period1990s
OriginChina

7. Rare USA Pig Collectable Cookie Jar

This adorable pig figurial cookie jar hails from the USA. It features an adorable piglet wearing a light blue scarf and a black hat, which makes the jar’s lid. The hand-painted features of this jar make it valuable!

Notable Features to Verify: 

  • Black/Dark blue paws & tail and light pink blush on the face
  • USA marked near the tail
Estimated Cost $700
Brand/MakerUnbranded
MaterialCeramic
Item Height15 inches (Approx.)
StyleAnimal Figurial
Manufacturing Time Period1930s
OriginUSA

8. Unique Cauliflower Lady McCoy Cookie Jar

Another rare McCoy cookie jar you may not see often! This glazed ceramic jar can be identified with its unique character of a black Mammy holding a basket of cauliflowers in her hand.

Unique Features to Spot: 

  • Features a white dress, a red sash, & a yellow bandana around the head
  • “Cookies” embossed on the jar in yellow
  • “McCoy” marked at the bottom
Estimated Cost $700 – $1,000
Brand/MakerMcCoy
MaterialCeramic
Item Height11 inches (Approx.)
StyleCharacter-themed
Manufacturing Year1939
OriginUSA

9. Rare Wedgwood Yellow Jasperware Biscuit/Cookie Jar

This rare Jasperware jar displays a pastel yellow body with an intricate relief-sculpted black (dark gray) wavy border of a grapevine and black lion masks. The ovoid jar comes with a flat lid with a pointy tomb.

Special Features to Spot: 

  • Silver plate lid with a hinged handle 
  • “J” and “Wedgwood” carved at the bottom
  • EPNS marked on the metal handle and lid
Estimated Cost $600 – $700
Brand/MakerWedgwood
MaterialStone (Jasperware)
Item Height10 inches (Approx.) with Raised Handle
StyleRelief Mold
Manufacturing Year1881
OriginN/A

10. Mid-Century McCoy Pottery Oak Leaf Corner Jar

This unique corner-style cookie jar from McCoy is shaped like an oak with its leaf. It features beautiful shades like off-white, warm green, and brown, justifying its Mid-Century make.

Special Identification Features: 

  • Triangular corner jar
  • Ornate handmade details on the lid and oak leaf
  • Free-standing base
  • USA marked at the bottom
Estimated Cost $600
Brand/MakerMcCoy
MaterialPottery
Item Height9 inches (Approx.)
StyleMid-Century
Manufacturing Time Period1950s – 1960s
OriginUSA

11. Red Wing King Of Tarts Cookie Jar

This rare Red Wing cookie jar looks extremely unique with its design of a king holding a bag of “tarts” with its crown as a lift-off lid. The jar offers stability as the king is designed in a sitting position with his legs crossed.

Key Features: 

  • A scepter in the right hand of the king
  • Hearts printed around the crown, geometric patterns on the clothes
  • “RED WING USA” marked engraved at the bottom along with Red Wing Pottery’s printed logo
Estimated Cost $500 – $600
Brand/MakerRed Wing Pottery
MaterialCeramic, Porcelain
Item Height10 inches (Approx.)
StyleFigurial, Character-themed
Manufacturing Time Period1950s
OriginUSA

12. Rare Shawnee USN Sailor Boy Cookie Jar

This special USN cookie jar is a must-have for army-lover collectors! Designed as a cute chubby sailor, this jar features minimal floral motifs on the sailor’s white and blue uniform, adorned with a scarf and a Dixie Cup hat.

Notable Features to Look For: 

  • U.S.N printed on the front of the hat, GOB (Good Ole Boy) printed on the side
  • A shiny golden scarf around the neck
  • USA marked on the base
Estimated Cost $400 – $700
Brand/MakerShawnee Pottery Company
MaterialPottery
Item Height11.5 inches (Approx.)
StyleFigurial
Manufacturing Time Period1920s – 1940s
OriginUSA

13. Lefton Pink Poodle Chef Jar

This adorable Lefton cookie jar features the head of a cute poodle chef. It’s made of ceramic and is hand-painted with baby pink shades, topped with a white toque as the lid’s handle.

Special Features to Verify: 

  • Curly pink hair on poodle’s head
  • Marked ‘Japan’ at the base
  • Detailed hand-painted features like eyes, lashes, muzzle, & mouth
  • A blue lace around toque (chef’s hat)
Estimated Cost $700 – $800
Brand/MakerLefton
MaterialCeramic
StyleCharacter-themed
Manufacturing YearN/A
OriginJapan

14. Royal Worcester English Porcelain Gilded Cookie Jar

Flaunting its bright off-white body and a gleaming golden handle, this jar is worth a spot in your collection! Accompanied by a matching gilded underplate, it displays beautiful gilded floral motifs all around.

Identification Features: 

  • Matte finish
  • Royal Worcester’s hallmark, the letter ‘a,’ and product number printed at the base of jar & saucer
  • Lid featuring a matching floral pattern with a golden handle & border
Estimated Cost $300 – $400
Brand/MakerRoyal Worcester
MaterialPorcelain
Item Height7 inches (Approx.)
StyleArt Nouveau
Manufacturing Year1890
OriginEngland

15. Vintage Disney Bambi Cookie Jar 

This rare vintage cookie jar will make you nostalgic! Featuring a classic white body, this jar features the beloved character from the 40s, Bambi, and his friends. You will also see some hand-painted colorful flowers.

Key Features to Spot: 

  • Lift-off lid with a knob with Bambi painted on it
  • “Walt Disney Productions” printed on the jar and “860” marked at the base
Estimated Cost $200
Brand/MakerWalt Disney
MaterialCeramic
Item Height10 inches (Approx.)
StyleCharacter-themed (Walt Disney Franchise)
Manufacturing Year1950
OriginN/A

16. Vintage Nickelodeon Nick at Night Cookie Jar

Are you a fan of Nick@Nite? Then this vintage Nickelodeon’s special cookie jar is for you! Made in the 1990s, this jar is shaped like a vintage TV with “Nick at Nite” painted on the screen.

Special Features to Verify: 

  • One of the limited edition collections with only 4000 models made in the 1993 holiday season
  • Hand-painted and hand-finished
  • A cute vase (handle) on the lid 
Estimated Cost $200
Brand/MakerNickelodeon Franchise
MaterialCeramic
Item Height10 ½ inches (Approx.)
StyleFranchise 
Manufacturing Year1993
OriginN/A

17. Rare Hand-Painted Metlox Humpty Dumpty Jar

This adorable Humpty Dumpty Jar is a hard find! Manufactured by Metlox, you can spot this jar with its unique form of Humpty Dumpty sitting on a block. The figurial jar is wearing a white & blue coat, a yellow scarf, and a white & yellow hat as the lid.

Key Features to Identify: 

  • Detailed hand-painted features & thematic clothes
  • “METLOX,” “CALIF,” & “USA” engraved at the bottom
  • Rough-edged on the jar’s mouth
Estimated Cost $300
Brand/MakerMetlox
MaterialCeramic
Item Height12 inches (Approx.)
StyleThematic
Manufacturing Time PeriodN/A
OriginUSA

18. Carlton Ware biscuit barrel; Wiltshaw & Robinson cookie jar

This rare Carlton Ware cookie jar will surely grab your attention with its hand-painted off-white porcelain body and silver plate lid. The jar is hand-decorated with beautiful floral motifs in soothing colors.

Special Features to Verify: 

  • Beautiful roses hand-painted in pastel colors
  • Metal lid with jointed uniquely shaped handle
Estimated Cost $200
Brand/MakerCarlton Ware, Made by Wiltshaw & Robinson
MaterialPorcelain, Silver
Item Height8 inches (Approx.) with Handle Closed
StyleShabby Chic, Floral
Manufacturing Time Period1880s – 1930s
OriginEngland

19. Vintage Clay Art Marilyn Monroe Cookie Jar 

This Marilyn Monroe-themed cookie jar from the 1990s is surely a rare piece! Featuring a detailed, hand-painted Monroe figurial with a white top and wavy blonde hair, this unique jar is worth a bid.

Valuable Features to Spot: 

  • Realistic features like blue eyes, thin brows, red lipstick, & red painted nails
  • Lid at the back
  • CA carved and Marilyn Monroe signature tag printed at the bottom
Estimated Cost $100 – $200
Brand/MakerClay Art
MaterialCeramic, Porcelain
Item Height13 inches (Approx.)
StyleFigurial
Manufacturing Time Period1990s
OriginN/A

Cookie jars are nostalgic in themselves. When you add a rare vintage cookie jar to your shelf, it will outshine like nothing else. So, pick your favorite cookie jar from this list now. But why just a cookie jar? Find the rarest antique dishes and rare piggy banks, too, to upgrade your collection!

Judith Miller
Judith Miller

Judith is an antique expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the field of antique identification and valuation. She has reviewed over 30 thousand vintage items and has worked with numerous antique shops. She enjoys seeing new places, attending antique shows and events, and sharing her knowledge with people! Know more about me

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