The Magic Question ... How Much is it Worth?

It's always tricky to answer that question precisely as price may vary over time. It is important to understand that two identical items might sell for very different prices depending on; who the seller is, where the object is sold, the timing, the provenance, etc. Even though, it's is reasonable to believe that past prices will make a great prediction on average, of future prices.  

The Secret to Evaluating Objectively

Simply saying you have a jar makes it nearly impossible to know how much it's worth. It helps to say that it's a pottery cookie jar, but there is still a lot of information missing. By adding a picture there is a much better sense of the item but if there are no visible marks to help identify the model or manufacturer, an objective evaluation still cannot be made. The secret to properly identifying a vintage or antique item is to gather as much information as possible and use multiple resources to definitively identify the item and determine its value.

1. Use the appropriate Antiques Promotion Canada forum to ask questions and post photos. Someone in the community – a dealer or another collector, may be able to provide information about your object (the style, the maker, its age, etc.). In fact, had you posted a picture of this cookie jar, we’re confident you would already have your answer that it is a Little Chef cookie jar by Shawnee Pottery.

2. Reference Books are one of the best ways to find complete information about an object. There are general books like “Kovel's Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide” and “Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide,” although this has few photos but lists lots of objects. For beginners, we recommend more illustrated price guides such as “Millers Antiques Price Guide” (lots of colour pictures) or even better for Canadians, “The Unitt's Canadian Price Guides” with black and white photos from antique shops all over Canada. There are also books on all kinds of specialized subjects. If you have multiple objects in the same category, it would be wise to invest in such a book. You can find these books at shows from specialized dealers, on eBay, AbeBooks or Amazon.ca. Please see our book review section for links to books with Canadian connections.

Books with no pictures will discuss Shawnee Pottery and probably list a “Little Chef” cookie jar, but based on the little information in our example, it is unlikely you would find it. On the other hand, specialized books on cookie jars would be the best way to identify your cookie jar, as they are most likely to have a picture of it.

3. Researching on the Internet can produce extraordinary results or be very disappointing. Good luck! In general, information presented can be incomplete and/or very hard to find. We recommend you use Google but you need to have some idea what you are looking for. Sometimes a Google Image search can provide great results. We also recommend trying an eBay search, which is one of the easiest and best free search tools available. Yet another resource is LiveAuctioneers.com, also free and easy to find more expensive antiques auction results.

A Google search using “cookie jar chef” would be inconclusive because of how prevalent these words are on the Internet. However, an eBay search using the same keywords would provide more interesting results. When we tested this search, there was one Shawnee Little Chef cookie jar out of the 95 items on the eBay search. Furthermore, there were three Shawnee Little Chef cookie jars in the 295 completed items found. Note that search results for completed eBay auctions will vary because only the last two weeks of auction data is accessible. The same is true for current auctions or “Buy it Now” opportunities

Determining the Price

When you have an accurate description of your object, finding its value is relatively simple. 

1.   For small objects that are relatively common, which is more than 99.5% of items, eBay is generally a great solution. Completed items from the past two weeks often provide a reasonable evaluation. In our example, there were three Shawnee “Little Chef” cookie jars that sold on eBay but only one is identical with the same colour. It sold for $55. It's possible that during another week, an identical cookie jar will sell for more or less than $55 but it gives us a good idea of its commercial potential.

2.   For small but very rare objects, auction results are often needed. You can order specialized auction catalogues on AbeBooks or on eBay.

3.   For furniture, books with value guides are generally reliable although the suggested values are sometimes too high. Rely on your market experience to adjust the suggested prices to something more realistic. If you have little or no experience, we suggest going to a local auction to see how much similar items sell for. Online classifieds are also a good source of information, though not necessarily a good indicator of price.

Good Luck!