Grandma’s cookie jars: Nostalgic trend is making a sweet comeback

Lifting the lid and reaching in to sneak a cookie from a cookie jar is a childhood memory for many.

There was nothing better than grabbing one — or more — of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies we knew were just waiting for us inside that ceramic, porcelain or glass jar sitting on a kitchen counter.

“Cookie jars are nostalgic,” said Dianna Roney, owner of Diamond Antiques and Gifts in Tarentum. “Cookie jars remind people of grandma’s house. And wanting grandma- like things is trending and making a comeback. That’s because grandma’s house was always fun.”

The grandma trend is all about young people wanting vintage clothing and accessories, furniture and the aforementioned cookie jars. Grandmothers are sharing advice on social media channels. There are videos of grandchildren surprising their grandparents for a sleepover, arriving dressed in pajamas carrying pillows and sleeping bags — and most likely hoping to have a few of grandma’s homemade cookies.

Some of the vintage cookie jars are valuable and sought-after items in antique stores. Most of the collectible ones are in the $24-$150 range. The rarer ones can sell for $250-$300 and more, said Jeffrey A. Poole, owner of On the Diamond Antiques in Ligonier, who is also an appraiser.

From biscuit jars to cookie jars

Cookie jars originated in England as containers for biscuits beginning in the 1700s, Poole said. They were much smaller than the cookie jars people started to see being made in the U.S., Poole said. Decorative cookie jars appeared on the American scene in the early 1930s, he said.

Many were made of glass in factories in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. The craft of making cookie jars expanded to ceramic and porcelain just as families were getting bigger after World War II. Some of the cookie jars had animal designs, including cats, ducks and cows — signifying cookies and milk. Others were shaped like apples. Some just had the word “cookies” on them.

For a long time, cookie jars had a function to keep cookies fresh in a dry place. There weren’t Tupperware containers or Ziploc storage bags to save cookies in. A rise in cookie jars was seen during The Great Depression, from 1929-39. That time of economic hardship eliminated people making trips to spend money on items such as

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baked goods.

So they started to make cookies at home, Poole said, and they needed a cool, dark place to store the cookies.

“And a place to hide them from the children,” he said. “Although kids are extremely smart. We always found out where the cookies were.”

Poole has a ceramic British biscuit jar and a sought-after cookie jar called the “Roly Poly Preacher” from the 1940s in his shop. It was hand-painted and made by the Robinson-Ransbottom Pottery Co. in Roseville, Ohio.

The preacher cookie jar is valuable, as are McCoy’s Humpty Dumpty and Little Red Riding hood cookie jars, said “Dr. Lori” Verderame, an award-winning media personality and Ph.D. antiques appraiser who has appeared at the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show.

Grandma trend

Verderame also said the grandma trend is real. She said people in the 25-to-40 age range often tell her they want to collect items to create a “look like their grandma’s house.”

“They want it and they will pay a lot for it,” said Verderame. “They want the 1970s stuff.”

She cautioned, as with any antique treasure hunting, to make sure the cookie jars are authentic because there are a lot of knockoffs. Look for official markings from the company that made the cookie jar.

Like most items, anything made years ago is better quality, Verderame said. She cautioned that age is not the only thing to consider. The condition of the cookie jar and what it represents, such as “Star Wars” or characters like Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop or a celebrity like Taylor Swift, can make it valuable because of what is on trend.

Poole said people might want a cookie jar that’s a cat because they collect things with cats on them. Others may find one that matches their china or kitchen decor.

Pittsburgh’s own Andy Warhol loved cookie jars. According to a New York Times article in 1988, a collection of Warhol’s 175 cookie jars sold for $247,830 at auction. Warhol’s collection included pigs, mice, goats, sheep, Humpty Dumpty and a plump panda. Verderame said the death of the pop artist who viewed cookie jars as important objects of American culture brought cookie jar collecting to the forefront.

Filled with memories

In addition to cookies, these jars are filled with memories, Poole said.

“I remember growing up seeing a ceramic bear cookie jar in our kitchen,” said The Wedding Cookie Table Community Facebook creator Laura Magone of Monongahela, whose 99-year-old mother Wanda still has a cookie and a cracker jar as well as a biscotti jar in her home. “All my life she has had cookie jars, and they are usually filled. They will be there as long as we are.”

Magone invited members of the Facebook page to share memories and photos of their favorite cookie jar. More than 100 people commented.

“They are nostalgic, and I think they have never gone away, especially among cookie connoisseurs,” Magone said.

Carly McGeever, owner and general manager of Rusty Crown by Crown Antique Mall, which relocated from Washington, Pa., to Beechview in December, said she sees a lot of interest in cookie jars during the holidays when people do a lot of baking.

Cookie jars that are 100 years old or more are considered to be antique, said Mc-Geever. Vintage jars are typically 40 or more years old. Some brand new items may be considered collectible, but many feel that 20 or more years old is best to reach a true collectible age for the jars, McGeever said.

Prices vary by many factors, including the rarity of the item, the condition of the piece, the theme of the item and the overall desirability of the item, McGeever said.

With a lot of pottery made in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, it is often easier to find jars from nearby pottery companies in this area, McGeever said, which can sometimes flood the market with a particular piece that can reduce the value locally, compared to a national market.

That makes it even more important to do research on items to determine their value by reaching out to local experts or shops, learning through books, doing web searches or even joining clubs or communities to help determine value, said Mc-Geever.

As with any collectible, how well it’s been taken care of will also determine its value, McGeever said. If the cookie jar is cracked or the lid is missing, it won’t be worth as much. She said people would come in and say, “My grandmother had that cookie jar.”

“I think people love the sustainability of a cookie jar versus a plastic bag or other container,” McGeever said. “Collecting has always been about seeing something from your childhood that brings up heartwarming memories. The term ‘Grandma trend’ is new to me, but the sentiment holds very true amongst collectors of all different backgrounds and generations.”