Antique and Vintage Kitchen Collectibles

Collectible kitchen items span a wide range of objects, from teakettles and toasters to skillets and stoves. Aside from their aesthetic appeal, many of these items are still usable, which makes them both functional to use and fun to own. Few kitchen items are as cheerful and welcoming as a cookie jar. Decorative cookie jars as a category of vintage kitchenware came of age in the United States in the early 1930s. McCoy Pottery is one of the most sought-after names in this category. McCoy’s first figural cookie jar was Mammy with Cauliflower (Blackamoor figures were associated with good eating during the ’30s). Other Mammy jars featured large women whose equally spacious dresses formed the bases of the jars. Many manufacturers, including American Bisque of West Virginia, produced countless jars in the shapes of animals. Pigs were especially popular—American Bisque is known for its “paws in pockets” jars. Other pink-cheeked creatures included elephants, kittens and puppies, lamps, and rabbits. Another popular ceramic kitchen collectible is a pair of salt-and-pepper shakers. In the 19th century, Staffordshire potteries produced salt-and-pepper shakers as parts of cruet sets. Many of these were novelty characters with pink cheeks and big hats. In 20th-century America, square salt-and-pepper shakers made of milk glass and capped by threaded, metal lids were every bit as popular as ceramic ones made by companies like Homer Laughlin, whose Fiesta shakers were shaped like small, footed balls. McCoy made shakers that looked like vegetables, Enesco favored tiny creatures like mice and snails, Parkcraft made shakers in the shapes of states, while Lefton excelled at bluebirds and a bonneted kitten character it called Miss Priss. Another collectible kitchen item is the mold or mould, as it is also spelled. During the Victorian Era, copper molds were the preference of well-heeled cooks; tin molds were found in humbler kitchens.

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