Shawnee Corn King cookie jar, Digi Mart USA News: As Thanksgiving tablescapes often lean on harvest motifs such as pumpkins, fall leaves and corn, a vintage cookie jar from the Shawnee Pottery Company offers a nostalgic option for decorators who prefer retro pieces.
The Shawnee Corn King, later known as the Corn Queen, is a cob-shaped cookie jar with a face of plump corn kernels and a suit of leaves. The publisher describes it as dating to around the 1950s and says it was originally intended as a specialty giveaway item for Procter & Gamble, made by the Shawnee Pottery Company in Zanesville, Ohio.
According to the source, Shawnee made several versions of the 10½-inch jar. The earliest, the White Corn Ware, came out in 1941 with white kernels.
By the mid-1940s the kernels had changed from white to yellow, and in 1954 the kernels were lightened while the leaves were darkened. Shawnee produced the corn-oriented line until 1961.
Collectors can find the jar on sites such as eBay, where the source says it is not unusual to see it priced between $50 and $100 or more. Other corn-themed Shawnee pieces, including salt and pepper shakers and butter dishes, can sell for $300 and more, the source reports.
For decorating, the source suggests pairing the jar with an orange, yellow and green autumn table runner that echoes its colour palette. It also proposes a corn-husk table wreath with a large centre opening where the cookie jar could sit, flanked by corn cob taper candles.
The publisher notes that Shawnee produced its cookie jars during an era when pottery makers sought to resist industrial mechanization, and suggests keeping that craftsmanship in mind when choosing Thanksgiving decor to complement the piece. This article is based on a single publisher report and has not been independently verified.
