Question:
Hello! I have a 4 gallon Red Wing Ice Cooler that was found in the basement of my 100-yr.-old home in Montana. I know very little about Red Wing pottery, and would appreciate ANY information you can provide about this piece. I am especially interested in knowing its age (are Ice Water Coolers older than Water Coolers?) and approximate value, given its condition. It does not have a lid or spigot (the cork is "original" to when I found the cooler). The back side is perfect. There are no chips along the rim or base. There is (unfortunately) a surface dent/crack that appears on the front of the cooler, just under the word "Ice"; it does not go through to the inside. There are about three glaze hairline cracks on the inside in random places; they also do not go through to the other side. The bottom is perfect, and strange to me, it has a small piece of newsprint that seems to have attached itself to the cooler maybe during production? It isn’t a label, but there are no loose edges. It seems very slightly embedded in the clay. Only a few words are legible (no dates). I am also wondering exactly what kind of lid would have been original to this model. Anyway, it’s not a perfect piece, but I love the size and the Red Wing logo/word graphics. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide; it’s very much appreciated! Rita

Answer: Rida, your 4 gallon Red Wing Stoneware Ice Water is older than the Red Wing Water Coolers. Ice Waters were started around 1895 till about 1912 or so. Yours because of the Red Wing (birch leaves and elephant ear ice waters are earlier) was produced between 1909 & 1912 or so. The correct lid would be a 3 gallon Red Wing button crock lid. With the number of imperfections, the value of your Ice Water just the way it sits is $500 to $600. The cork is not original. Most of this Ice Waters are found with a nickel coated spigot with the works "Central" stamped on the shaft or around the spout. You will need to measure the spigot hole to make sure the threaded shaft on the spigot is small enough to fit into the cooler. The 4, 3 & 2 gallon Ice Waters take the smaller shaft Central spigots. Also the smaller shaft original Central spigots are quite tough to find. Hope all of this helps. I have always had a soft heart for these Ice Waters. They are just a great piece to have in one’s collection. Al Kohlman