Cowden & Wilcox Stoneware of Harrisburg, PA

Cowden & Wilcox pottery has always held a special place in the minds of my family and me. My father started buying stoneware in 1977 and was selling it by 1983. Growing up a quick drive down I-83 from Harrisburg, naturally my dad was constantly cycling various examples of Cowden & Wilcox stoneware through the house on a regular basis. I have been physically handling these potters' work since the 1980's, and I have so many memories associated with it. One of my favorites is the time my dad was interviewed by Early American Life magazine in the late 80's or early 90's, and mentioned how unheard-of it would be to find a Cowden & Wilcox piece with a deer decoration. Shortly after the article went to press, he received a call from a person who had a Cowden jug with a wonderful deer design, and was able to purchase it; it was one of the centerpieces of his collection until he decided to sell it many years later. I'm also proud of the lecture my brother, Luke, and I gave ten short years ago on the Cowdens and their fellow central Pennsylvania potters at the Historical Society of Dauphin County. At this talk we unveiled new information we'd ferreted out about former New York State potters John Young and Shem Thomas, and how the two of them had been instrumental in bringing New York style stoneware to Pennsylvania's capital city.

Bearing the design of a Union soldier in profile, this jug broke the world auction record for Cowden & Wilcox stoneware at $97,750.

Over the past twenty years alone we've sold over 900 examples of Cowden family pottery, and that doesn't even include the work of other related Harrisburg potters like William Moyer, John Young and T.H. Willson. This includes the World Auction Record for Cowden & Wilcox stoneware, $97,750, which we set in our October 2014 auction. This jug bore the extremely rare design of a Civil War soldier, and indeed, for those new to collecting American stoneware, the primary determining factor of value for salt-glazed stoneware tends to be the blue decoration: a combination of its rarity, execution, vibrance, size and other factors.

Cowden & Wilcox man in the moon batter pail bearing three different versions of that decoration.

Vessel forms also play a large part in the selling price of American stoneware, and Cowden collectors are particularly excited about batter pails (a signature Central Pennsylvania form), as well as more unusual shapes like water coolers and pitchers. The example pictured above brought one of the highest prices ever achieved for a piece of Cowden & Wilcox, $54,000, because it combined both the batter pail form with one of the most desirable Cowden decorations, the man in the moon. (This piece sold in our Spring 2023 auction.) In this case, it featured three men in the moon with different facial expressions!

Cowden & Wilcox water cooler with the bold design of a cluster of grapes.

One-off or other extremely rare decorations obviously tend to command premiums, but there are certain scarce decorations that the Cowden potters favored and are particularly sought after by collectors. The best example of these is the aforementioned man in the moon, which is a beloved design that for some reason became a signature Harrisburg one. Cowden men in the moon are uncommon, but do appear fairly regularly. While not as valuable or rare, another decoration that falls into this category is the cluster of grapes; a grapes-decorated water cooler realized $24,000 in our Spring 2021 auction, demonstrating yet again that the combination of a desirable decoration with a rare form usually translates into a significant selling price.

Cowden & Wilcox batter pail bearing four different bird designs.

Birds are another highly desirable decoration employed by the Cowden potters. While bird decorations akin to the Cowdens' show up regularly on northeastern American stoneware, the value of Cowden birds tends to outpace those from many other locales. The batter pail pictured above combined that desirable form with the decoration of four different birds, and realized $31,050 in our March 2012 auction.

Cowden & Wilcox stoneware jar with a profuse bird scene, which realized $27,140.

While a rare form alone will not translate into value (an undecorated Cowden batter pail, for instance, is worth well under $500), strong decoration alone will. See, for instance, the examples pictured above and below, one a standard jar or crock form, the other an otherwise common jug, but both bearing extraordinary designs. (The profusely decorated bird crock sold in our October 2017 auction; the cornucopia jug in our Fall 2022 auction.)

Cowden & Wilcox stoneware jug with elaborate cornucopia; it realized $19,200.

Cowden & Wilcox stoneware can obviously be had for prices well below these all-time highlights. In 2023, we sold over 100 examples of Cowden family stoneware and these ranged from $54,000 down to $180. The Cowden & Wilcox jug pictured below is a more standard product of theirs that brought under $1000 last year. To view some of the rarer decorations Cowden had to offer--animals, figural designs, and more--please visit our Central Pennsylvania Stoneware Highlights page.

A more typical Cowden & Wilcox jug.

We are always seeking quality examples of Cowden & Wilcox and other Harrisburg stoneware as consignments for future auctions. Our customer base, dedicated clientele and unrivaled platform have all combined to make Crocker Farm the premier auction for Harrisburg stoneware, and we would love to discuss your examples with you!