I have a Helen Hutula TAT-L-TALE cookie jar that I believe is from the 1930’s.
She is wearing a pink polka dot skirt and has a blue and white apron with flowers and white polka dots. She is posed as if shaking her finger in a scolding manner. Apparently this cookie jar made a sound when opening it; that portion is intact but does not work.
There are no chips or scratches but the finish has a somewhat visible crackled look to it, although it is smooth to the touch.
The bottom of the cookie jar indicates: TAT-L-TALE, handpainted; Original; and the name Helen.
It belonged to my husband’s grandmother and I am trying to find out what the value of it is, as well as what year it was made.
[b]carolyn67 wrote:[/b]
[quote]Hi Gary, If I gave the wrong info it was not intentional. I got my info of the web just as you are. According to Ceramic’s and Pottery Arts and resources these cookie jars were being made in the 1930ties also and the 1940ties. 5 different styles with 13 different outfits. The rest of the info was on another site, I don’t remember which one. At one time these cookie jars were selling for the thousands but not anymore.Is it possible she sold out and they continued making them? I don’t know. The boy cookie jar is the one that is very rare.[/quote]
Relying on information you find on the web isn’t always a good idea because a great deal of it is inaccurate. I’m an avid cookie jar collector and also write for collector magazines. I’m also friends with Helen’s great niece, Christine, who has a website devoted to her great aunt.
The jars were, as I said above, first produced in the mid 1940’s. The company was not bought out and when Helen closed her doors production stopped on the Tat-L-Tales.
Because of the Internet they have become somewhat easier to find, although I would still classify them as hard to find and in some cases rare jars, depending upon the decor.
The highest past sale, which was two years ago, was a bit over $1,000 for a jar with highly sought after decor. The value was also affected because the jar was pictured in a popular cookie jar book and being sold by the collector who provided the pictures of it to the authors of the book.
There is at least one good forum online for information about cookie jars that is run by Barb Crews, a longtime collector. She’s the guide on About.com Collectibles and that would be an excellent resource for you when you have questions about cookie jars.
Gary