A Cranbury woman’s antique cookie jar collection will be displayed at the Cranbury Museum.
By: Josh Appelbaum
A Cranbury woman who frequents flea markets, antique shops and online auction Web sites for collectible cookie jars is displaying her 50 best wares at the Cranbury Museum.
Wilma Shimer, of North Main Street, who has been collecting since 1997, has some older jars, such as a Brush Company cow, which are 30 years old, along with newer pieces, such as a bright orange-scaled fish taco stand cookie jar.
She said her hobby is not motivated by making money on collectibles, but that she likes to look at the colorful ceramic creations.
Ms. Shimer said her collection includes various types of jars, but has recently narrowed her interests to animal-themed jars, and recently purchased her 200th jar, a 1960s Tigger jar in mint condition. She affectionately refers to her jars as "he" or "she" depending on each character.
"I got it at Rancocas (Woods Village) and he’s got no cracks. He was made in the late 1960s," Ms. Shimer said about the Tigger jar.
Ms. Shimer said she started her collection with two cookie jars; a Quaker Oats collectible jar and a white and pale-pink elephant jar that she has had since her children began school in the 1960s. She said public interest in collectible cookie jars and her own hobby came from an unlikely source.
"When Andy Warhol died, he left a huge collection of cookie jars, and everyone really became interested in them a lot of jars are worth substantial amounts of money," she said.
Some of the older jars, including a decorative clown and a Mammy Black Americana jar are worth around $800, but she explains prices are relative to finding a collector willing to pay fair market value. Ms. Shimer said she’s paid $25 for jars worth upwards of $125, although price and value doesn’t motivate her purchases.
"When I’m at Columbus (Farmers Market) or Rancocas, I look for ones that are eye-catching if you look at them long enough, they’ll start talking," Ms. Shimer said.
A watercolorist for more than 30 years, Ms. Shimer said her friends have suggested she design her own cookie jars or somehow incorporate them into her artwork.
"I’m trying to make it work. I am a member of an art group and every month we get together and do a piece of art, and this month I have to come up with a project to paint a cookie jar. They are 3-D, so it’s very hard to do," Ms. Shimer said.
While she has ruled out producing cookie jars, Ms. Shimer has touched up a few of her own, including a reversible jar with both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, whose paint has faded over the years. She said painting over original designs doesn’t contribute to the jar’s value.
"I painted them to look like they do in (collectible) books, so they rather look like they did originally," Ms. Shimer said.
All of the jars Ms. Shimer collects are originals and she said she doesn’t like most of the reproduction of antique jars.
She said her jar-collecting hobby will have to slow down or completely abate, because she doesn’t have room to display all of the pieces in her home.
The current exhibit will run until early 2005. The museum is open Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment. The curators suggest a $5 donation. The museum is located at 4 Park Place East. For more information call (609) 655-2611.