Pottery & Porcelain maker
Nelson McCoy Pottery Company marks
Nelson McCoy Sr. set up a stoneware works in Roseville, Ohio, in 1910 with backing from his father, J.W.
- Active
- 1910–1990
- Based in
- Roseville, Ohio, United States
- Marks listed
- 7
- Typical pieces
- cookie jars, planters, vases, stoneware crocks
The marks, by date
Each mark’s wording is written out as a transcription: the words and line breaks, not a picture of the mark. Where a source describes a mark instead of quoting it, the description is shown in italics.
Where: base
Nelson McCoy initials, designed by Sidney Cope. The letters overlap, and the mark is sometimes paired with 'USA' ('NM USA'). Sources differ on the start date; some give 1929–1938.
Where: base
The McCoy name replaced the NM initials from about 1939–1940. It appears incised or embossed, with 'USA' or 'Made in USA' in various positions. Mirror-image (backwards) 'McCoy' and the misspelling 'MCOY' are documented on genuine pieces.
Where: base
A liquid-gold ink stamp used on gold-decorated pieces.
Where: base
Mt. Clemens era: marks at first left out the McCoy name. They were redesigned to include 'McCoy' again in 1968. The collectors society does not transcribe the exact wording, and the method is not stated.
Where: base
The Lancaster Colony Corporation era brought back the 1940s-style 'McCoy' mark with 'LCC' initials and 'USA', and style numbers became more common. The collectors society gives the elements but not their layout or how they were applied.
Where: base
Designer Accents era: marks again left out the McCoy name even though the firm traded as Nelson McCoy Ceramics. The exact wording and application method are not given in the sources consulted.
Where: base or side
About a dozen paper-label variants were used alongside permanent marks, some noting features like 'Oven Proof' or a line name.
History
McCoy, and a few stockholders. It spent several years inside the American Clay Products Company combine before regaining its independence in 1926, then took the name Nelson McCoy Pottery Co. in 1933 as decorative ware such as planters and cookie jars became its main line. The family sold it in 1967 to the owners of Mt. Clemens Pottery; it then passed to Lancaster Colony Corporation in 1974 and Designer Accents in 1985, and production ended in 1990. It is a separate business from the J.W. McCoy Pottery (1899–1911) and Brush-McCoy (1911–1925), which later became the Brush Pottery Company.
Dating clues
- An 'NM' monogram points to the 1930s; a 'McCoy' name mark points to about 1940 or later.
- 'LCC' with 'McCoy' dates a piece to the Lancaster Colony years, 1974–1985.
- Some genuine pieces carry only 'USA' or no mark at all, and some contract pieces carry another company's name, such as CitroRamics, Esmond or Buckingham Ceramics.
- Before about 1926 the stoneware company generally did not mark its wares; marks started around 1929.
Look-alikes and reproductions
- Fakes: pieces marked 'McCoy' that the company never made, notably cookie jars such as Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Daisy Cow, Cinderella and Mugsie. If a 'McCoy'-marked piece is not in the McCoy reference books, it is probably a fake.
- Reproductions and look-alikes cast from original pieces come out about 6% or more smaller than the originals because the clay shrinks. Measuring height or length against a documented original is the collectors society's main test.
- After 1989, several parties filed for the McCoy trademark, including Designer Accents, Roger Jensen of Tennessee and Rosella Martin of Florida. All of the filings were later cancelled or abandoned.
- Brush-McCoy (1911–1925, later Brush Pottery) is a different company. It mostly used bare incised style numbers without a pottery name. Its 'Vogue' line ink stamp is the only published case of it putting its own name in a permanent mark.
- J.W. McCoy Pottery (1899–1911) marked wares with line names such as 'Loy-Nell-Art', 'Mt. Pellee', 'Olympia' and 'Renaissance' rather than a maker's name.
Other names on the marks
McCoy Pottery; Nelson McCoy Sanitary and Stoneware Company; Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Co.; Nelson McCoy Ceramics
Where sources disagree: The NM mark's date range varies: the collectors society says early/mid 1930s to 1940, some guides say 1929–1938, and Antique Trader says the 1920s–1930s. Sources also split on whether the stoneware company joined American Clay Products in 1918 or 1919. The exact wording of the 1967 and 1985–1990 marks was not found in a transcribable source.
Sources
- Trademarks – McCoy Pottery Collectors Society
- About McCoy Fakes and Look-Alikes – McCoy Pottery Collectors Society
- A Quick Guide to the Detection of Nelson McCoy Fakes & Reproductions – McCoy Pottery Collectors Society
- McCoy (pottery) – Wikipedia
- A History of Nelson McCoy Pottery – JD's Realty & Auction
- Uncovering the Real McCoy (Pottery That Is) – Antique Trader
Marks help identify a maker and a date range, but they can’t prove a piece is genuine. Reproductions and later reissues can carry old marks. This entry isn’t an appraisal.