By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
From Tribune News Service
Hello Helaine and Joe:
I am cleaning out my grandparent’s estate and would appreciate your input and value on this vase. It is 9 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 inches tall and marked ” McCoy USA.”
Love reading your column,
B. F., Austin, Texas
Dear B. F.:
Cleaning out a loved one’s estate can be very traumatic. It is so easy to get bogged down with the memories and the sentiment, and every piece seems to resonate with some sort of family history.
We are not going to get overly embroiled in a long discussion of the history of the various McCoy pottery companies, namely J. W. McCoy, Brush-McCoy and Nelson McCoy. We are just going to jump right in and say this adorable alligator planter was made by the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company of Roseville, Ohio, circa 1950….