McCoy Marks

   Many marks were used to distinguish McCoy pottery throughout its 90 year lifespan. These marks drew their style from the basic style or simplicity of a given piece. In pre-Depression times, McCoy only occasionally marked its art pieces. Identification and authentication of pieces form this time must be undertaken by looking at the style of the piece. Marking became routine in later pieces however. The most common mark which was used on later pieces is the name BRUSH in block capital letters surrounded by serifs on the first and last letters of the name.

   Below the name, was the mark “USA”. Several variations of this mark exist, but the variations were not used widely enough to be of use in dating the pieces. Also many differing marks were used simultaneously. Some earlier marks used the Brush name along with words pictures that played on the name such as paintbrushes and artists or inkwells and palettes.

   Starting in the late 30’s, it became a custom that the piece’s mold number would show up in the mark. The Floraline mark shows up in many of the pieces from 1940-45. The appearance of this mark indicates an authentic piece. It is notable that many pieces which are marked with a simple “USA” mark may not be authentic McCoy. Many people believe that the USA mark indicates a genuine piece but this is not true. Shawnee Pottery also used the USA mark much more often than McCoy. The McCoy USA mark is distinguishable by the fact that the U and A letters should be equally level to one another and from the top and bottom. The S should be just below the U and A in block serifs. The best way to discover the distinguishing features of true McCoy pieces is to study the piece’s characteristics themselves rather than the mark.

   McCoy’s universal popularity has led many counterfeiters to try and copy the true marks. Having a thorough understanding of the look of true McCoy pieces is the best defense against being ripped off. Look at the bottom of the piece and it it is an early piece it should have no marks. Later pieces will have a shield with a number inside a circle. 1940’s pieces will have an overlapping N and M, later pieces will have a mark that says McCoy USA. Floraline pieces are clearly marked with block font and the only visible mark will be the USA. The dimension of the piece will also tell you something about its authenticity. The dimensions should fit within the dimensions of the molds which were used during the time the piece is said to have be form. Consult reference books to learn what the true dimensions should be. You should also carefully inspect the raised designs on the pottery. These designs will be shaped differently in a fake piece. Forgeries will also tend to be lighter weight.