McCoy Pottery

Nelson McCoy.

The Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Company then began to produce its own line of modest artware which required an expansion of the facility. In 1933, the company was reorganized and facilities were expanded. This expansion included a tunnel kiln over 300 feet long which was a first in the area. The name was also changed to the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company. Most of todays collectors know this company as the 'real' McCoy.

The 1940's and 50's was high times for the company. After all the buildings were destroyed by fire in 1950 the McCoy family then built a state of the art facility and by the end of the decade Nelson McCoy Pottery was the largest manufacturer of pottery in the country. The future was not so kind and in 1967 and again in 1974 Ownership changed hands. By 1981 there was no longer a McCoy family member associated with the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company. This marked the end of an era of McCoy family involvment in the pottery business.

For all the 80 years it was in operation the Nelson McCoy Pottery manufactured other forms of ceramics, such everyday items such as pet dishes and simple flower pots along with mine casings for the military during the Second War.

The doors were finally closed in 1990.

Most McCoy Pottery is marked with a raised or incised mark and a few pieces had paper labels which in most cases has been long gone on all but recent pieces. Tableware products that were meant to be sold inexpensively from the later years of the company are frequently found unmarked.
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Brush-McCoy.

Brush-McCoy Pottery stayed on Perry Street in Roseville. It continued making art lines up until the 1920's. Their more renowned patterns were Florastone, Panelart. Krackle-Kraft, Jewel, Zuniart, Cleo, Jetwood, etc. Another fire damaged the Zanesville plant in 1918. The company moved to Roseville. Cusick had master the squeeze-bag technique which was used for may of the company lines. He acquired the information in his early years while he worked at the Craven Art Pottery in East Liverpool and the Avon Faience pottery in Tiltonsville.

In the 1920's, the company started producing softer, semi-matt finishes which included: Sylan, Cameo, Vestal and Ivotint. Brightly colored Onyx and Kolorkraft became popular in the 1930's

The Brush-McCoy plant was not renamed to Brush until 1925 even though the McCoy family left the company in 1918. W. Clare Barnett started working for Brush in 1928, modernizing the Harrop tunnel kiln which increased the factories production tremendously.

After Albert Cusik dies in 1946, the later products popularity declined and the company started making floral and novelty items which the most popular were the cookie jars made between 1954 to 1971. These were made in  every size and shape imagined.

The Brush Pottery ceased operations in 1982.

The vast majority of Brush-McCoy pottery was unmarked or had paper labels. For more information I refer you to the books.