I have a number of these cracker jars in my auction database going back to 2003, none with lids. One in marigold and with a hairline crack sold in 2007 for $400. This green example sold at the 2012 International Carnival Glass Association convention auction for $450. In 2013, another green example sold for $190. In 2017, two more lidless examples in green sold for $100 and $250 and in 2018 one brought $100. I've been told that there is one cracker jar in green that has a green lid. Photo courtesy of Seeck Auctions.

It's worth pointing out that in 2018 a marigold cookie jar with a crystal lid sold for $200. And in 2020, another with a crystal lid (or perhaps the same one, brought $300. So apparently the pieces did come with lids.

Some collectors feel the Forks cracker jar is part of the Cambridge Wheat Sheaf pattern, although the Cambridge Near Cut pattern number for the Wheat Sheaf pattern was #2660 and the Forks cracker jar was #2696.

Cambridge or Imperial?

Below is an ad from a 1908 Butler Bros. catalog illustrating a number of patterns in Cambridge's Near Cut line in crystal. Note the cracker jar, and the Inverted Feather bowl.

The illustration below is from a 1909 Imperial catalog. While no measurements were provided, it would appear to be exactly the same pattern as in the Cambridge cracker jar above.

Below is an ad from the same 1908 Butler Bros. catalog page as the Cambridge ad above. Note the cracker jar and several shapes in Imperial's 404 pattern.

All the pieces in both of the ads were offered in crystal. Neither Cambridge nor Imperial were producing carnival at that time. But both companies were offering that cracker jar in crystal at the same time in 1908 (although Imperial's was more expensive). So who produced the iridized versions of the Forks cracker jar, Cambridge or Imperial?

9/9/2020