Beyond the Lid

Ryan S. Co
Sep 2, 2018 · 4 min read

The homes sit silently, nestled on a lonely cul-­‐de-­‐sac, on a cold and wet Sunday morning. The sun will not be up for a few hours; one dimly lit home illuminates the dew-­‐soaked lawn through the darkness. An overgrown man climbs into the seat of a rusted pick-­‐up truck; a slightly smaller woman climbs into the passenger’s side. The pale and damaged truck drives out towards the openness of rural Illinois. The morning is familiar to the pair.

Another hunt.

Upon arrival, the duo slosh through thick mud and rows of wishful flea market vendors, each with extravagant booths displaying questionable merchandise; some carry worn, cracked, and broken relics — hoping to have that diamond in the rough. The man — 54 year-­‐old Ed Herald of Plainfield, Ill. — knows exactly what he has come for; Lefton, Sonsco, and Paddington are just a few of the names he hopes are etched into the lids of seemingly valueless hunks of ceramic. He goes to work, sifting through rows of jars lined up across foldout tables like an assembly line of vintage kitchen décor that time forgot. For Ed Herald, this is no game. This is his way of life.


THE COOKIE JAR MAN

Ed loves collecting. With his grizzly beard, large build, and love of flannel, one would assume Ed likely spends his time at a local bar or in a biker gang. Instead, you’re more likely to find him sifting through thrift stores, resale shops, and garage sales for his next big find. His prize? Cookie jars. His obsession took off when his wife gave him his first jar 10 years ago. What began with a single jar has erupted into a collection well over 30,000. With at least $300,000 invested so far, Ed shows no signs of stopping. The Guiness Book of World Records current cookie jar collector, Edith Eva Fuchs, of Metamora, Ind., has well over 35,000 total cookie jars — a record Ed hopes to shatter. “This one is limited. Looks the same as this,” as Ed points to two nearly identical lion-­‐shaped cookie jars, “but the years are different — by two. Herald Bank released these in the ’80s when you opened a checking account. This one,” slightly browner in color, “is worth $20. This one?” holds up a slightly lighter jar, “$225.” When asked if it was about the money, he replied, “No, but it’s a nice perk.”

From outside his home, one could see an expansive front window, filled to the brim with whimsical, colorful jars. Each face out towards the street, a small sample of what Ed’s collection entails. Behind the Herald’ home, lies a large shed that stretches from one side of the yard to the other — a complex that houses a majority of his collection. Within the unit, shelves are systematically assembled to create the most space possible to display his game. Already, after 10 years, the complex is nearly full. “We ran out of room. So now all the rooms of our house are full of them,” says Mrs. Herald — Ed’s wife of 25 years.


OBSESSIVE OR CONSTRUCTIVE

Who is now a gentle giant with an odd fascination, was once a man who lied, cheated, and stole to fuel a more common addiction — alcoholism. Before starting his collection, Ed struggled with depression; that depression eventually led to a recurring drinking problem. In his late ‘40s — around the time of his mother’s passing — he was hospitalized for dehydration and then later arrested for aggressive behavior; his love for the bottle ended after his second arrest.

“What I was doing wasn’t working, so something had to give.”

Though him and his wife do not believe collecting cured him, they do admit that the thrill of the hunt keeps him going. “I wouldn’t say that cookie jars fixed him, but it definitely gave him something to do. Keeps him out of the bars,” says Ed’s wife. But what Ed calls a collection, others may call obsessive-­‐compulsive hoarding. In the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, researcher Miréne Winsberg found that primary motives for hoarding are fears of discarding something useful or needed. Winsberg also found a prevalence of major depression and impulse-­‐control disorders within the subjects of her studies. But is Ed’s collection the result of his earlier depression or an impulse-­‐control disorder? Ed doesn’t think so. He just likes collecting. A lot.


BEYOND THE LID

Ed will continue hunting until the day he dies. He hopes to continue collecting jars while shying away from other collections. “I recently got into Hargrove paintings, have about 300, but that’s as many as I need — for now.” For Ed, he can never have enough cookie jars.

In the future, he hopes to write an autobiography detailing the adventures he had before and since starting his collection. While he started penning his autobiography, he still has a ways to go before he fully pulls the lid off his story.

“The book will write itself. Right now I’m just gonna collect.”


Names have been changed at the interviewee’s request to remain anonymous.

Ryan S. Co

Written by

Writer. Content Creator. Multimedia Artist.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade