I
have been collecting Precious Moments since 1984 and have always
thought of Sam Butcher’s Precious Moments as cute little pale colored,
tear drop eyed figurines depicting my life’s stories. But to my
surprise while browsing through a second hand store in our small town I
could see across to the back of the store a fairly large pink box and
what looked like a picture of Sam Butcher on it. I rush back to the
shelf and sure enough it was Sam Butcher’s picture on the box but
instead of a Precious Moments figurine it was a picture of a comical,
brightly colored hillbilly figurine. These weren’t Precious Moments
that’s for sure. The box had McCoon’s County on it with a brief history
concerning the line. I soon realized that the McCoon County figurines
depicted the Ozark hillbillies. Being raised in the Missouri Ozarks and
now living in eastern TN I fit the stereotype of being a hillbilly and
wanted to locate more information and find any pieces that were made.
That day I purchased 5 different figurines at a cost of $7.00 to $14.00
and as I walked away I felt as if I had just found the biggest bargain
in town. The McCoon County art line was produced by a company called,
"Samson’s Studios" receiving its name from the owners and operators,
Jon and Phillip Butcher, sons of Sam Butcher. The debut of the McCoon's
County collection was in 1986 featuring seven porcelain figurines plus
a dealer’s plaque. These figurines ranged in price from $60 to $150.
Six porcelain bells known as "Ding-a-lings" were also produced and
released. The first shipment went out to dealers in 1986 and due to
error on the boxes saying each figurine was "personally signed" and Mr.
Butcher ended up signing hundreds of the McCoon's County figurines and
dealers plaques. The box really meant to say that Mr. Butcher’s
signature was decaled on each piece. A change was made on the boxes and
the "Two Ton Christmas" figurine and the 1987 dated ornament, Sam did
not sign "Here Comes Santa Claus". The "Ding-a-ling Bells" were also
shipped without Sam’s signature. Samson Studios was in business for
less than two years. The secondary market on these pieces has been slow
in the past years as many collectors were not aware of this line.
However, there has been however values are nearly doubled when a
figurine is found. The SRP in 1986 is listed below for each figurine.
M-001 "Good-bye Mary Lou" – Navy SRP $60
M-002 "Good-bye Mary Lou"- Army SRP $60
M-003 "Mama Sang Tenor" SRP $70
M-004 "McCoon County Fair" SRP $80
M-005 "Checker Board Square" SRP $85
Features Sam Butcher and artist Lowell Davis (red hat). Lowell is also from the area and has his own line of artwork.
M-006 "Box Social" SRP $80
M-007 "Saturday Night Ho Down" SRP $150
M-008 "Wishing You A Two Ton Christmas" SRP $70
Was reported to be Sam’s favorite piece and was limited to 10,000 figurines but only 5,000 were made.
M-009 "Here Comes Santa Claus" Dated 1987 (Ornament) SRP $15
"Mama Sang Tenor" Dealer's Plaque
Ding-A-Lings
5 o'clock - Break Time - Dinner Time
Ding-A-Lings
Chore Time - Lunch Time - Get Up
As a collector I am always hoping to find any information concerning Precious Moments and enjoy sharing my story.
I hope others will share their big finds! I am proud to say I have a
complete collection of Sam Butcher’s now, not of Precious Moments but a
complete collection of the McCoon's County line. Happy Collecting!
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I
have been collecting Precious Moments since 1984 and have always
thought of Sam Butcher’s Precious Moments as cute little pale colored,
tear drop eyed figurines depicting my life’s stories. But to my
surprise while browsing through a second hand store in our small town I
could see across to the back of the store a fairly large pink box and
what looked like a picture of Sam Butcher on it. I rush back to the
shelf and sure enough it was Sam Butcher’s picture on the box but
instead of a Precious Moments figurine it was a picture of a comical,
brightly colored hillbilly figurine. These weren’t Precious Moments
that’s for sure. The box had McCoon’s County on it with a brief history
concerning the line. I soon realized that the McCoon County figurines
depicted the Ozark hillbillies. Being raised in the Missouri Ozarks and
now living in eastern TN I fit the stereotype of being a hillbilly and
wanted to locate more information and find any pieces that were made.
That day I purchased 5 different figurines at a cost of $7.00 to $14.00
and as I walked away I felt as if I had just found the biggest bargain
in town. The McCoon County art line was produced by a company called,
"Samson’s Studios" receiving its name from the owners and operators,
Jon and Phillip Butcher, sons of Sam Butcher. The debut of the McCoon's
County collection was in 1986 featuring seven porcelain figurines plus
a dealer’s plaque. These figurines ranged in price from $60 to $150.
Six porcelain bells known as "Ding-a-lings" were also produced and
released. The first shipment went out to dealers in 1986 and due to
error on the boxes saying each figurine was "personally signed" and Mr.
Butcher ended up signing hundreds of the McCoon's County figurines and
dealers plaques. The box really meant to say that Mr. Butcher’s
signature was decaled on each piece. A change was made on the boxes and
the "Two Ton Christmas" figurine and the 1987 dated ornament, Sam did
not sign "Here Comes Santa Claus". The "Ding-a-ling Bells" were also
shipped without Sam’s signature. Samson Studios was in business for
less than two years. The secondary market on these pieces has been slow
in the past years as many collectors were not aware of this line.
However, there has been however values are nearly doubled when a
figurine is found. The SRP in 1986 is listed below for each figurine. 
