Giovanni Meschini pochoir postcard, circa 1930. Image from flickr.com.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year
from
Chris and Anthony
(The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys)
Fiesta 201: Part Eight Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Covered Jar
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Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label. Image from thepotterypapers.blogspot.com
CLICK HERE FOR PART SEVEN
For part eight of Driving for Deco’s series on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft, we will look at the covered jars. While these are commonly called cookie jars, Homer Laughlin never specified their purpose. These jars are some, if not the most desirable item in the Kitchen Kraft line on today’s collector’s market.
The three sizes of Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Jars. Large yellow jar, medium red jar and small green jar. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
Covered Jars
Dates of Production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, green, yellow
Large Covered Jar original price: blue, yellow, green $1.50 ($29.04 in 2021); red $2.00 ($38.72 in 2021).
Medium Covered Jar original price: blue, yellow, green $1.25 ($24.52 in 2021); red $1.50 ($29.04 in 2021).
Small Covered Jar original price: blue, yellow, green $1.00 ($19.62 in 2021); red $1.35 ($26.48 in 2021).
Large Covered Jar, blue (cobalt) showing lid detail with intact paper label. Image from wothpoint.com.
Underside of the medium covered jar showing the impressed Fiesta Kitchen Kraft mark. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
The three Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars make a colorful statement in any vintage kitchen. Unfortunately they are not easy to find. And when found the price is usually high, especially if its in excellent condition. The covered jars were also part of the Kitchen Kraft line with a white or ivory glaze and decorated with decals. These are easier to find than the Fiesta kitchen Kraft jar. And although it’s a rare occurrence, covered jars sometimes show up at thrift stores. Chris found a small cobalt blue jar at his local Goodwill this past summer for only a few dollars. The issue with it is that it is missing its lid. Now we’re on the hunt for one, but it will be very difficult to find.
Showing the lid detail of the covered jar, featuring the Mexicana decal. From the collection of the author.
Another Frederick Rhead design, the large jar was the first to be modeled in April of 1937. After a couple of revision, one of which featured handles, the final design (sans handles) was chosen. The following month the two smaller jars were designed. And except for their size they are exactly the same as the large version. Like most Fiesta Kitchen Kraft items, production of the covered jars began in December of 1937 and reached stores by the spring of 1938.
Size comparison of the large covered jar to the size of 12 oz. soda can. Image from bigalsauction.com.
A design flaw of the lid, was not undercutting the knob. The straight sided knob is difficult to grasp (especially on the large jar) and is prone to slipping. As a result many jars have damage to the lid and the inside rim of the body.
Typical damage found on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars is the chipping of the inside rim. Image from worthpoint.com.
Chip to the underside of the lid. Another example of the typical damage found on the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars. Image from ebay.com.
Hairline cracks to the body of the jar is another example of damage to look out for when purchasing one.
Example of a hairline crack to the body of the covered jar and a rim chip. Image from bigalsauction.com.
Of course any damage affects the value of the item, but these jars are so scarce that even with some damage they still command relatively high prices, usually between $100.00 and $150.00. In excellent condition the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jar will sell around three to four times more than its Kitchen Kraft counter part with decals.
* 12/31/2021 Update
Long time Fiesta collector, John Waugh, contacted us inquiring about the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft jar lid vs. the Kitchen Kraft jar lid. Mr. Waugh brought to our attention that the book Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares mentions a revision to the lid and knob:
There are no modeling log entries documenting the various changes made to the lids, but sometime during production of the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars the knobs of the covers were modified. The earliest versions had straight sides, like the covered jug lids, and were very difficult to grasp. Later versions are smaller and were finished by hand, the knob being undercut and smoothed to create a place for fingers to grip when lifting the lid. – Pg. 211
While the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars we have in our collection all have the original straight sided knobs. But the Kitchen Kraft jar that we have is the revised version. Here are a couple photos to shows the difference between the two lids.
The top of the Kitchen Kraft Covered Jar lid with the undercut knob vs. the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Covered Jar lid with the straight sided knob. From the collection of the author.
The underside of the llds, showing how much deeper the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft lid compared to the revised Kitchen Kraft lid. From the collection of the author.
Small, medium and large Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
Small Covered Jar: Book value: $305.00 – $350.00**. Current market prices: $199.50 blue (ebay); $265.00 red (ebay); $196.50 green (ebay). ***
Medium Covered Jar: . Book value: $280.00 – $320.00. Current market prices: $249.00 blue (etsy).
Large Covered Jar: Book value: $310.00 – $375.00. Current market prices: $239.00 green (ebay); $385.00 blue (Vintage American Pottery) .
** Book values come from Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares, Schiffer Publishing 2000. These reflect pre-2008 recession values. And like Fiesta values items glazed in red and cobalt have higher values than those same pieces glazed in yellow and green.
*** These prices reflect what these bowls are currently selling for online in excellent condition with no chips or cracks. Intact paper labels increases the value of pieces up to 25%.