Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label. Image from thepotterypapers.blogspot.com
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Driving For Deco continues it series on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft. This installment will take a look at the spoon, fork and the salt and pepper shakers.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Salad Spoon
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft red salad spoon. From the collection of the author.
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
Spoon original price: blue, yellow, green $0.20 ($3.76 in 2021); red $0.25 ($4.70 in 2021).
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft spoon in the yellow glaze. Image from etsy.com.
In 1934 year after the Homer Laughlin introduced the Oven Serve Frederick Rhead designed a spoon for the line. There is some debate whether this spoon, with its long handle, ever went into production. All examples that exist are either in a white or ivory glaze that matches the serving pieces of Oven Serve. With the introduction of Fiesta Kitchen Kraft in 1938, the spoon became available in the four glazes associate with the line. The only identifier on the spoon was an applied paper label when originally sold. Finding a spoon today with an intact label will increase its value. The relatively short production life of six years makes spoons hard to find today. Because the 1940 Fiesta promotional salad set came with a red spoon, they tend to be easier to find than spoons of the other colors. And because of their utilitarian function finding one in excellent to mint condition is even harder. And their current value on the collector’s market reflect this rarity.
Cobalt Fiesta Kitchen Kraft spoon. Photo from etsy.com.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Spoon: Book value: $120.00 – $150.00 *. Current market prices: $63.00 – $90.00 (eBay) – $145.00 – $225.00 (vintageamericanpottery.com) . **
*Book values come from Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares, Schiffer Publishing 2000. These reflect pre-2008 recession values. And like Fiesta items glazed in red and cobalt tend to 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%.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Salad Fork
Green Fiesta Kitchen Kraft salad fork. From the author’s collection.
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
Fork original price: blue, yellow, green $0.20 ($3.76 in 2021); red $0.25 ($4.70 in 2021).
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft fork in yellow. Image from etsy.com.
Frederick Rhead designed the salad fork for the Kitchen Kraft line in 1937. Rhead originally intended for the new fork and the existing spoon to be part of a salad set. The bowl Rhead planned for Kitchen Kraft became the 11 3/4 inch fruit bowl of the regular Fiesta line. With this change the fork and spoon became separately sold items. Being ceramic the tines were prone to chipping. Forks in the green glaze tend to be easier to find due to the 1940 Fiesta promotional salad set. Today, finding a fork in excellent to mint condition is difficult and will cost a collector a fair bit of money.
Green Fiesta Kitchen Kraft fork with paper label. Image from pinterest.com.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Fork: Book value: $115.00 – $170.00 *. Current market prices: $50.00 – $125.00 (eBay); $85.00 – $125.00 (Etsy); $150.00 – $165.00 (vintageamericanpottery.com). **
*Book values come from Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares, Schiffer Publishing 2000. These reflect pre-2008 recession values. And like Fiesta items glazed in red and cobalt tend to 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%
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Salt & Pepper Shakers
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft range salt and pepper shakers. Image from lot-art.com
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
Salt & Pepper (Priced Individually) original price: blue, yellow, green $0.40 ($7.51 in 2021); red $0.50 ($9.39 in 2021).
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft shakers in cobalt blue. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
The salt and pepper shakers were introduced with the 1937 Kitchen Kraft line. They were glazed in white or ivory and decorated with decals. The following year they joined the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft line in the standard four glazes. The Kitchen Kraft salt and pepper shakers being designed to use for cooking rather than table service are much larger than the shakers of the regular Fiesta line. And they stylistically match the Kitchen Kraft covered jars. Today shakers fall in the hard to find category, which may be due to their relatively high price back in the 1930s and 1940s.
NOTE: The Cronin Pottery Co. produced large salt and pepper shakers in a similar size and glazes to the Kitchen Kraft and Fiesta Kitchen Kraft shakers. The main difference between the two is that Cronin shakers have the holes placed at an angle toward the upper side of the shaker rather than directly on top like the ones made by Homer Laughlin for Kitchen Kraft.
Comparison Cronin vs. Fiesta Kitchen Kraft shakers
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- Cronin Pottery range salt and pepper shakers in a red glaze. Note the placement of the holes. Image from ebay.
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- Red Fiesta Kitchen Kraft range shaker. Image from rubylane.com.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Salt & Pepper Shakers (pair): Book value: $69.00 – $87.00 *. Current market prices: $90.00 (eBay); $85.00 – $125.00 (Etsy); $155.00 (vintageamericanpottery.com). **
*Book values come from Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares, Schiffer Publishing 2000. These reflect pre-2008 recession values. And like Fiesta items glazed in red and cobalt tend to 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%
In the next installment of Fiesta 201, Driving for Deco will take a look at the Refrigerator Set and Pie Plate.
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