Tag Archives: Homer Laughlin

Fiesta 201: Part Nine Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Oddities

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Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label.

Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label. Image from thepotterypapers.blogspot.com

                                                                                                CLICK HERE FOR PART EIGHT

For Driving for Deco’s last installment about Fiesta Kitchen Kraft, we will take a look at  the anomalies of the line. These pieces made for special promotions or to match other Homer Laughlin lines are hard to find. And some are quite rare.

 

Mixing Bowls for Harlequin

Dates of Production: Unknown

Available Colors: 6 Inch Bowl – Green (Spruce) & Fiesta Red; 8 Inch Bowl – Blue (Mauve Blue); 10 Inch Bowl – Harlequin Yellow.

 

Harlequin Yellow 10 inch Kitchen Kraft mixing bowl.

10 inch Kitchen Kraft mixing bowl in the Harlequin Yellow glaze. Image from strawserauctions.com

 

As mentioned in our previous posts on Fiesta and Fiesta Kitchen Kraft, mixing bowls were an integral part of kitchen ware sets from the 1930s – 1950s. Harlequin, another solid color dishware line produced by Homer Laughlin was introduced in 1936. Harlequin, a Woolworth exclusive, ended up being nearly as popular as their Fiesta line. So it makes sense there should be a mixing bowl set to match the colors used for Harlequin. The two largest bowls were available in one color each, the largest bowl was yellow and the medium sized bowl in blue (today’s collectors refer to this blue as mauve blue). The smallest bowl came in green and red.

 

The middle mixing bowl, 8 inch size, in Harlequin's mauve blue glaze.

The 8 inch bowl in the blue (mauve blue) glaze. Image from Etsy.com

Unlike the Kitchen Kraft and Fiesta Kitchen Kraft mixing bowls, the Harlequin bowls had neither an ink stamp or impressed mark on the bottom. While the production dates are uncertain one can surmise when these bowls were available by the colors chosen. Harlequin added Fiesta red to their line in late 1939 and green (spruce) was dropped around 1942. And the scarcity of the bowls seems to indicate a short production life, it is possible that these mixing bowls were only available for a couple of years in the early 1940s. Because of this, Kitchen Kraft mixing bowls in Harlequin colors are harder to find than those in the Fiesta colors.

 

The unmarked underside of the 8 inch Mauve Blue mixing bowl.

The underside of the Mauve Blue, 8 inch mixing bowl. Notice there is not mark on the bowl. Image from Etsy.

6 inch bowls: Book value $91.00 – $94.00 for both Red and Green bowls: *. Current market prices:   $149.00 (Green – eBay in excellent condition) **

8 inch bowls: Book value: $115.00 – $125.00. Current market prices: $9.95 (eBay in bad condition); $58.00 (Etsy in fair condition)

10 inch bowls: Book value: $130.00 – $135.00. Current market prices: $12.50 (Strawser Auction 12/15/2021 in good condition only minor ware.); $550.00 (Strawser Auction 06/14/2019 in excellent condition).

* Book values come from Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares, Schiffer Publishing 2000. These reflect pre-2008 recession values.

** These prices reflect what these bowls are currently selling for online in excellent condition with no chips or cracks unless noted. 

 

Mixing Bowls for Jubilee

Dates of Production: Circa 1949

Available Colors: 6 Inch Bowl – Shell Pink; 8 Inch Bowl – Celedon Green; 10 Inch Bowl – Mist Gray.

Following the death of Homer Laughlin’s chief designer, Frederick Rhead in 1942, Don Schreckengost, filled the position in 1945. To celebrate Homer Laughlin’s 75th anniversary, Schreckengost created a new line, appropriately named, Jubilee. The pieces were modern in style, fitting in with decorating trends of the post World War II era. Jubilee was offered in four colors, Cream Beige, Shell Pink, Celedon Green and Mist Gray. And Schreckengost designed the line to work with both formal and informal dining.

 

Circa 1949 price guide for Homer Laughlin's Jubilee.

Circa 1949 Jubilee price guide. Image from laurelhollowpark.net.

As a promotion for new line, the Kitchen Kraft mixing bowls were dipped in the three Jubilee glazes. The largest bowl was Mist Gray, the medium bowl received the Celedon Green glaze and the smallest bowl came in Shell Pink. Like the Harlequin mixing bowl set, the Jubilee bowls did not get any marks. Judging by how hard it is find these bowls today, the promotion probably did not last long. And the bowls values on today’s collector market reflect this rarity. They tend to sell higher than the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft bowls but are about equal in value to the Harlequin mixing bowls.

 

The Jubilee mixing bowl set.

The Jubilee mixing bowl set. Image from liveauctioneers.com.

6 inch bowls: . Current market prices:  $145.00 (eBay in excellent condition). *

8 inch bowls: Current market prices: $5.00 (Strawser Auction 04/10/2015, bad condition with rim chips).

10 inch bowls: Current market prices: $149.95 (eBay in excellent condition).

A complete set of the three bowls: Current market price: $200.00 (Ruby Lane in excellent condition).

* These prices reflect what these bowls are currently selling for online in excellent condition with no chips or cracks unless noted. 

 

 

Mixing Bowls for Rhythm

Dates of Production: Circa 1951

Available Colors: 6 Inch Bowl – Dark Green; 8 Inch Bowl –  Harlequin Yellow; 10 Inch Bowl – Chartreuse.

 

Promotional mixing bowl set for Homer Laughlin's Rhythm.

Rhythm promotional mixing bowl set. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.

In 1950 Homer Laughlin introduced Rhythm. Originally developed for Woolworth, it eventually was sold through many retailers. Rhythm featured modern, somewhat biomorphic shapes, that were popular at the time. The line also came in white with various decals or solid colors. Unlike the colors of Jubilee, Rhythm’s solid colors were deep, vibrant and jewel like. Dark green, chartreuse, maroon, gray and Harlequin yellow, echoed the current decorating color trends of the late 1940s and 1950s and drew inspiration from floral barkcloth colors popular at the time.

The Solid Colors of Rhythm

 

The unmarked bottom of the Chartreuse Mixing Bowl.

The unmarked bottom of the Chartreuse Mixing Bowl. Image from eBay.

And just like the introduction of the Jubilee line a couple years earlier, Rhythm also offered a set mixing bowls as a promotion. But for the collector today, the Rhythm mixing bowls are even harder to find than those for Jubilee. And because of their rarity, these mixing bowls usually sell for a higher price than those dipped in the Jubilee and Harlequin glazes.

6 inch bowls: . Current market prices:  $99.00 (eBay in excellent condition). *

8 inch bowls: Current market prices: $55.00 (Strawser Auction 11/05/2021 with minor surface ware).

10 inch bowls: Current market prices: $134.99 (eBay in excellent condition).

* These prices reflect what these bowls are currently selling for online in excellent condition with no chips or cracks unless noted. 

 

While this concludes Fiesta 201: Fiesta Kitchen Kraft, there will be future posts about two Homer Laughlin dinnerware lines, Harlequin and Riviera.

 

Anthony & Chris

 

SOURCES

Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares – The Homer Laughlin China Collectors Association Guide – Schiffer Publishing, LTD.

laurelhollowpark.net

vintageamericanpottery.com

Fiesta 201: Part Eight Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Covered Jar

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Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label.

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 Covered Jars.

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).

 

Lid detail with intact paper label on cobalt blue large covered jar.

Large Covered Jar, blue (cobalt) showing lid detail with intact paper label. Image from wothpoint.com.

 

The impressed mark on the underside of the covered jar.

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.

 

Lid detail of Kitchen Kraft covered jar with Mexicana decal.

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.

 

Large green covered jar size comparison to a soda can.

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 to the rim of the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jar.

Typical damage found on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars is the chipping of the inside rim. Image from worthpoint.com.

 

Lid chip damage.

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.

 

A hairline crack in the body of the covered jar.

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.

 

A comparison between the Kitchen Kraft Lid vs. the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Lid.

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.

 

A comparison of the underside of the two types of covered jar lids.

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.

 

 

The three sized of the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft covered jars.

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%.

For the next and last installment on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft, Driving for Deco will look at some of the more unusual pieces of Kitchen Kraft.

    CLICK HERE FOR PART NINE

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen Guys)

Sources

Fiesta, Harlequin, Kitchen Kraft Dinnerwares

Vintage American Pottery

Worthpoint