Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label. Image from thepotterypapers.blogspot.com
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The Pie Plate and Refrigerator set will be the subject of part six of DrivingForDeco’s on going series about Fiesta Kitchen Kraft.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft 9 1/2 Inch & 10 1/2 Pie Plates
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft red pie plate, with intact original paper label. Photo from liveauctioneers.com.
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
9 Inch Pie Plate original price: blue, yellow, green $0.45 ($8.67 in 2021); red $0.60 ($11.56 in 2021).
9 inch Fiesta Kitchen Kraft pie plates in blue, yellow and green. Photo from liveauctioneers.com.
Pie plates were a standard piece in most pottery companies lines in the 1930s. And Homer Laughlin’s Kitchen Kraft was no different. In 1936 Royal Metal Manufacturing Co, commissioned Homer Laughlin to create a pie plate for use with their metal holder. This pie plate measured 10 1/2 inches.
The 10 inch version of the pie plate in the Fiesta yellow glaze and Royal Manufacturing chrome holder. Photo from vintageamericanpottery.com.
With the introduction of the Homer Laughlin’s Kitchen Kraft the following year a slightly smaller version of the Royal Metal pie plate, actually 9 3/4 inches, joined the line. In 1938 by glazing the smaller pie plate in red, green, blue and yellow became part of Fiesta Kitchen Kraft. While only the “9 inch” pie plate made it on the price list, there are enough “10 inch” plates dipped in the Fiesta colors to suggest that is was an available option.
A comparison of the two pie plate sizes, a 10 inch plate in yellow and a 9 inch one in the cobalt blue glaze. Photo from liveauctioneers.com.
Today, it is somewhat easy to find the pie plates in both sizes. And their value on the collector’s market reflects this. But like most utilitarian items, the pie plates were well used and it may be a bit harder to find one in good to excellent condition.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft 9 Inch Pie Plate: Book value: $31.00 – $46.00 *. Current market prices: $49.00 with metal holder (mercari.com); $120.00 for a group of three pie plates, red, green and blue (Strawser Auction Group); $65.00 for blue & $85.00 for red (vintageamericanpottery.com). **
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft 10 Inch Pie Plate: Book value: $34.00 – $46.00 *. Current market prices: $12.00 yellow, $75.00 blue (eBay); $75.00 green (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%
Refrigerator Set
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator or Stacking Set in all the regular colors and intact paper labels. Photo from zandkantiques.com.
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green, ivory+
Refrigerator Set Bowl original price: blue, yellow, green $0.35 ($6.74 in 2021); red $0.45 ($8.67 in 2021).
Refrigerator Set Lid original price: blue, yellow, green $0.15 ($2.89 in 2021); red $0.20 ($3.85 in 2021).
An all green Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator Set. Photo from vintageamericanpottery.com.
Back in 2017 Driving For Deco took a brief look at the refrigerator set as part of the 1940 Fiesta promotional campaign. Now we will look at the set as part of the Kitchen Kraft line. In early 1937 Homer Laughlin designer Frederick Rhead designed a storage bowl and lid for the Jewel Tea Company. It did not go into production. As the Kitchen Kraft line was developing in the spring of 1937, Rhead created two versions of the refrigerator bowl. One featured lug handles; one did not. Neither of these designs went into production. With only a slight modification to the design of the Jewel Tea Company bowl, Rhead turned it into the Kitchen Kraft refrigerator set. It is sometimes called a stacking set.
The individual units of the Refrigerator Set, bowls and lids. Photo from zandkantiques.com.
Like all items in the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft the refrigerator set came in the standard colors of red, blue, yellow and green. White and Ivory glazed set with decals were offered in the Kitchen Kraft line. But a few non decal sets in the ivory glaze have surfaced over the years. But these are so rare that they usually sell for premium prices on the collector’s market.
Rare Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator Set in Ivory. Photo from strawserauctiongroup.com.
Refrigerator sets, as a complete set or in their individual components, are not easy to find today, especially the lids. So expect to pay a pretty high price to add a complete set to a collection.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator Set Bowl (red, blue, green and yellow glazes): Book value: $41.00 – $66.00 *. Current market prices: $40.00 (ebay); $83.95 (replacements.com) **
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator Set Lid (red, blue, green and yellow glazes): Book value: $80.00 – $110.00 *. Current market prices: $25.00 for a yellow lid with a chip (ebay). **
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Refrigerator Complete Set (red, blue, green and yellow glazes): Book value: $203.00 – $330.00 *. Current market prices: $235.00 – $295.00 (ebay); $395.00 – $450.00 (vintageamericanpottery.com); The Ivory set sold for $650.00 at a recent auction. **
*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%