Vintage Fiestaware

Fiestaware was first produced in 1936 by the Homer Laughlin Pottery Company. It was a drastic deviation from traditional china which was much more expensive and usually only available in a full set. Fiestaware allowed the housewife to mix and match the bright colors as she pleased. She could also add to her set a few pieces at a time and replace a single piece if broken.

Red Fiesta Mixing Bowls

Originally, there were 5 colors of Fiestaware: red, cobalt blue, light green, yellow, and ivory.

Red Fiestaware was produced from 1936 until 1943. Because the red glaze contained uranium oxide, the US Goverment confiscated Homer Laughlin's supply during WWII for use in the atomic bomb project. Red Fiestaware didn't return until 1959.

Fiestaware's designer, Fredrick Rhead, also designed the Harlequin and Riviera pottery lines.

In 1986, Homer Laughlin returned Fiestaware to the market. These new pieces are slightly stronger than the vintage pieces due to an updated clay formula.

Harlequin

It can be hard to tell some vintage and modern pieces apart. Here are some tips:

• Fiestaware with an ink stamp of “FIESTA” in all uppercase is always post-1986. Fiestaware with an ink stamp of “fiesta” in all lowercase is always vintage. (This is only true for ink stamps and not the indented marks.)
• The pieces with indented backstamps can be trickier. Anytime you see a capital "H" it is ALWAYS post-86. However, the absence of an "H" does not guarantee that is is vintage.
• Anytime you see "lead free" on the bottom it is always a post-86 piece. 



Post-1986

• ook at the bottom of a piece, vintage Fiestaware often has three tiny marks on the bottom from the firing process. New Fiestaware does not. 
• Any pieces with numbers or letters stamped on the bottom are vintage. These stamps were used for quality control purposes and are not present on any post-86 pieces.

Pre-1986

We found this very cool video of the Homer Laughlin factory from the 1930's. Take a look! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DiUK0m-aGM

For the chronology of colors visit http://www.hlchina.com/fiestacolors.htm.

For a complete Fiestaware price guide visit www.happyheidi.com/antiques/Fiesta-Price-Guide.html