Collectors used to stick their noses up at “Fire King” glass as too new and uninteresting. Time is a king-maker in the world of antiques, however, and obviously Fire King’s time has arrived.
From the 1937 through the 1960s, the Fire King line made the Anchor Hocking Company of Lancaster, Ohio, the leading manufacturer of household glassware market in the United States.
The earliest pieces to appear, just after Anchor and Hocking merged, was Fire King “oven glass,” a lacy pressed pattern in blue, crystal, green and pink. It came in mixing bowls, pie plates and covered refrigerator-to-oven dishes with a matching dinnerware called “Philbe.”
Pink Philbe is inexpensive at about $10 for a 9-inch dinner plate or cup and saucer set. Philbe in blue is harder to find, so a cup and saucer will be $30 and a divided grill plate might cost you $35.
Most Fire King is inexpensive, thanks to the years of being ignored by Depression Glass collectors, but don’t expect the really low prices to last forever.
The most popular Fire King kitchenware colors are semi-opaque turquoise blue, ivory and jadite green. The turquoise is really a pale blue and was made in “Splash Proof,” a high, round, slightly fluted shape (about $10 for a large mixing bowl), as well as a rare and highly sought-after “Swedish Modern” line, which is elliptical in shape ($20, plus).
Ivory is also hard to find, and came mostly in baking dishes like custard cups ($5), loaf pans ($15) and cake pans ($18). Jadite green is, perhaps, the most popular of all the Fire King colors, but it’s still rather inexpensive. Mixing bowls, fluted or plain, still only range about $10.
Sapphire blue Fire King is a very pale translucent blue, and it came in the widest variety of items including roasters ($40-60), casseroles ($15-20) and baby bottles, called nursers ($15-30, depending on size). Find the 8 oz. dry measure cup (no spout); it’s $150 plus today.
Fire King kitchen glass was also produced in a line of decorated milk glass. Patterns include “Dots,” a pattern based on earlier glass by McKee, Atlas and the original Hocking company, “Fruits” (peaches, grapes and pears), and “Cut Flowers.”
The most popular milk glass decoration, however, is “Tulips” (red and yellow tulips in blue pots), but it was so popular when it was first issued that lots of it was made. Prices for “Tulips” remain low today, despite its popularity, because of its wide availability.
Several Fire King Dinnerware sets also came in decorated milk glass. “Fleurette” and “Honesuckle” were produce between 1958 and 1960 in boxed started sets, complete dinnerware sets of up to 53 pieces and “Serva-Snack” sets with cups that set into matching sandwich plates.
“Game Bird” was made between 1959 and 1962, featuring mallard ducks, ring-necked pheasants, Canada Goose and ruffled grouse.
There are lots of other Fire King dinnerware patterns to choose from, however. “”Alice” (early 1940s) features a fluted edge of embossed flowers and was made in white with blue or red trim and in Jadite green.
“Charm” (1950-54) is a modern-looking pattern in square shapes with rounded edges with a lightly embossed sun-ray on the inner border. Its wide variety of colors include jadite green, ruby, milk glass, azurite blue, and forest green.
The number-one favorite Fire King patterns of all time are the all-Jadite “Jane Ray” pattern (1945-1963) and “Swirl” (1955-1960s) a fluted pattern in Jadite, pink and in both white and ivory with trim.
“Jadite Restaurant Ware” (1950-1953), a thick, heavy glass used in roadside diners, is very highly sought after.
—Arthur Schwerdt. A certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.
