LA GRANGE, IND. — Strawser Auctions’ March 18–19 sale featured more than 3,000 pieces of vintage Fiestaware and grossed $182,000, with every lot sold. “The sale went extremely well. Fiesta has been a specialty of ours for the past 20 years, with three sales held each year in March, June and November,” said Michael G. Strawser, president and auctioneer. “We set a record with the Fiesta ivory red stripe covered onion soup bowl which realized $12,075 on March 19 and did very well with the rare maroon pieces.” Maroon highlights were led by a juice tumbler that went to $7,750 and a dessert bowl at $6,600.
The top lot of the auction was an ivory red stripe covered onion soup at $12,075.
Fiestaware was first introduced in 1936 as a line of colorful, modern, affordable ceramic glazed dinnerware produced by the Homer Laughlin China Company of Newell, W.Va. It was sold by the piece, giving the customer the freedom to mix and match patterns and colors to create an individual, unique tablescape. Initially, Fiesta was produced in five colors: Old Ivory, yellow, red, blue and green. A sixth color, turquoise, was added in 1938. By the 1950s, decorating styles and color schemes had changed and the company discontinued some of the original colors and replaced them with the more popular Chartreuse, Forest Green, Gray and Rose. Various colors were added over the years with a total of 39 color shades as of early 2008. The company also discontinued many colors and produced several limited edition shades, which created a strong interest in the collector’s market.
A maroon juice tumbler attained $7,750.
The most sought-after vintage Fiestaware is in the red color range due to limited production. In addition to the above-mentioned auction highlights, a Fiesta ivory red stripe 9½-inch nappy bowl achieved $5,600, a pair of Fiesta ivory red stripe bulb candleholders sold for $3,225, a six-piece ivory red stripe place setting made $3,800 and a single maroon deep plate went to $1,900.
Other highly collectible pieces included a Riviera medium green casserole that fetched $5,175 and a Harlequin medium green water tumbler going to $4,500. Blue color highlights comprised a Fiesta turquoise individual creamer for $4,600, a Skytone blue 4¾-inch fruit bowl at $2,250 and a Fiesta prototype cup with a solid ring handle for $2,000.
Fiestaware has been prominently featured in numerous popular television series, including The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family and Frasier. Collector and trade interest is strong in the US and Canadian markets and is likely to continue.
All prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, 260-854-2859 or www.strawserauctions.com.
