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Dear Customer,

If you are interested in buying and collecting “Fiesta” dishes we have compiled some information to help you answer some questions.  We buy and sell Fiesta dishes and we are happy to help you with these questions when you come into our store or visit us on line.  
                                                Thank you, 
                                                Judy and Ashley 

The history of vintage Fiesta is a colorful one starting in 1936.  The creative designer was Frederick Hurton Rhead.  The Homer Laughlin China Company was the producer who employed him.  Homer Laughlin sold his china company in 1897 to another family long before Fiesta was designed and made.  The new owners decided to keep the name of the company all these years.

Vintage Fiesta is available in eleven colors and they are typically categorized into the original colors which were Red (which looks orange), Ivory (off white), Cobalt Blue (navy), Yellow, Green, and Turquoise); and the 1950s colors Rose (dusty rose), Gray, Forest Green (dark green), Chartreuse, and Medium Green (John Deere green).  

Medium Green was introduced in 1959 and is the most sought after vintage Fiesta color.  It is more valuable than any of the other colors. The “red” Fiesta dishes were made with uranium oxide which dangers were overstated.  All red dishes during that time were made with this formula; however, Fiesta dishes took the brunt of the scare. 

Left-Dark Green, Back-Medium Green, Front-Light Green, Right-Chartruese

                                  
Vintage colors

If you are learning about Fiesta pottery you will want to identify the vintage “Fiesta Mark” that identifies it by looking for the word “Fiesta” written on the bottom of the piece into the clay in a “cursive” style.  It has USA in block letters, also underneath.  Some of the other older marks were stamps in the same “Fiesta” cursive design and HLO.  If the mark has a cursive “F” and the rest of the letters are all caps it is a new Fiesta piece.  Most of the new Fiesta dishes are stamped on the back with a blue stamp.  After a while you will know what to look for easily and you will be able to recognize the vintage colors at a glance.  Caution:  Some old vintage Fiesta dishes do not have a mark.  They are vintage pieces, however.  Some of the early pieces were not marked and some small pieces are not marked.  You can recognize them by their distinctive rings and colors just the same.  Avid Fiesta collectors would not let that stop them from recognizing them and collecting them.

Here are some of the original Fiestaware dishes and their marks.

From 1970-1972 the company made colors called Antique Gold, Turf Green, and Mango Red. 

              This Turf Green                   This is Antique Gold                 This is a Mango Red Cereal Bowl  

After 1986 the company started making “New” Fiesta.

Some of the new colors made are Cobalt, Rose, White, Apricot, Black, Turquoise, Yellow, Seamist Green, Periwinkle Blue, Sapphire, Persimmon, Lilac, Chartreuse, Pearl Grey, Juniper, Cinnabar, Sunflower.  Scarlet.  More colors are added as the years go by.  

Moonlight Antiques & Gifts
211 E. Grand Avenue
Hot Springs, AR 71901
501 622-6760

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