Fiesta Kitchen Kraft label. Image from thepotterypapers.blogspot.com
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Part four of Driving For Deco’s series on Fiesta Kitchen Kraft is about casseroles. No 1930s line of oven to table ware was complete without a casserole bowl. And the Kitchen Kraft line is no exception. Kitchen Kraft offered three sizes of casseroles. When initially sold paper labels were usually applied to the lids. All the casseroles feature the impressed Fiesta Kitchen Kraft mark on the bottom.
Yellow individual casserole. Because of its size the paper label is applied to the bowl and not the lid as on the larger two sizes. Image from ebay.com.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft 8 1/2 Inch & 7 1/2 Casseroles
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
8 1/2 Inch Casserole original price: blue, yellow, green $1.00 ($18.55 in 2021); red $1.25 ($23.19 in 2021)
7 1/2 Inch Casserole original price: blue, yellow, green $0.90 ($16.70 in 2021); red $1.10 ($20.41 in 2021)
Large Fiesta Kitchen Kraft casserole in red. From the collection of the author.
When developing the Kitchen Kraft in 1937, the large (8 1/2 inch) casserole the first piece Frederick Rhead designed for the new line. Like most Fiesta Kitchen Kraft items the large and medium casseroles are devoid of decorations, except to the two steps under the rim. The lid sits inside the bowl, unlike the Fiesta and Harlequin casseroles whose covers overhang the outside edge. A nice feature is the recessed area around knob, which allows for a firm grip when lifting it up. A go-along metal holder was available for the 8 1/2 inch casserole, which dressed it up for the table. All the casseroles were reasonably priced. And the two large sized ones sold well.
8 1/2 inch green Fiesta Kitchen Kraft casserole with go-along metal holder. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
The medium (7 1/2 inch) casserole is identical to the large casserole except for its size. Both the large and the medium casseroles are among the easiest Fiesta Kitchen Kraft items to find today.
A blue 7 1/2 inch Fiesta Kitchen Kraft casserole. Identical in design to the larger casserole. Image from ebay.com.
8 1/2 inch casserole: Book value: $90.00 – $120.00 *. Current market prices: $70.00 (eBay) – $150.00 (Vintage American Pottery). **
7 1/2 inch casserole: Book value: $90.00 – $105.00 *. Current market prices: $60.00 (eBay) – $135.00 (Etsy) . **
*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%.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Individual Casserole
The individual casserole in yellow. Photo from replacements.com.
Dates of production: 1938 – 1944
Available colors: red, blue, yellow, green
Individual Casserole original price: blue, yellow, green $0.50 ($13.21 in 2021); red $0.60 ($15.85 in 2021)
Individual casseroles in all the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft colors, plus one in ivory with gold trim from the regular Kitchen Kraft line. Image from Pinterest.
If any pieces of Kitchen Kraft can be called cute it is the individual casserole. This little casserole has an entirely different look from the two larger ones. While developing the piece the planned name was the bean pot. But once in production that had been changed to the individual casserole. This small casserole does not feature the stair steps under the rim as found on the two larger size ones. But it does have under rim rings to tie it in stylistically to the line.
Inside lid detail, yellow Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Individual Casserole. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
And like the bigger sized ones it does feature the recess around the lid knob. Today the individual casserole is not too easy to find and usually commands a higher price on the collectors market than the larger ones.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft Individual Casserole in cobalt blue. Image from vintageamericanpottery.com.
Individual casserole: Book value: $140.00 – $170.00 *. Current market prices: $65.00 – $80.00 (eBay) – $125.00 – $175.00 (Ruby Lane) . **
*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%.
Promotional Campaign
The promotional Kitchen Set, usually came with a Fiesta Royal Metal casserole with a red lid on a green bowl and yellow pie plate. Kitchen Kraft offered their own version of this set, using the large casserole. And the lid, bowl and pie plate were all the same color.
Fiesta Kitchen Kraft newspaper advertisement featuring the Kitchen Set and the Range Set. From the Council Grove Republic, Council Grove, Kansas, December 20, 1941. Image from newspapers.com.
An unofficial promotion set sold by some retailers was a three piece “Range Set”, which consisted of the Fiesta Kitchen Kraft salt and pepper shakers and the individual casserole. The casserole in this set functioned as a grease jar.
