Anchor Hocking Fire King glass is a beautiful oven glass that was fabricated starting in the early 1940s and on through the 1970s. While it is a collectible glassware, it is also quite affordable, and can purchased at many thrift shops, antique or flea markets, and even yard sales.

Fire King glassware, in its time, could be purchased at most stores (grocery, hardware, etc.), and was in fact often given away as a bonus gift with purchases of flour or gas. The idea behind these dishes was that they would be multipurpose – bake your casserole in the covered dish and use the same dish to store the leftovers. Other Anchor Hocking Fire King products include ash trays, cosmetic jars and containers, and souvenir pieces.

The colors and patterns of Fire King vary widely, some of which are solid, opaque colored glass (like white, ivory, roseite (a creamy pink), jadeite (a pale green), azureite (a light blue), and turquoise. Other lines have pastel or bright shades of colors like blue, green, and yellow, which are fired-on coatings.

Patterns on the white glass dishes included natural, geometric, and floral decals, with their best-selling patterns including primrose, forget-me-not, and wheat. Anchor Hocking Fire King’s signature glass and pattern came to be the jadeite (known as “Jade-ite”) color and the Philbe pattern (a raised pattern found on clear, jadeite, sapphire blue, and ivory-colored glass). Also very popular from Anchor Hocking was its thicker, restaurant-grade dinnerware, as well as the Peach Lustre dinnerware for the home.

How can you identify an authentic Fire King piece? This is very difficult, because while most lines are embossed on the bottom, these logos (often an anchor or script or block-letter “Fire-King”) changed over time, and were often not used at all, replaced by a sticker that could be easily removed. This means that many authentic Fire King pieces do not have any embossing.

Especially when it comes to Jade-ite, the most searched-after color by Fire King collectors, imitations abound. Many Asian-made reproductions do their best to imitate the originals, and are marked only by easily-removed clear stickers to facilitate this. It is difficult to distinguish between authentic Fire King and reproductions, especially for novices. As you become more familiar with the Anchor Hocking Fire King brand, you will become more skilled at identifying basic and then rarer patterns. Be sure to check the reputation of line dealers, and seek the help of experienced collectors, when in doubt.

Do keep in mind, that Fire King was meant for daily use, and so pieces may show signs of wear. Take this into consideration when you are purchasing pieces – are they for your own personal use or for resale? And also be careful about how you maintain it – wash the pieces by hand (otherwise the glass will end up etched), and avoid placing it in the microwave (remember, microwaves were not invented at the time of Fire King manufacture). If you can follow these steps, you’ll enjoy your Anchor Hocking Fire King glassware for yet another several generations.