Your Old-School Serving Dishes May Be Worth Thousands

Lara EucalanoUpdated: Aug. 14, 2018

You might be serving up birthday cakes on a $1,600 plate!

Fiestaware Dinnerware via Facebook

We’re loving all things retro! Whether it’s grape salad, scalloped potatoes or lemon chiffon cake, it’s hard to get enough. The only thing that might make our most-shared vintage recipes even better is an authentic vintage Fiesta dish.

Fiestaware is known for its bright colors and solid design, plus it was in every kitchen of the ’40s and ’50s. It’s now “the most collected brand of china in the United States.” (There are people absolutely obsessed with it!) The real vintage Fiesta pieces can be spendy to get your hands on, but if you’re lucky, your mother (or grandmother) may have passed her set down to you.

What Is My Fiesta Worth?

The individual plates and bowls can be bought or sold for roughly $40-50 each, with some of the more unique pieces fetching even nicer prices. But the serving pieces are in serious demand by collectors:

Casserole Dish: $250-350
Fruit Bowl: $425
Salad Bowl: $525-600
Cake Plate: $1600
Gravy Boat: $85-95
Relish Tray: $50

What your Fiesta might be worth depends on the decades of wear and tear, as well as the color. Turquoise and Yellow are relatively common, where as a piece in Red or Medium Green is definitely worth a premium. (How good would a Jell-O salad look on a brightly colored plate? Love!) You may not keep your Fiesta platters in the cupboard, but it’s never too late to check your attic to see what’s in storage. While you’re searching, here are eight more kitchen items worth more than you’d think.

Quick Fiesta History

Fiestaware was originally made in West Virginia. (USA!) It started appearing on family tables in 1936, and the pieces didn’t change much until 1969. The company did some redesigns in ‘69 and then stopped production in 1973. But in 1986, the company introduced a new Fiesta line, which you’ve likely seen at your local department store today!

**How Do I Know If I Have Vintage Fiesta?**

Color: The original colors were Red, Cobalt, Yellow, Light Green, Old Ivory, and Turquoise. 1950s colors included Gray, Rose, Chartreuse, and Forest Green. The last –and rarest–color is Medium Green.

Markings: The vintage items will have an inkstamp on the bottom that says GENUINE fiesta, with Fiesta all lowercase. Look for a mold marking, too. It might say something like Fiesta HLC USA or HLC Fiesta Made in USA. (Lots of variety!)

Glaze: The bottom of an old dish will be completely glazed, while a new Fiesta piece will show some un-colored clay.

Look here to see what your vintage Fiesta is worth to a collector. But we’ll be holding onto ours!

Psst: Your heirloom Pyrex might be worth a bundle, too.

Our Best Vintage Dinner Party Recipes

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Salmon Mousse CupsI make these tempting little tarts frequently for parties. They disappear at an astonishing speed, so I usually double or triple the recipe. The salmon-cream cheese filling and flaky crust will melt in your mouth. —Fran Rowland, Phoenix, Arizona