Home >> Collecting >> Antiques

How to Identify a Piece of Fire-King

Fire-King is the brand of a large and diverse range of borosilicate glassware made by the Hocking Glass Company, which later became Anchor Hocking, from the 1940s to the late 1970s. Its main distinction was that it could withstand the heat of the oven, allowing cooks to bake and serve casseroles in the same dishes and to set the table with matching serving dishes, mugs and other items. Most pieces were mold-marked.

Instructions

- 1
  Check the logo on the bottom against the lists published by high-volume collectors and dealers. Note that not all authentic Fire-King was legibly marked, as the fine lines of the molds filled with debris with use, and at various times the company used paper labels.
- 2
  Compare your piece to those pictured in original catalogs. Philip Hopper of San Antonio, Texas, has assembled his collection of some 12,000 pieces of various Anchor Hocking manufactures into a private museum and published a compilation of catalogs, advertising and sales materials for collectors' reference.
- 3
  Compare your piece to known reproductions. Collector networks such as Fire-King.net publish information and photos, and there are collector clubs devoted to sharing Fire-King information, at least in Iowa and Colorado.

Antiques