Most Anchor Hocking Fire-King sells for about $5-35 a piece as of October 2026. Peach Lustre and plain white pieces sit around $5-20, a jadeite D-handle mug brings $15-40 and a Snoopy "Curse you, Red Baron" mug about $25-150, with the scarcer orange version often near $300. The real money is in scarce colors and short runs: Burgundy mugs, Turquoise Blue sets, rare advertising mugs and the Jane Ray and Restaurant Ware forms jadeite collectors chase.
Fire-King was made in huge numbers from 1942 to 1976, sold in grocery stores, given away in oatmeal boxes and used in diners. So the honest starting point is that a single common piece is a $5-20 item, and that is fine. The value sits in the color, the form and a mark that tells you which era it came from.
Quick answer
- Common Fire-King (Peach Lustre, white and decal pieces, clear ovenware): about $5-20 a piece.
- Jadeite cups, saucers, plates and D-handle mugs: about $15-40 each. Jadeite has its own jadeite value guide.
- Snoopy Red Baron mugs: about $25-150 for the red and black print. The scarcer orange version has sold for roughly $290-350, and exceptional examples near $400.
- Turquoise Blue single mixing bowls around $30-40; sets and scarce forms more.
- Burgundy, rare advertising mugs and short-run forms: several hundred dollars and up, with thin sales.
How do I identify and value Fire-King, step by step?
Start with the base, then the color, then the form. Most pieces can be pinned to a decade in under a minute.
- Read the embossed mark. Fire-King marks are molded into the glass, not printed, so tilt the base toward a light. Write down every word, whether "Fire-King" has a hyphen, and whether an anchor logo appears.
- Date the mark. From 1942 to about 1952 the mark reads "FIRE-KING" with a hyphen, often with "OVEN WARE" or "OVEN GLASS". From about 1952 to 1962 it typically reads "FIRE KING OVEN WARE" without the hyphen, sometimes with a pattern name. From about 1962 to 1976 "ANCHOR HOCKING" and the anchor over H logo were added. A base reading "Fire-King 2000" is the one-year 2000 jadeite reissue, and a "Made in Japan" Fire-King is from the modern Fire-King Japan line.
- Name the color. Jadeite (opaque green, 1945 to about 1976), Peach Lustre (iridescent copper-pink fired on white, 1952 to about 1963), Turquoise Blue (opaque teal, about 1956 to 1962), Azur-ite (paler blue, early 1960s), Sapphire Blue (transparent pale blue, 1942 to about 1945), white and ivory milk glass, and the scarce Rose-ite and Burgundy.
- Name the line. Restaurant Ware is thick and heavy for diners. Jane Ray has a rayed rim. Charm is square. Swirl has swirled ribs. Philbe has a pressed scroll design. Shell has scalloped edges. Kimberly has a diamond pattern. Decal lines on white include Primrose, Wheat, Fleurette, Forget Me Not, Anniversary Rose and Blue Mosaic.
- Check if it is a mug, and which one. Mugs are their own market. Look for the D-shaped handle, the rolled or flat base, and any printed design: Peanuts, Davy Crockett, advertising logos for oil companies, restaurants and banks.
- Check condition. Run a fingertip around the rim and handle for chips. Look for dishwasher dullness on jadeite and wear to the lustre on Peach Lustre, which rubs off at rims and handles. On decal pieces, faded or scratched decals cut value sharply.
- Count what you have. A complete set of nested mixing bowls, a covered casserole with its lid, or a matched run of mugs sells better than singles.
- Price from sold listings, not asking prices. Fire-King asking prices often run two to three times what sells.
What is Fire-King worth?
Sold ranges as of October 2026 for pieces without chips. Dealer asking prices run higher.
| Piece | Era | Typical sold range |
|---|---|---|
| Peach Lustre cups, saucers, bowls, mugs | 1952 to about 1963 | About $5-20 each |
| Peach Lustre casseroles and bakers | 1952 to about 1963 | About $10-20 |
| White and ivory ovenware, custard cups | 1940s to 1970s | About $3-15 |
| Decal patterns on white (Primrose, Wheat, Anniversary Rose) | 1950s to 1970s | About $5-25 a piece |
| Jadeite Restaurant Ware and Jane Ray cups, plates, mugs | About 1945 to 1967 | About $15-40 each |
| Jadeite Swirl mixing bowl set of four | 1940s to 1950s | Roughly $100-175 |
| Sapphire Blue Philbe custard cups, casseroles, mugs | 1942 to about 1945 | About $5-40 |
| Turquoise Blue mixing bowl, single | About 1956 to 1962 | About $30-40 |
| Turquoise Blue mixing bowl set of three | About 1956 to 1962 | Roughly $100-175, sales are thin |
| Snoopy Red Baron mug, red and black | 1965 into the 1970s | About $25-100 |
| Snoopy Red Baron mug, orange and brown | 1965 into the 1970s | About $100-350, exceptional up to about $400 |
| Common advertising mugs on white | 1950s to 1970s | About $10-40 |
| Burgundy mugs and other short-run colors | 1950s to 1960s | Several hundred dollars and up, sales are thin |
| 2000 jadeite reissue, marked "Fire-King 2000" | 2000 | Roughly $10-30 |
The far end of the market is real but narrow. Wikipedia's Fire-King entry records a pair of Burgundy coffee mugs selling for about $2,000 at auction in the early 2020s. That is a rare color in demand from a small group of mug collectors, not a guide to what an ordinary Fire-King mug is worth.
What are Fire-King's colors and when were they made?
The color dates a piece almost as well as the mark. According to the Fire-King history compiled on Wikipedia, Anchor Hocking registered the Fire-King trademark in 1941 and launched the line in 1942 in Sapphire Blue.
- Sapphire Blue (1942 to about 1945): transparent pale blue, often in the Philbe scroll pattern. Measuring cups, custard cups, nurser bottles and casseroles are common.
- Jadeite (1945 to about 1976): opaque green, introduced with the Alice pattern as an oatmeal premium. Restaurant Ware and Jane Ray are the big lines.
- Peach Lustre (1952 to about 1963): an iridescent copper-pink finish fired over white. Laurel, Swirl, Three Bands and Kimberly were made in it. It is plentiful and usually sells below the same form in jadeite.
- Turquoise Blue (about 1956 to 1962): opaque teal-blue, in Swirl, Charm and the teardrop "Swedish Modern" mixing bowls, which sellers often call Delphite.
- Azur-ite (early 1960s): a paler pastel blue, mostly in Charm and Swirl.
- Rose-ite and Burgundy: scarce opaque pink and wine-red pieces, mostly mugs and small forms. These are where four-figure results come from.
- White and ivory: the base for decal patterns and for most mugs.
How do you tell old Fire-King from reissues and copies?
Three groups of later glass get mistaken for vintage. The mark settles most cases.
- The 2000 jadeite reissue. Anchor Hocking made jadeite again for one year, marked "ANCHOR HOCKING Fire-King 2000" on the base, from new molds. Some forms were never made originally. It is honest glass sold as new, worth roughly $10-30 a piece, not the vintage price.
- Martha by Mail and other 1990s jadeite. In the late 1990s, catalog jadeite sold under the Martha by Mail name was made mainly by Mosser Glass and L.E. Smith in slightly different greens. It is not Fire-King and is not marked Fire-King.
- Fire-King Japan. Since 2011 a company in Tokyo has sold Fire-King branded mugs and dishes. These are marked as made in Japan and are modern.
- Hazel Atlas. The Hazel Atlas "H over A" mark is sometimes confused with the Anchor Hocking anchor over H. They are different companies with different values.
Period jadeite varies in shade from piece to piece, even within one line. A whole set of perfectly uniform, slightly too bright green with crisp, unworn bases deserves a second look.
Condition and what changes the price
| Factor | Effect on price |
|---|---|
| No chips, glossy surface, clear mark | Full value for the form |
| Chip on rim or handle | Deduct about 40-60 percent |
| Dishwasher dullness on jadeite or Turquoise Blue | Deduct about 20-40 percent |
| Peach Lustre worn through at rim or handle | Deduct about 30-50 percent |
| Faded or scratched decal or mug graphic | Deduct about 30-60 percent |
| Casserole or butter dish missing its lid | Deduct about 50-70 percent |
| Complete nested bowl set | Sells above the sum of singles |
| Original paper label or box | Small premium |
| Orange and brown Snoopy print instead of red and black | Often two to three times the price |
A worked example
Say you find a green D-handle mug at an estate sale. It is opaque, a soft mint green, and the base reads "FIRE KING OVEN WARE" with no hyphen and no anchor. That mark places it in the 1950s. It is jadeite Restaurant Ware, a very common form. There are no chips, but the outside is slightly dull. A clean, glossy example sells for about $15-40; the dullness pulls it toward $15-25. Now say the same table has a white mug with Snoopy on his doghouse and the words "Curse you, Red Baron" in orange and brown. Base marked with the anchor over H: post-1962. That is the scarcer color version, and with a bright print and no chips it is roughly a $100-350 mug, and recent sales of clean examples have landed near $300. The jadeite mug is the one people expect to be valuable. The Snoopy mug is the one that is.
Common mistakes
- Thinking all green glass is Fire-King. Jeannette, McKee and modern makers all made opaque green glass. Check the mark and the form.
- Pricing Peach Lustre like jadeite. Peach Lustre was made in very large numbers and usually sells for $5-20 a piece.
- Missing the 2000 date. A "Fire-King 2000" mark is the reissue, not vintage.
- Running mugs through the dishwasher. Detergent strips graphics and dulls the glass, which is the biggest preventable loss on Fire-King.
- Splitting nested bowl sets. A full set sells better together.
- Pricing from asking listings. Fire-King listings often sit for months at prices that never sell.
- Ignoring the mug in the cupboard. Advertising, Peanuts and odd-color mugs are often worth more than the jadeite next to them.
How WorthPic reads Fire-King photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From a clear photo of the base it reads the embossed mark, the hyphen, the anchor logo and any "2000" or Japan wording, which date the piece. From the side it reads the color, the line (Restaurant Ware, Jane Ray, Charm, Swirl, Philbe, Kimberly), the form and any printed design on a mug. It then gives an honest value range for that color, form and era, with a most likely figure, and says which extra photo would settle a close call.
What it cannot know from a photo is a chip it cannot see, the weight of the glass in the hand, or how much shine is gone under the kitchen light. A clean reissue can look very like the real thing on a phone screen. When the evidence is mixed, it says so. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The base, tilted to catch light, so the embossed mark is readable.
- The piece from the side in daylight on a white background, so the color shows true.
- Rims and handles close up, for chips and lustre wear.
- Both sides of a mug, since many have a design or text on each side.
- Lids on and off for casseroles and butter dishes.
- A group photo if you have a set of bowls or matching mugs.
When should you get Fire-King looked at in person?
Common Fire-King does not need an expert. A check of sold listings for the same color and form is enough, and a mixed box of Peach Lustre and white ovenware usually sells as a lot. Burgundy and Rose-ite pieces, rare advertising mugs, complete Turquoise Blue sets and unusual jadeite forms are worth showing to a Depression-era glass dealer or a Fire-King collector group, who see reproductions weekly. The reference most collectors use is Gene Florence's Anchor Hocking's Fire-King & More (Collector Books). For related kitchen glass, see our guides to milk glass, vintage Pyrex and Depression glass.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Fire-King: production dates, colors and their years, marks by era, the 2000 reissue, Martha by Mail glass, the Burgundy mug auction and a $310 orange Red Baron mug sale.
- Hunker: the rare Fire-King Snoopy mug (October 2026): Snoopy mug dates, the two color variants and the $25-150 to $400 price band.
- Hunker: vintage mugs to look for (March 2026): Snoopy mug resale context. It quotes higher jadeite mug figures than the sold results we see for common Restaurant Ware mugs.
- Telegraph Herald collectibles column: about $15-40 for a common jadeite D-handle mug on eBay, which matches single-mug eBay sales we checked at about $19-28.