Fire King Collectors Club. Meets 1st Saturday, 1406 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50316. Info: (515) 265-6667

Rocky Mt. Depression Glass Society
meets monthly (except Dec. and Aug.) at the Epiphany Lutheran Church, 790 S. Corona in Denver.  Info: (303) 722-5446. 

TELL US about YOUR Club

March 21, 2006.   A white Fire-King mug, decorated with a Holiday Inn label, sells for $209.50.  Why?
According to the seller; "This is a Fire King advertising mug from Holiday Inn Hotels. The old emblem is on the front and on the back is 31st annual meeting and conferance of ther Illinois soil and conservation districts."

July 2003: A set of 12 standard coffee mugs, in the original box sells for $232.50
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2731&item=2641060893

May, 2002: New Brazilian-made Fire-King 2000 kitchenware is appearing in specialty shops. See our Reproduction Alert: Fire-King2000 kitchenware.

April 2002: Fire-King2000 restaurant ware production is halted indefinitely. 

March 9, 2002: The appearance of a newly made restaurant marketed as Fire-King2000 (Also know as Jade-ite2000) has rekindled concerns among collectors.  Please see our new REPRO ALERT: Fire-King2000 restaurant ware.

December 1, 2000: Anchor-Hocking's production of its new Jade-ite 2000 line of restaurant ware has been temporarily  halted.  According to the company, the new line "hasn't met quality standards and can't be delivered at this time".  Collectors, dealers, and other manufacturers are no doubt watching with some trepidation as the new restaurant ware will be marked with only a paper label that can easily be removed. 

(UPDATE: Jonathan Plotzker (JonathanP@RestorationHardware.com) Director of Catalogue & Web Operations for Restoration Hardware, the sole distributor for the new line, says that..."The stamp on the bottom reads "Fire King 2000," so there's no chance of someone trying to pass this off as originals."

November 2, 2000: Jade-ite Ball Pitcher sells for $1525.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=454255605
This is the plain ball pitcher!

March 12, 2000: Despite reaching a level of $10,099, a recent ebay auction closed without matching the seller's reserve price of $12,000. So, for the time being, one of only three known jade-ite Manhattan pitchers will remain with its current owner at Hannah House Antiques in Lancaster Ohio.  Reaction to the auction has been controversial since Gene Florence, a well-known author of glassware books, made the following statement:

          "For anyone interested, this pitcher sold near Lancaster for $5300 in early Feb and
          the bidder tried to take it back about an hour after purchasing it because it had a
          chip on the inside rim.  Amazingly, it is now perfect"

The seller responded: On Mar-03-00 at 12:49:10 PST, with the following information:

     "Please be advised that it was recently brought to my attention, through various emails and
     via phone calls, that Gene Florence, noted author, issued a statement, on the internet,
     regarding the Manhattan ball pitcher that I have listed on Ebay at the current time. First
     and foremost, I would like to say his information is not at all factual in any way. The
     Manhattan, that I purchased at auction, was not only MINT, AS IS THIS ONE, but was
     sold within hours of its purchase. Secondly, how can one man, reflecting an opinion, on
     heresay, assume he has the right to give his "point of view", on a regular basis, regarding
     other dealers' merchandise?! Gene Florence is an author of glass books, in fact, one of
     many, and, by no means, an authority on MY Manhattan ball pitchers. He cannot and
     should not make such statements without first observing the item in question which, I must
     add, he did not do. I am, also, surprised that a man of his stature would jeopardize his
     reputation, so carelessly, on a consistent basis. Therefore, I would like to inform everyone,
     that reads this statement, that I am offering a money back guarantee if this Manhattan ball
     pitcher is NOT as I described. Regards, Jane Bohlen, Hannah House Antiques, Lancaster,
     Ohio."

The auction page can be accessed at: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=272231266