Vintage Fiesta Mustard Jar

The vintage fiesta mustard jar was first produced by Homer Laughlin in 1936. It is an uncommon (I am somewhat wary of using the term “rare”) find, especially in mint condition, for vintage fiesta collectors. Often new collectors confuse the piece, or are unintentionally (and sometimes intentionally, unfortunately) fooled by sellers into thinking they have found the less common mustard, when what they have in fact found is the larger and more common marmalade jar.

The mustard is small, having dimensions of approximately 2 ½” width and 3 1/8” in height with the lid. By contrast, the marmalade is approximately 3 7/8” in diameter and about 4 1/2” in height with the lid. It's easy to distinguish between the two when you see them side by side, but when pictured or seen individually by an untrained eye, the marmalade is often mistaken for the mustard.

Besides distinguishing it from the marmalade, there is another difficulty in collecting the mustard jar that it actually shares with the marmalade and several other Fiesta pieces. It is the lid. Because the jars have the two pieces, the base and the lid, it is somewhat difficult to find them together in good, fine or pristine condition.

Invariably, you will find the bases, often without the lids. Or you may find both pieces together, but often one is chipped or has hairline cracks. This greatly devalues the overall piece. If you are collecting vintage fiesta as an investment, don't waste your time and efforts collecting damaged pieces. And don't collect incomplete pieces unless it is your intention to match them with their coordinating parts.

You must have both the lid and the base, in good to pristine condition, for the piece to be of any value. On the other hand, if you are collecting as a hobby or for the enjoyment of it, and you find a mustard jar lid or a base separately, go ahead and purchase it. In fact, if the piece you find, whether the base or lid, is in good condition and you're not in some hurry to build your collection, purchase the piece you find, and continue looking for its counterpart when you can match pieces together. This often proves a better buying strategy, because you are likely to pay much less when the two pieces are purchased separately, than if you find them together and want to purchase the complete jar.

Vintage fiesta mustard jars were only made for 10 years, from 1936 to 1946. They can be found in the original five colors; red, cobalt blue, (light) green, ivory and yellow as well as turquoise, however, they are a bit harder to find in red because that color was suspended from production in 1943.