Fiesta (Homer Laughlin) Marks: How to Identify and Date Them

• Launched in 1936: The Homer Laughlin China Company introduced Fiesta at the Pittsburgh China & Glass Show in January 1936, featuring Art Deco-style concentric ring ridges; the original line came in just five colors -- red, yellow, cobalt blue, green, and ivory.
• 1950s: The originally bright color palette shifted to softer pastel tones, following the fashion trends of the time.
• Relaunched in 1986: After production stopped in 1973, Homer Laughlin relaunched Fiesta with a new color palette different from the original.

The source is the timeline page published by the company that currently operates the Fiesta brand (the present-day operator of the historic Homer Laughlin China Company brand) on its own official website. The page also mentions a 1938 production milestone: 'One million dozen pieces of Fiesta are produced.' Within budget, no museum or official-site description could be found of what the Fiesta backstamp actually looks like (collector sites mention an ink-stamped 'HLC' or a molded 'FIESTA' mark) or how to date pieces by the backstamp, so these fields are left blank.

Turn the piece over and light the mark from a low angle with a lamp or phone torch, which throws the impressed or engraved lines into relief; a printed or painted mark wants soft, even light instead. Fill the frame with the mark, then take a second shot of the whole piece. Do not clean tarnish off silver before photographing; the mark reads better dark. The app matches the mark and shape to the notes above.