I collect: Fire King Charm

This is every single piece of Fire King "Charm" pattern that I own. And while it's not exactly what you'd call a 'massive collection', what I have of it isn't exactly deliberate, either.

It all started several months ago. One square, pale blue teacup sitting in one of my favorite little junk shops. Unmarked, and a total mystery to me.

Helpfully, my brain suggested: "Didn't you see a lone saucer just like this in an antique store?"

Why yes, helpful brain, yes I did.

The urge to reunite the two was irresistible. I paid the dollar for the teacup, vaguely confident that the matching saucer (also a dollar) would still be waiting for me my next trip to the antique store.

I also did a little research. Fire King "Charm" pattern, made from 1950-56. Every piece in this line is square, except the rectangular serving piece (Confusingly, these are called 'Oval Servers'. Ah, confusion..). I have pieces in 3 of the original 6 colors. These are Royal Ruby, Forest Green, Azurite (the pale blue), Jadite (pale green), milk white, off-white, and pink.

Technically, Royal Ruby and Forest Green (the two brighter, more transparent colors) were not considered a part of the Charm line, despite being made in that shape. On their own, they were two popular color schemes offered by Anchor Hocking in a variety of shapes, and were marketed more as colors than patterns.

Unlike most Fire King pieces, these guys are not typically marked. Marked pieces do pop up occasionally, but generally are recognized more by the characteristic square shape, as well as distinctive striped bottoms. You can see this quite clearly on the green saucer above. The transparency on the Royal Ruby and Forest Green is most likely why these were more commonly labeled with gold foil stickers instead of being marked in-mold.

And since reuniting the Azurite cup and saucer, I've found the rest of my pieces at thrift stores. My best finds have been the Forest Green Oval Server for $1.49 at a Goodwill, and a 9 inch Azurite dinner plate at the re*Store for a dollar! I can't really speak for what these pieces are worth, but to purchase online could set you back $18-$48 dollars a piece, depending on whether you look at ebay, etsy or replacements sites.

And since finding the Azurite dinner plate, I really think I'm love with this color. It's so pale. Much lighter than than the popular delphite and turquoise blues.

I could gush about this Azurite Charm the same way The Pioneer Woman gushes about her Jadite collection . Check out the Charm pieces! Cautiously, I estimate her collection to be valued at one bazillion dollars.

Poor Azurite. So similar, yet so un-similarly valued. Still, I think it's gorgeous. Here it is again (I can't resist another photo-op)

And finally, please excuse the very wrinkled 'tablecloth' in the background. It's actually a curtain I very hastily grabbed when the mood stuck to take pictures. It looked like a good enough backdrop to my eyes at the time, but looks pretty darn horrible in the photos. No amount of 'fancy china' is going to make me much of a domestic goddess. I've got too much "Eh, it's good enough" in me for that to happen.