Craftsman Plate Series - Fenton
Beginning in 1970, Fenton produced a series of 12 amethyst plates celebrating craftsmen in America. On the front of each plate is a depiction of that craftman, often a famous person in American history. On the reverse of each plate was a text commemoration of that craft and a bit of history of it. The Fenton oval and the year the plate was made also appear on the back.

Although these moulds were destroyed after the year the plates were made, these plates are readily available on ebay.
1970 Glassmaker 1971 Printer 1972 Blacksmith
1973 Shoemaker 1974 Cooper 1975 Silversmith
1976 Gunsmith 1977 Potter 1978 Wheel Wright
1979 Cabinet Maker 1980 Tanner 1981 House Wright
Above left, is a typical back of these plates. This unusual plate in the center was experimental. It has gold trim and is said to have been in the personal collection of Frank Fenton. It sold at the 1997 Lincoln-Land convention whimsey auction for $1,025. On eBay in 2006, three Glassmaker plates were offered with lettering similar to that at the right. The seller indicated that these plates were the first made in the Craftsman series and that they were tests. Note that they did not have the pressed inscription that the production plates did.

For more information on collectible plates from the 1970s, see;

"The Plate Collector's Handbook".

Ray Reichard's 1990 article on the Fenton plate series published in the Encore newsletters