Vintage Pyrex is one of the most-searched kitchen collectibles in America, and it turns up in nearly every Arizona estate we sell. Most pieces are worth a modest amount, but a few patterns regularly bring hundreds of dollars. Before you donate that stack of mixing bowls, check them against this list.

8 patterns collectors pay up for

Prices below are recent sales compiled by Hunker. Real prices vary with condition and demand.

1. Pink Butterprint (1960). Offered through a trading-stamp program and the rarest of the Butterprint colors. A set of three Cinderella casseroles with lids has sold for $800 to $1,250. Turquoise Butterprint is far more common.
2. Pumpkin Butterprint (1965). Also a stamp-book premium with no regular production run. Three bowls recently sold for over $1,000.
3. Atomic Eyes chip and dip (1950s). Two bowls joined by a metal bracket. Some pieces have no Pyrex backstamp. Complete sets have sold for nearly $600.
4. Balloons chip and dip (1958). A promotional set. Complete and unused in its original box, one sold for $575.
5. New Dots mixing bowls (1969). Orange, yellow and blue, plus a green 4-quart bowl added later. A full set of four has sold for over $400.
6. Colonial Mist, all blue (1983 to 1986). The last opalware Pyrex pattern. Most sets alternate blue and white, so an all-blue set is the prize, at about $400.
7. Pink Gooseberry refrigerator set (1956). Four dishes with lids. A set sold for $375. The lids matter.
8. Friendship (early 1970s). Red birds on white. Mixing bowl sets have brought about $300.

How to tell what you have

• Flip it over. Most pieces carry a Pyrex backstamp and a size or model number that helps match the pattern.
• Count the set. Complete nesting sets, with every size and the original lids, are worth far more than single bowls.
• Check the shine. Dishwashers dull the painted finish. Collectors call this “DWD” (dishwasher damage), and it lowers value. Hand-wash vintage Pyrex.
• Keep the extras. Original boxes, brackets, carafes and lids can double a price.

The easy rule

Bright, glossy colors, complete sets and unusual patterns are the ones to set aside. Faded, scratched singles are still fun to cook with, and buyers at auction love them too.

Sources

• Hunker: The 12 most valuable vintage Pyrex sets