The Rare Vintage Pyrex Dish You'd Be Lucky To Find At Thrift Stores Or Estate Sales

Pyrex is renowned for being the creator of highly collectible bakeware and serveware. So much so that there are many valuable vintage Pyrex pieces that thrifters are always on the lookout for. They have a mid-century modern style that many people find appealing, whether it's to collect for resale or for their vintage-themed kitchen decor. While many popular patterns can be somewhat easy to find, like the blue Cinderella pattern or even the pink Amish Butterprint, some Pyrex patterns are extremely rare and very valuable. The Early American white-on-brown bowls and casserole dish are examples of one of these extremely rare patterns. This pattern should not be confused with the Early American brown-on-white or even gold-on-brown.

Vintage Pyrex pieces have shown an increase in popularity with collectors. Maybe because all things mid-century modern have become timeless and these pieces are becoming more vintage as the days pass. When you add that in with the fact that Pyrex did make some patterns with a very limited production, you end up with a couple "unicorn" items like the Early American white-on-brown bowls and casserole dish. This version of the pattern is barely even mentioned in the Corning Museum of Glass Pyrex Potluck pattern reference page.

The Early American set of Pyrex dishes was first released in 1962 and discontinued in 1971. The pattern was a 22-karat gold on "Colonial Brown" (the first Pyrex pattern to have this feature) and brown-on-white design depicting American farm and antique kitchen items. The two different color options were offered as a way to have matching but contrasting colors in a set. The white-on-brown version was introduced to offer another contrasting color option to go with the original patterns. They also came with clear, glass lids. While we could find images of the casserole dish, we were unable to find the bowls of the same colorway. This would indicate they are the rarest items in the set.

Vintage Pyrex dishes are still gaining popularity as collectibles, and it's becoming harder to find the most sought-after patterns. While you might be able to find some of the rarer patterns on eBay or at a thrift store, your best bet for finding these "unicorn" pieces is most likely going to be at antique stores or estate sales. Estate sales and antique stores don't rely on donations from homeowners — they are more likely to contain carefully curated items. Estate sales are usually full of carefully collected pieces that have been a part of someone's home for a long time. And if you go on the last day (the best time to hit up an estate sale for the lowest price), you could score a deal on that rare Early American Pyrex dish.