What Are the Patterns to Look For? The most sought-after pattern of all time is Lucky In Love. This promotional pattern was released in 1959, and very few pieces remain. The cheerful round casserole dish has green shamrocks and pink hearts and is encircled by blades of green grass.
Patterned Pyrex—such as the 1956 Pink Daisy or the 1983 Colonial Mist colorways—tend to be valuable as a collector's item. Other popular patterns include the 1957 Butterprint, which features an Amish couple and their crops, and has been valued at a few hundred dollars.
Wright notes that Amish Butterprint, Pink Gooseberry, Snowflake Blue, Crazy Daisy and Friendship are also considered valuable in the Pyrex community.
No Pyrex is rarer than this bowl in the hearts-and-shamrocks print from 1959. Because it was a prototype or a limited edition from 1959, only a few pieces have survived, and even fewer find their way to the open market. Still, $22,100 — the winning bid — is a lot of money.
Vintage Pyrex has gained significant popularity for several reasons: Nostalgia: Many people have fond memories of using Pyrex in their homes growing up. The retro designs evoke a sense of nostalgia, appealing to collectors and those looking to recreate a sense of the past in their kitchens.
In 1915, the company launched its first Pyrex line (Pyrex combined "pie" and "Nonex") with 12 pieces, including pie plates and a loaf pan. The 8-ounce liquid measuring cup came out 10 years later; early versions had a closed, D-shaped handle and tick marks made out of molded glass.
The estimated resale value at auction is in the range of $250 to $500 for the set of 4 mixing bowls. The turquoise and white ones are highly collectible, but it looks that the Pumpkin orange and white are the ones that are going for the highest prices.
A highly-coveted pattern, the Atomic Eyes Chip and Dip is the holy grail for some Pyrex collectors. Released in the 1950s, some of the bowls feature a Pyrex stamp while others don't.
**PYREX® items with CAPITAL LETTERS in the logo are safer**
Corning used a logo with capital letters and so does the French company manufacturing PYREX with Borosilicate Glass. The American company making pyrex® (lower case letters) makes their product from Soda-Lime glass.
Other patterns considered rare would be the Turquoise Diamond, Pink Daisy, Snowflake, Black (or Atomic) Starburst and New Dots, to name a few. The most popular shapes are by far the mixing bowls which can simply be round or have a spout on one end and a handle on the other, known as Cinderella mixing bowls.
Pyrex dishes also hide a little secret code: Many contain a three- or four-digit number that corresponds to a specific dish. A series of Mixing Bowls will feature 401 (1.5 pint), 402 (1.5 quart), 403 (2.5 quart), 404 (4 quart). The iconic two-quart green-and-white casserole dish is a 232.
Because borosilicate is the most durable when it comes to withstanding temperature changes, it is generally considered the safest choice for glass bakeware.
As Cruz explains, the majority of Pyrex collectors do it for the nostalgia: They grew up with Pyrex pieces and appreciate the reminder of home. Others love the retro style. But no matter what draws you to old-school Pyrex, there's one hard-to-beat benefit to the game: These pieces are forever useful.
If it's all caps “PYREX,” it's vintage, made of borosilicate. If it's lower case “pyrex,” it's new, and it's soda lime. (In Europe, Pyrex is still made of borosilicate. So these recommendations only apply to Pyrex in the United States.)
The name Cinderella was applied to quite a few different Pyrex products from carafes to butter dishes but the spout and handle nesting bowls marked the first use of this name.
The 1980s saw the last designs of Decorated Bakeware, Pyrex's beloved opalware line. The last four patterns produced were Autumn Harvest (debuting in 1979), Shenandoah and Forest Fancies (debuting in 1981) and Colonial Mist (debuting in 1983). Production of Decorated Bakeware ceased in 1986.
How do you know if your Pyrex is worth money? Look for especially old pieces in great condition (basically, no chips or cracks and minimal scratches). Check for rare Pyrex patterns or pieces that were made for special situations like promotions.
It's tempered, meaning it's been heated and cooled in a manner that makes it more durable under future temperature fluctuations. It's less likely to break under an impact, and when it does, tempered glass breaks into diamond-like cubes instead of long, pointy shards, so it's a little safer to deal with.
CorningWare and Pyrex, both manufactured by the same company, are two frontrunners when it comes to bakeware, but if you have limited space or are shopping on a budget, it can be hard to choose between the two. When choosing a casserole dish, the top pick is CorningWare, for its flexibility, versatility and safety.
If the logo is in upper case lettering, PYREX, it's most likely made of borosilicate, and thus safer. The lowercase lettering is most likely made of soda-lime glass, so take extra care after any high-heat cooking.
Next-Level Heat-Proof
This silica stands up well to extreme temperatures, ranging from -40° to 300°C. It also has a low level of thermal expansion, so PYREX glassware doesn't significantly expand or contract when you heat or cool it. As a result, PYREX lab glass has a very low risk of breakage.
Butterprint was one of the first printed patterns on the opal ware Pyrex line, preceded only by Snowflake and Pink Daisy. Released in 1957 Butterprint was the result of growing market trends with its turquoise on white and white on turquoise Amish print.
The brand, Pyrex, has historically owned the trademark for little-p pyrex, but its parent company, Corning, has since sold it. Lowercase "pyrex" is produced by other cookware companies that don't use the heat-resistant borosilicate glass the original company does (more on that below).
It's lasted for decades. If it's all caps Pyrex, it's vintage, made of borosilicate. If it's lowercase Pyrex, it's new. And it's soda lime.
In March 2019, Corelle Brands, the makers of Pyrex in the United States, merged with Instant Brands, the makers of the Instant Pot. On June 12, 2023, Instant Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after high interest rates and waning access to credit hit its cash position and made its debts unsustainable.