Everyone on TikTok Loves Vintage Pyrex, Here’s Where to Find It (2024)

FAQs

Why are people obsessed with vintage Pyrex? ›

Pyrex dishes have Methuselah-esque longevity. That patterned mixing bowl can last you an entire lifetime, be handed down to your kid, then last them their entire lifetime, too. According to EatingWell, vintage Pyrex is made from a different material than the new stuff.

Patterned Pyrex—such as the 1956 Pink Daisy or the 1983 Colonial Mist—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.

The brand switched its formula in the 1950s to the soda lime glass, but recently started reintroducing borosilicate glass. Although both glasses are heat-resistant, borosilicate glass does better with extreme temperatures, making the vintage Pyrex pieces highly coveted by collectors.

A vintage Pyrex bowl's value can depend on a number of factors, including its size, pattern, and condition. The super rare Gypsy Caravan pattern in red on a white background is one collectors covet. An example in beautiful shape sold for almost $4,700.

Pyrex eventually switched to tempered glass most likely because boron is toxic and expensive to dispose of. Although tempered glass can better withstand thermal shock than regular soda-lime glass can, it's not as resilient as borosilicate. This is what causes the shattering reaction people are talking about.

By far, the most sought-after pattern of all time is "Lucky In Love." This was a promotional pattern that was released in 1959 and very few pieces remain, Wright says. The cheerful round casserole dish has green shamrocks and pink hearts and is encircled by blades of green grass.

The Pyrex® glass is unique. It is a borosilicate glass that is tempered, of superior quality and has a great thermal and mechanical shock resistance. It is perfectly adapted to extreme temperatures, from –40° to 300°, and has a high thermal shock resistance that can go up to 220°.

You can, in fact, microwave Pyrex. It's completely safe and a great heat resistant dish to use in the microwave.

Pyrex: Brand name for cookware brand. pyrex: Lowercase indication of containers that should not be heated in the oven or microwave. These are most likely made of soda-lime glass. PYREX: Uppercase label on cookware that is made of borosilicate glass and can be heated in a microwave or oven.

But rest easy—vintage Pyrex dishes are oven-safe. As long as you follow the same guidelines above, vintage Pyrex is A-OK to go in the oven and can be used in oven temperatures up to 425ºF (and skip the broiler).

How much is a 1959 Pyrex casserole dish worth? ›

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. (The previous record for a Pyrex dish in this pattern was around $6,000.)

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.

Prices in the Pyrex market are set by the two factors that guide most markets: demand and rarity. Throughout the decades, Pyrex produced a slew of promotional items and limited-edition patterns in small quantities, and those are seriously coveted by collectors.

For people worried about making food in plastic containers, glass Pyrex is relatively clean and the vintage pieces are American made. (The modern ones are, too.) And while they're old, they're also surprisingly durable. "I tend to have a heavy hand in the kitchen," Mancha says.

“People are moving away from plastic and we're finding out that glass is safer than plastic and Pyrex is such a good investment because it's so durable. “You don't use it for a year or two and throw it away. These things almost last forever.”