7 Forgotten Kitchen Items From The 1970s That Collectors Still Want, Including The Everyday Glassware People Used Without Thinking Twice

If you cooked in the 1970s, you probably owned at least one of these without giving it a second thought. A set of nesting bowls on the counter, a casserole with a lid that never quite fit, a glass dish stacked in the refrigerator with leftovers.

Today, collectors look for those very pieces. A writer at House Digest went through the Pyrex patterns of the decade in a ranking of the most valuable 70s vintage Pyrex, and LoveToKnow added CorningWare to the picture in its guide to vintage dishes worth money.

One big caution comes first. House Digest says its prices are starting prices or asking prices from eBay listings, not appraisals, and that listings are not always accurate. Treat every figure below as a guide to what sellers are asking, not what a check will say.

The decade’s kitchens were colorful ones. Mental Floss notes that General Electric offered appliances in Avocado (1966) and Harvest Gold (1968) and reissued Fresh Avocado and Harvest Wheat in 1976.

Here are six Pyrex patterns and one CorningWare pattern from the 1970s, with the figures the published guides give for each. Pay attention to the years, because several were made for only a short time.

Snowflake Blue Bowls Were Made For Only Three Years And Now Start At $189

House Digest reports that the Snowflake Blue pattern was made from 1972 to 1975. It cites a set of four Cinderella nesting bowls with a starting price of $189, and the same set in its original box at $435.

That original box is the detail to look for. If the cardboard survived in the basement along with the bowls, the price in the example more than doubled.

Friendship Casseroles Are Common, But A Pixie Gratin Dish Was Listed At $550

The Friendship pattern was introduced in 1971 and made until 1974, according to House Digest. Casseroles with opalware lids were starting at $50 each, and single mixing bowls were about $40.

The surprise is a rare clear glass dish painted with a pixie, listed at $550. Same pattern name, very different price, which is a good lesson in checking the shape and the color.

Old Town Blue Was Sold Through 1982, And A Rare Butter Dish Started At $50

House Digest says Old Town Blue was introduced in 1972 and made through 1982. A rarely seen butter dish in the pattern carried a $50 starting price.

The article credits a Corning Museum of Glass blog post for background, and it recommends the museum’s Pyrex Potluck pattern library for anyone who needs to identify a pattern.

Woodland Nesting Bowls Run About $50 To $100, With A Boxed Casserole Set At $195

The Woodland pattern was introduced in 1978 and sold through 1983, according to House Digest. Nesting bowl sets go for about $50 to $100 on eBay, depending on condition.

A six-piece casserole set with lids in the original box was listed at $195, and white opalware butter dishes started at $60. Again, the box matters.

Old Orchard Bowls Swing From $44 To $125 Depending On Condition

Old Orchard was introduced in 1974, with some 1973 promotional Harvest pieces, per House Digest. Full nesting or Cinderella bowl sets range from $44 in fair condition to $125 in mint condition.

A pair of refrigerator dishes in solid butterscotch and chocolate carried a $66 starting bid. Those solid colors are what to look for when you check the dishes at the back of the cabinet.

Homestead Is Plentiful, So A $25 Refrigerator Dish Is A Reality Check

Homestead was made from 1976 to 1980, according to House Digest, and the article says full sets are plentiful. A small refrigerator dish with a cover started at $25.

It is a useful reality check. Not every 1970s pattern turns into treasure, and a plentiful pattern keeps prices modest.

CorningWare Spice Of Life Is A Lesson In Believing Only Real Sales

LoveToKnow says the Spice of Life pattern was released in 1970, while CorningWare itself was created in 1958. The guide says individual listings of $10,000 to $20,000 have appeared, but calls those prices unrealistic and says each piece typically sells for $15 to $50.

Anyone can post an enormous number on a website. What matters is what buyers actually pay, and that is why checking completed sales matters so much.

How To Check Your Kitchen Cabinets Without Wasting A Weekend

Turn the dish over and look at the bottom for markings. Take clear photos of the pattern, the lid and any original box, then compare them with completed sales.

Wash the pieces gently, and be careful with anything that has a painted pattern, since scrubbing can wear it away. Condition is the thing that moves the price most in every example above.

If you find a set that matches one of the patterns above, photograph it with the original box if you still have it. House Digest’s own examples show the box can push a listing from $189 to $435 for the same bowls, so keeping cardboard has been worth the shelf space for some families.

Even if none of it turns out to be worth much, a bowl that held your mother’s potato salad has a value no price guide measures. Keep the ones you use and let the duplicates go to a new home.

Vinyl and Velvet