Top 10 most rare vintage CorningWare ever created by Corning
CorningWare production dates back to the late 1950s when Stanley Stookey discovered that Pyroceram (a white glass-ceramic material) was resistant to shock from sudden temperature changes and breakages. It quickly became a revolutionizing item in home cooking, with over 750 million pieces produced by the late 1990s. Vintage CorningWare is popular among cookware collectors who take pride in adding retro prints to their collections.
Source: UGC
Vintage CorningWare is made up of items produced before 1998. The brand was first made in Corning, New York, in 1958 as oven-to-table cookware before spreading across the United States and Europe. Popular vintage items among collectors include sugar sets, coffee pots, and casserole dishes.
What makes CorningWare special?
CorningWare is loved for its pattern designs, versatility, and durability. The most popular print is Blue Cornflower. Other designs produced are Starburst, Renaissance, Nature's Bounty, Blue Heather, Floral Bouquet, Wildflower, Laurel Leaf, Iris, French White, Country Festival, Spice O' Life and English Meadow.
Top 10 most rare vintage CorningWare
Vintage CorningWare is often sold at auctions, in antique stores or by online sellers. The price varies with the item's value and rarity. The following are the top ten rarest vintage CorningWare products ever created.
10. Wildflower
Source: UGC
Wildflower was made from 1978 to 1984. The motif features bright-red showy poppies, yellow daisies, and little blue flowers. The CorningWare has a summer glow and a more intricate design than earlier CorningWare brands. The pattern later appeared on Centura dinnerware by Corning, but the name was changed to Spring Bouquet.
9. Blue Heather
Source: UGC
Blue Heather was produced from 1976 to 1979. It features a simple but sophisticated pattern consisting of small five-petal blue flowers and tiny green leaves connected by vines to form a flower bed on a white background. Vintage Blue Heather items are hard to find since they were in the market for only four years in the late 1970s.
8. Black Starburst percolator
Source: UGC
The Black Starburst pattern was designed specifically for coffee percolators and was produced from 1959 to 1963. Two versions, black and blue-black, were made, with the blue-black version being more valuable. The pattern consists of three four-pointed stars (one big star and two smaller ones).
7. Platinum Filigree
Source: UGC
Platinum Filigree was a limited-edition gift line available between 1966 and 1968. The item has an intricate design of an interconnected vinery surrounding the upper part. Only five pieces from the production line were released to the market, including two Electromatic percolators, two saucepans, and an Electromatic 4-quart saucepot. The original Platinum Filigree is rare to find.
6. Renaissance
Source: UGC
Renaissance CorningWare was a limited-edition gift line made in 1970. The pattern is a sketch of a Renaissance-era city featuring a 17th-century etching of Stockholm's seaport and was painted using the Minerva grey shade. Five items were produced: a stovetop percolator, a broil and bake tray, and three saucepans with lids and cradles.
5. Nature's Bounty
Source: UGC
Nature's Bounty motif was a limited-edition gift line produced in 1971; therefore, few pieces were made. The design features a harvest of vegetables on a white background. Different items have different vegetables, including carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. The line consisted of only six items: two different-sized saucepans with lids, a bread pan with a plastic lid, a sauce pot, an 8-cup Brew N Serve, and a skillet.
4. Merry Mushroom
Source: UGC
Merry Mushroom pieces were made between 1975 and 1977 exclusively for Sears' departmental store. The pattern features brightly coloured mushrooms and leaves with a combination of yellow, brown, green, and orange. Casserole lids have distinctive large dimples. A rare vintage Merry Mushroom set of three casseroles with lids goes for approximately $327.99 on Etsy.
3. Medallion
Source: UGC
Medallion pieces were made from 1972 to 1974 as Shell Oil Company promotional items. The designs were not sold in stores, making it difficult to find them. The pattern featured blue or green stencilled artistic drawings.
2. Black Atomic Star
Source: UGC
The Black Atomic Star (or simply Black Star) was produced for a short period in the early 1960s. It features a single black star with eight rays on a white background. Casserole dishes and percolators were the only items made in the Black Star production line, making it one of the rarest CorningWare patterns to find.
1. Bicentennial Eagle
Source: UGC
The Bicentennial Eagle pattern was produced in 1976 to mark the bicentenary in the United States. Only a few items were made in the production line, including a half-quart casserole and mug. It is extremely rare to find Bicentennial Eagle CorningWare. The last known piece was sold at an auction in 2006.
How do you identify vintage CorningWare?
CorningWare has a predominantly white colour palette with colourful graphic patterns. To know if the item is vintage and original, look for the following:
- Stamp: CorningWare items have a back stamp on the underside. Before 1998, the stamp read Corning Ware as two words. In 1998, the Corning company made pieces with the Corningware logo as one word. The brand was discontinued in 2001 but returned in 2009 with a changed stamp that read CorningWare in camel case.
- Pattern: Certain vintage CorningWare markings were produced for specific periods. Rare designs include those made before 1998.
- Professional opinion: You can also confirm the authenticity of your vintage item by having it checked at an antique shop or getting the view of a professional.
What was the first CorningWare pattern?
Wheat was the first pattern produced in 1958 but was discontinued immediately after performing poorly in the test market. The Blue Cornflower pattern, designed by artist Joseph Baum, was CorningWare's first widely marketed pattern. The design features three blue flowers on a plain white background. The design was the company's trademark pattern for over three decades.
Source: UGC
Which vintage CorningWare is worth the most?
Original Spice O' Life (French Spice) is considered one of the most valuable CorningWare cookeries worth over $4,000. It was produced from 1972 to 1987. It features fruits and vegetables in a field of herbs with a text describing them in French (La Marjolaine, La Romarin, or L'Echalote). Spice O' Life is also one of the most common vintage CorningWare.
Does CorningWare wear out?
CorningWare is considered indestructible because it is resistant to breaks, chips, and stains. It is also versatile and can be put in the freezer, oven or microwave, and earlier versions could be used on the stovetop.
Is it safe to use vintage CorningWare?
Most vintage CorningWare items made before 2005 do not comply with FDA regulations. They have high and unsafe amounts of lead, BPA, and cadmium. Cooking or eating with such cookware will release harmful chemicals to your food and pose serious health risks. Vintage cookware should not be mixed with utensils used to serve food.
Why was CorningWare discontinued?
Corning sold its Pyrex and CorningWare lines to World Kitchens, LLC in 1998 due to declining sales and retooling of manufacturing plants. World Kitchens continued to produce CorningWare, but instead of ceramic, the company started using stoneware, which is easy to clean and non-reactive to acidic foods. Most old product line items made from ceramic were discontinued.
Rare vintage CorningWare pieces bring back the nostalgia of the mid-20th century. Whether you are a collector or not, having an item from the era gives you pleasant memories of the past.
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Source: Briefly News
