The Rare Mid-Century Pyrex Dish Thrifters Hunt For On Every Shopping Trip

Collecting vintage Pyrex has become more popular over the last five years, leading to stiff competition among enthusiasts. If you regularly visit thrift stores and estate sales hoping to nab an amazing find, it's important to know how to separate low-quality and imitation pieces from ones that are worth the price. For instance, there is one rare, mid-century patterned dish that thrifters hunt for on every shopping trip: Pink Stems.

This rare, valuable, must-have Pyrex pattern was released in 1962 and the Pink Stems design may have been a limited-edition item or a perk of a stamp program. Stamp program pieces were ones released by Pyrex-creator Corning that weren't sold in stores. They could only be obtained by redeeming trading stamps earned via grocery store purchases through programs like S&H Green Stamps. Fewer were produced, which makes these designs harder to find.

This elusive Pyrex pattern seems to have only been used on the oval-shaped casserole dish, which came with a clear glass lid. The dish itself is a soft, matte, medium salmon pink color, with a repeating upright pattern of white stems and leaves. It has become a popular, sought-after collector's item due to its cute design and the relative mystery surrounding its origin and availability.

If you want to try to score vintage Pyrex on a budget, the best place to start looking is local yard and estate sales and thrift stores. Most antique stores have a large selection, but sellers typically price them at or slightly above what they are worth. You can also find rare patterns on eBay and Etsy, but you should read the seller descriptions carefully to determine if the dish has any fading, discoloration, wear and tear, or chips. 

Pink Stems Pyrex dishes in good condition with the matching lid can sell for $1,000 or more. There is one for sale on eBay at the time of publishing for $695 that comes with a lid, but the pattern has some dishwasher discoloration and fading. Because vintage Pyrex is so in demand right now, be careful about spending a lot of money on a piece without vetting it first.

Before buying a dish, look on the bottom to make sure it has the Pyrex logo stamped in all capital letters. This confirms that it is genuinely vintage. If you find a Pink Stems casserole dish, check to see if it has 043 stamped on the bottom as well. That is the dish model number, and it can lend authenticity to this design as it was only produced on that particular 043 Pyrex casserole dish. Finally, check the piece or read the seller description to see if it has any damage or defects that would affect its value. The most common are chips, scratches, fading, and dishwasher damage (often referred to simply as DWD).