When the photosensitive glass that Donald Stookey dropped as he brought it out of the furnace many years ago fell on the hard floor and didn’t break, little did he know that today, this tableware would become antiques, worth talking about and valuing.
But here we are. In this article, you will learn about antique Corningware; its history, types, value, and where you can find them. Presented below are 20 of the most vintage valuable Corningware.
Table of Contents
Top 20 Rare Vintage Corningware Price List
No. |
Vintage Corningware |
Year |
Price |
1 |
Vtg Corningware L’Echalote Spice of Life |
1970s |
$2,700 |
2 |
Corningware Blue Cornflower |
1970s |
$824.44 |
3 |
Vintage Corningware P-84-B Casserole Renaissance Baking Dish |
1970s |
$154.50 |
4 |
Corningware Vintage Blue Cornflower Baking Broiling Tray |
1970s |
$122.18 |
5 |
Vintage Corningware Cornflower Blue Dutch Oven P-34-B, 4 Quart with Lid |
1960s |
$125.99 |
6 |
Corningware Forever Your Hearts Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$140 |
7 |
Rare and Discontinued Corningware Dish |
1988—1993 |
$6,000 |
8 |
Corningware Range Topper Blue Cornflower and Lid |
1970—1979 |
$142.48 |
9 |
Rare Vintage Cornflower Blue Corningware Meat Platter |
1970s |
$199.99 |
10 |
Rare Vintage 1st Edition Corningware Blue Cornflower Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$999 |
11 |
Corningware Blue Cornflower Roaster |
1961—1966 |
$750 |
12 |
Vintage Corningware Blue Cornflower Casserole Bowl |
1969—1972 |
$660 |
13 |
Corningware French white Oval Casserole Dish with Lid |
1978 |
$24.79 |
14 |
Vintage Country Festival Friendship BlueBirds Corningware Tea Pot |
1975 |
$19 |
15 |
Vintage Corningware Wildflower Liter Square Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$30 |
16 |
Corningware Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$20 |
17 |
Vintage Corningware Peach Floral Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$25 |
18 |
Corningware Flower Dish |
1970s |
$27.95 |
19 |
Vintage Corningware Dutch Oven Casserole Dish |
1970s |
$39.95 |
20 |
Vintage Corningware Blue Heart Casserole |
1970s |
$19.50 |
1. Vtg Corningware L’Echalote Spice of Life
Year: 1970s
Price: $2,700
This is a rare piece of Corningware from the 1970s. It is vintage and is numbered 279. The words L’Echalote are written on the side. It features one of the popular patterns of Corningware of the time; fruits and leaves dome in yellow and red on a white background. These are measured at 2 inches tall and 6.5 inches in width. This is valued at $2,700.
2. Corningware Blue Cornflower
Year: 1970s
Price: $824.44
This is a dish from the era of Corningware dishes. It features one of the patterns that were common at the time. This was the first design that was released and the most produced. The minimalist design features three flowers on a white background. The handles as you can see are small. Designs after this had bigger hands. This one is valued at $824.44.
3. Vintage Corningware P-84-B Casserole Renaissance Baking Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $154.50
This pattern is from the Renaissance gift line from the 1970s. It features a picture of the rooftops of a city. The spires of the buildings can be seen poking at the white clear heavens. It is done in a contrasting white and black color. The lid is the original corning P-12-C pebbled, frosted glass. They are rare and valued at $154.50.
4. Corningware Vintage Blue Cornflower Baking Broiling Tray
Year: 1970s
Price: $122.18
Corningware can withstand great amounts of heat. This one is a baking tray that belongs among the blue cornflower pattern. It is a 16-inch long rectangular-shaped tray with metal handles and a wire stand. It is bright and shiny, valued at $122.18.
5. Vintage Corningware Cornflower Blue Dutch Oven P-34-B, 4 Quart with Lid
Year: 1960s
Price: $125.99
This is another variation of the cornflower blue pattern of Corningware from the 1960s. It features the blue flowers on the background of white. It comes with a protruding edge that goes around the top and a transparent cover. It is valued at $125.99.
6. Corningware Forever Your Hearts Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $140
Corningware dishes made from Pyroceram, these dishes constitute a pattern that wasn’t as popular but is also vintage. They feature red flowers shaped like hearts. They have short handles and feature glass covers. They are valued at $140.
7. Rare and Discontinued Corningware Dish Set
Year: 1988-1993
Price: $6,000
This is one of the most valuable on this list and very rare because the pattern was discontinued. This is part of a collection of dishes up for sale on Etsy. The set includes bowls with long handles and short ones. They are valued at $6,000.
8. Corningware Range Topper Blue Cornflower and Lid
Year: 1970-1979
Price: $142.48
This Corningware has a flower team on the side. It comes with a long handle and a glass lid. It is a pattern from the 70s and seemed to have been discontinued around 1979. It is valued at $142.48.
9. Rare Vintage Cornflower Blue Corningware Meat Platter
Year: 1970s
Price: $199.99
This is a Corningware designed in the cornflower pattern. It has the flowers on both sides where the handles are and under it is the Corningware name written as authentication. This is a vintage Corningware from the 1970s and it costs $199.99.
10. Rare Vintage 1st Edition Corningware Blue Cornflower Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $999
This is a casserole in the cornflower pattern from the 1970s. As you may have noticed already, this pattern was used in many ways with slight variations. This casserole is shorter than some Corningware featuring the same pattern. This is valued on eBay at $999.
11. Corningware Blue Cornflower Roaster
Year: 1961-1966
Price: $750
Right here is one of the rarest designs of Corningware that was made in the cornflower pattern. It is from the years 1961-1966. This one features the two flowers in blue, on a white background. It is valued at $750 on eBay.
12. Vintage Corningware Blue Cornflower Casserole Bowl
Year: 1969-1972
Price: $660
From 1969 to 72, this casserole was manufactured in the cornflower pattern. It has the flower on both sides of the bowl without the L’Echalote words written. But it is as vintage as the ones with the words. It is valued at $660.
13. Corningware French White Oval Casserole Dish With Lid
Year: 1978
Price: $24.79
Do not be deceived by the value price here, this Corningware is vintage. The price displayed here is that which the seller on eBay puts on it. This was manufactured in 1978 and is antique. This means if you bought this off this seller, you could resell it at a higher value. It is valued at $24.79.
14. Vintage Country Festival Friendship Bluebirds Corningware Tea Pot
Year: 1975
Price: $19
This vintage teapot is surprisingly valued at $19 but is vintage. As you already know if you are familiar with collectibles, value can sometimes be highly influenced by individual sellers’ sentiments. This one here was manufactured in 1975 and features the festival pattern that was combined at the time.
15. Vintage Corningware Wildflower Liter Square Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $30
Once more, here is a Corningware Dish made in the 1970s. It features a flower design on the body and comes with a lid too. This one features a floral bouquet, one of the popular patterns of Corningware that were made. It is valued at $30 but can surely be worth more than that.
16. Corningware Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $20
A Corningware featuring the fruit pattern, the spice of lifestyle. This one was made around the 1970s and is here valued at $20. This shape is almost flat and wide, and it features wide rims that stretch around the width. The one in this picture is missing its lid.
17. Vintage Corningware Peach Floral Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $25
This Corningware features a floral pattern. It is vintage from the 1970s era. It features red petals and green leaves in a slanting flourish. The background is white and glossy. The Corningware is valued at $25.
18. Corningware Flower Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $27.95
This Corningware is from the 1970s with a lot of value but is poorly priced. It features a floral design, a pattern that was popular in the 70s. It also comes with a lid. It is valued at $27.95.
19. Vintage Corningware Dutch Oven Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $39.95
Floral design on a Corningware bowl with lid. This dish is made in the floral pattern that was popular in the 70s. It features a sprinkle of flowers and a cluster in the middle. It has a white background and is valued at $39.95.
20. Vintage Corningware Blue Heart Casserole Dish
Year: 1970s
Price: $19.50
A vintage original Corningware Dish from the 70s. This one features a blue heart pattern. It is valued at $19.50. It also comes with a glass lid.
The History Of Corningware
Pyroceram was mistakenly discovered by S. Donald Stookey in 1953. He was working with photosensitive glass and placed a piece in a furnace. His plan was to heat it to 600 Fahrenheit.
By the time the glass had turned milky white from the crystallization he checked and saw the temperature was 900 Fahrenheit. He tried to discard the sample piece of glass but as the tongs brought it out of the furnace it slipped and hit the floor without shattering.
This happened when Stookey was working in the Corning Research and Development Division.
At first, the program was used in ballistic missile programs as a heat-resistant material for nose cones on missiles.
This was the birth of a new family of materials, glass ceramics now called Corningware. The name of the company that makes what we call Corningware is Corning Glass Works or as is now known, Corning Inc. The material they use in making the glassware is pyroceram.
Corning is an old company, 150 years in existence. They are responsible for many inventions like the glass for Edison’s first bulb. The company was founded in Summerville as Bay State Glass Company. It quickly moved to Corning, New York in 1868. The headquarters have remained there since.
What Is The Value Of Vintage Corningware?
There’s some controversy over how much vintage Corningware is worth. When you check eBay, Etsy, and some other websites where Corningware is listed for sale, you’ll notice the prices can be as low as $9 and as high as $10,000 or more. Corningware dishes have been sold for $17,504 on eBay in the past.
Vintage Corningware is only worth as much as anyone is willing to pay for them. This is the honest truth about the worth of most vintage and antique items. A seller might quote a cornflower pattern Corningware for $10, the same one another seller quotes for $500.
Although this is not a hard and fast rule, when it comes to the value of Corningware, just like other antiques, the rarer the item the higher its value. Corningware was produced in the 1950s. Many families from that era still remember having those glasswares. Many got them as gifts at their wedding.
Some families still have them stacked down in their basements or up in their attics. The point is, there may be more Corningware in the world than you can imagine. Hence, the rarity of Corningware may not be sufficient for it to be as valuable as some sellers advertise it on eBay.
This is why the majority of Corningware on Etsy and eBay was priced as low as $5, not for the lack of actual rarity but for the lack of enough sentimental publicity.
Perhaps as more time passes, and more Corningware is sold as high as $10,000 more collectors will begin to hype the sentiment around the items and we would see a hike in value.
How To Identify Antique Corningware
One look at antique Corningware and you’d think it’s just one of the normal glassware.
Looks can be deceiving. The following are the simple ways to identify antique Corningware:
- The backstamp
- The pattern
- Asking professionals
The Backstamp
When the first set of Corningware came out in the late 50s, it was a quick hit as families rushed them off the shelves. Imitators soon saw an opportunity to cash in on the rush. They started making items similar to Corningware. Soon it became difficult to tell genuine Corningware from lookalikes. If you are buying Corningware, you can tell if the item is genuine by checking for the backstamp under the item. The two words will read, “Corning Ware.” All Corningware before the year 1998 has this backstamp written like this.
For items made after 1998, the back stamp has changed to, “Corning Ware,” as two words. Two years after this, the company discontinued production. They resumed production again in 2009 and the items retained the one word, “CorningWare.”
The Pattern
The items are also distinct from others like them because of the patterns and how the company was faithful to them. The patterns can help you tell if the item is vintage or not. The original pattern was a simple triple-cornflower motif. It was blue on a white background of the dish.
You will come across this particular pattern more than the others because the company continued to produce it even when it discontinued other patterns after a specific period. If your glassware has any of the patterns then you have in your hands an antique Corningware.
Asking Professionals
A Corningware may be so old and worn that the evidence on the back—the backstamp—may have faded off. And the pattern of flowers or other colors may have been wiped off too. When this happens it becomes difficult to tell if the item is antique.
When this happens your next option is to ask professionals for help. You may find help from professionals on social media groups like Facebook where collectors with years of experience in examining Corningware can answer your questions. All you need to do is post a photo of the item and they may be able to identify the item.
Help can also be found in published guides on Corningware identification.
What Are The Popular Vintage Corningware Patterns?
Vintage Corningware refers to Corningware that was produced before the year 1999.
The following are the most popular patterns of Corningware:
No. |
Name |
Description |
Year |
1 |
Cornflower Blue |
Three blue flowers
Small handles Sloped sides |
1950s till date |
2 |
Starburst Pattern |
Blue-black
Popular on coffee percolators |
1959—1963 |
3 |
Floral Bouquet |
Blooms with hints of blue and yellow
Large bloom at the center |
1971—1975 |
4 |
Blue Heather |
Five petal blooms in blue |
Mid 1970s |
5 |
Nature’s Bounty |
Mustard yellow vegetables on pale white dish |
1971 |
6 |
Country Festival |
Two bluebirds facing each other
Orange and yellow tulip between them |
1971 |
7 |
Spice O’ Life |
Band of vegetables
The word L’Echalote written on it |
1972—1987 |
8 |
French white |
Modern looks
Softer white |
1965—1968 |
9 |
Wildflower |
Orange puppies
Yellow, blue and green |
1978—1984 |
Cornflower Blue
This was the first pattern to be released by the company and the one with the most quantity. It featured three flowers on a simple white background. The dishes had small handles and sloping sides. The sides weren’t so sloped though after the year 1972. Today this pattern has been revived.
Starburst Pattern
From 1959 to 1963, Corning Glass Company made coffee percolators with the starburst Pattern on it. It featured a star with four sides, the longest being the side that hung below. There are only a few of these percolators in circulation now after they were recalled in the 1970s.
Floral Bouquet
From 1971 to 1975 the company produced this pattern with the flowers. The flowers featured blooms with a tinge of yellow and blue. There was a large bloom in the middle surrounded by clusters of smaller ones around it.
Blue Heather
This was a pattern that didn’t last long. It was made for a limited time in the mid 70s. You’d see small petals crowding the side of the dish, connected by small leaves and vinery.
Nature’s Bounty
This is a limited edition from 1971. It was designed to give a harvest feel with the print of mustard yellow vegetables on a pale white dish.
Country Festival
This is one of the most recognizable patterns from the lot. It featured two bluebirds facing each other, and an orange and yellow tulip separating them. Some call it the “Friendship Bluebird Pattern”. It was created in 1975.
Spice O’ Life
This pattern was produced between 1972 and 1987. It was the second most-produced after the cornflower pattern. It featured a collection of vegetables—garlic, artichokes, and mushrooms. The word L’Echalote is written on it which means the shallot. Some called it the French Spice.
French White
This pattern was created to fill the need of Americans who loved French cooking. This pattern inadvertently came out looking modern. It was released in 1978.
Wild Flower
From 1978 to 1984, the company made this pattern with the wild flowers. They were colored yellow, blue, and green.
Where To Sell Your Vintage Corningware
You may have gotten wind of the new rave: Corningware is selling big and folks are smiling to the bank like it’s the gold rush era all over again.
There’s news that Corningware is selling for thousands of dollars on eBay. Folks are staring at their dishes thinking it’s their time as well. If you have Corningware dishes, and you have confirmed they are genuine vintage, the following places are where you can sell them:
- Auction houses
- Yard sale
- Online marketplaces
- Facebook groups
Auction houses
These places allow you to meet experts and closing the sale is usually almost instant.
Also, you are likely to meet others like you too. This gives you an opportunity to get to know more about antiques and you can make new friends.
Yard sales
Or you could initiate your own yard sale. If not, find one and set up your Corningware for sale.
This method guarantees you get your money quickly too. The downside is you may not be able to sell at thousands of dollars as advertised on eBay.
Online marketplace
eBay is one of the hottest places for Corningware now. There’s indication that particular sellers got thousands of dollars for Corningware there. There’s controversy over the authenticity of the sales. Yet, eBay is one of the resourceful places to put up Corningware for sale.
Facebook groups
Plenty of commerce is now going down on social media. Facebook groups are some of the best places to sell stuff and Facebook folks are known to be homely people. You can join a group for antique collectors and sell your Corningware there. Be aware though that this may cost you or the buyer extra in shipping costs.
Final Thoughts
Vintage Corningware has the rare advantage of never getting out of use. Many antique items are exhibited on shelves and in museums but not Corningware. Many folks still use them in the dining room. Perhaps this is why baby boomers, the people who used Corningware when it was first manufactured, are most interested in collecting them again. If you are interested in the art of collecting antiques, this may be a great time to begin.