Rare Vintage CorningWare Patterns Value (Identification & Price Guides)

Surprisingly, many women still adore vintage CorningWare and use these dishes in everyday life. You can find lovely models made of ceramic or glass and use them for both baking and serving food. If you are a passionate collector, such dishes will be an excellent decoration in your kitchen or dining room.

Modern models are pretty inexpensive, but some vintage pieces can be worth a fortune. For instance, rare CorningWare plates can reach an unbelievably high price of $10,000 at auction. Let’s learn everything about vintage CorningWare patterns and values.

 

Ways to Know Whether CorningWare Is Vintage  

The first CorningWare was made in 1958 in Corning, NY, as oven-to-table cookware that housewives could also use on the stovetop. Since pieces made before 1999 are considered vintage, many people started to collect them.

If you are one of them, you should be careful and check each piece thoroughly before purchasing. There are three ways to determine whether an offered dish is original and valuable.

1. Check back-stamp

As soon as CorningWare came to the market, it became trendy, so many other manufacturers copied patterns and made them look like the original. Therefore, it can be challenging to determine whether the particular piece is an original CorningWare.

The quickest way to check the dish is a back stamp presence on the dish’s underside. Be aware that all pieces produced before 1998 had the back-stamp in two words – Corning Ware.

After that year, the company printed the back-stamp Corningware as one word. After a pause from 2002 to 2009, the production was continued, and new dishes were marked with a slightly different back stamp – CorningWare.

2. Check pattern

CorningWare is well-known for its unique patterns. The company produced different types over decades, and the production year will show you whether the particular dish is vintage or not.

CorningWare patterns
Year	Dish motif
1959 to 1963	Black starburst percolator
1966 to 1968 (limited edition gift line)	Platinum Filigree
1969	Butterscotch
1970 (limited edition gift line)	Renaissance
1971 (limited edition gift line)	Nature’s Bounty
1972 to 1974 (Shell Oil Co. promotional piece)	Medallion
1972 to 1987	Spice O’ Life
1975 to 1998	Country Festival
1976 to 1977	Blue Heather
1978 to 1984	Wild Flower

The original pattern contained a blue triple-cornflower motif on a white surface, and this dish type was made over three decades. On the other hand, other models were produced for a limited period. All motifs are trendy among collectors nowadays.

The collection included products in different sizes for cooking, baking, and serving food:

• Casserole dishes
• Covered saucepans
• Cookware, large cookware, and bakeware
• Buffet ware
• Warming trays and Electromatic skillets
• Coffee percolators
• Teapots and tea kettles
• Drip coffeemakers
• Skillets and petite pans
• Roasters, platters, and trays
• Sauce makers

3. Ask a professional

If you are not sure how to recognize the original CorningWare and determine whether it is vintage, the best option you have is to ask a professional. The most effortless way is to buy a book with detailed pictures, descriptions, and production year.

Another solution is to visit an antique or thrift shop and have your dish checked. A reputable glass expert will tell you everything about the piece you have. Finally, some authenticators can give you an answer online after sending them relevant information and the product’s photos.

 

Collectible Vintage CorningWare

Glass-ceramic CorningWare has been a special place in the kitchen of every American housewife since 1958 when the first dish was produced. The Corning Glass Works company released this ceramic cooking dish type as an attempt to solve the problem with brittle pieces.

These pyro ceramic glass cookware can withstand thermal shock, so you can put them in the microwave or oven directly from the freezer when necessary. Plus, you can wash your piece in a dishwasher.

Since the first CorningWare dishes are over 50 years old, they are considered vintage, and many people have started to collect them. In other words, your grandma’s dish that has stood in a cupboard for years may be worth a small fortune.

1. Floral Bouquet CorningWare

This beautiful CorningWare type was produced from 1971 to 1975. The idea of large outlined blooms with traces of yellow and blue color made this dish elegant and sophisticated.

2. Blue Heather CorningWare

The unusually calm but cheerful design created in the mid-1970s and produced from 1977 to 1981 was an excellent choice for a family dinner.

Discreet five-petal blue blooms with delicate green vinery cover most of one side, leaving the rest of the vessel pure white. Like other models, you can use it in the oven, dishwasher, and microwave.

3. Nature’s Bounty CorningWare

Nature’s Bounty CorningWare design is a pattern connected with grandma’s kitchen. Mustard-yellow vegetables on the side awaken nostalgia for home-cooked meals and the enchanting smells of prepared food. This limited edition was produced in 1971 as a specialty gift line. 

4. Country Festival (Friendship bluebird) CorningWare

The elegant orange tulip between two lovely bluebirds reminds us of the countryside and the simplicity that only nature can provide. This folk-art pattern appeared in 1975 for the first time but is still appreciated in the US. The collection was a stand-alone type, and you can’t harmonize it with any other dinnerware pattern.

5. French White CorningWare

When the timeless white CorningWare design was released in 1978, Americans were fascinated by French cooking and style. Therefore, these sophisticated soft white pieces without any pattern astonished many housewives.

6. English Meadow CorningWare

The English Meadow pattern with dainty orange-red, yellow, and blue blooms and discreet vines was a hit in the 1980s and 1990s. You can find a few pattern versions produced in that period and pick out the one that fits best with other utensils in your kitchen.

7. Daisy CorningWare

This sturdy Corning Ware serving piece with a unique white daisy and marigold pattern comes with an elegant glass lid. The vintage ceramic dish appeared in the 1970s but is still a high-quality addition to a retro kitchen.

Such a piece is generational cookware that can last through the years with regular use in the oven and on the stovetop.

8. Summer Blush CorningWare

The cheerful Summer Blush is an over twenty-year-old collectible dish pattern produced from 1996 to 1998. It features lovely pansies surrounded by delicate green leaves reminding the bright summer days and family meals you enjoyed as a child.

 

Rare CorningWare Patterns

1. Wildflower casserole dish

A rare white Wildflower Casserole with the Pyrex lid is an elegant square dish with orange poppies, tiny yellow flowers, and delicate green leaves.

The company created casserole and baking dishes in 1978 as commemorative pieces that initially came in a seven-piece set. The production of this intriguing pattern lasted by 1984.

Besides rare pieces in the perfect condition sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars, most dishes will be worth a modest $80.

However, you can find costly sets offered for $3,000 to $5,000. The most expensive is the one from eBay, with a starting price of $17,000.

2. Renaissance casserole dish

This off-white/cream-colored covered Renaissance casserole dish with a Pyrex lid came with a unique pattern on one side. You can find two versions:

• The 1.5-QT version produced in 1974 showed old-time scenes with merchants working at a port and docked ships
• The 4-QT limited edition from the 1970s featured a Renaissance-era Stockholm’s seaport skyline

As you know, the CorningWare manufacturer preferred rustic decorations. However, the company chose another way with this dish and created a rare pattern most housewives and collectors have appreciated for decades.

You can find these pieces online for about $100 or more. However, the most valuable 4-QT Renaissance casserole dish with a trivet ware dish holder can be pricey.

Rarest CorningWare Patterns
Dish	Model	Color	Size	Price
Spice of Life casserole dish	Le Marjolaine	Multicolored	4 QT	$4,000
Cornflower casserole dish	Blue cornflower	White with blue flowers	11/2 QT	$1,600+
Spice of Life casserole dish	Le Romarin	Multicolored	1 QT	$1,200+
Range topper	Blue cornflower	White with blue flowers	5 QT	$300+
Daisey teapot	Daisey	Clear	4.5 inches (11.5 cm)	$275+
Atomic starburst casserole dish	Black atomic star	White with black star	4 QT	$150+
Renaissance casserole dish	Renaissance	Cream with town	1.5 to 4 QT	$100
Wildflower casserole dish	Wildflower	White with yellow and orange flowers	11/2 QT	$80+

3. Daisey teapot

Many Americans love this clear etched CorningWare teapot produced from Pyrex in 1919 as a limited edition. Besides a unique pattern containing daisies, you should look for the marking on the teapot lid to confirm its origin. You need to set aside at least $275 at auction for this lovely piece.

4. Atomic Starburst Black Star casserole dish

Unlike popular floral patterns you can find on most casserole dishes, this model had one stenciled star without any other marking. The starburst on the white base was a retro space symbol from the 1950s.

The company produced this casserole dish from 1959 to 1963 in two Starburst designs, black and blue. You can find this dish with a domed Pyrex lid for more than $150 on eBay auctions.

Old coffee percolators with the same pattern were produced in the same period. Both blue and black versions are valuable collectibles nowadays.

5. Spice of Life casserole dish

This cheerful pattern with a clear Pyrex lid produced from 1972 to 1987 came in a few variations, depending on the size, shape, and seasoning added to the primary motif.

The pattern contains various herbs besides garlic, mushrooms, green peppers, artichokes, and tomatoes. These casserole dishes are highly resistant to thermal shock, but you shouldn’t use them directly over a heat source.

You can find two Spice of Life Casserole dishes with a recognizable bottom stamp among the most expensive CorningWare ever made.

The Le Romarin Spice of Life 1 QT Casserole dish model is worth approximately $1,200 on the current market. On the other hand, the rarest CorningWare Spice of Life pattern is the Le Marjolaine Spice of Life 4 QT Casserole dish worth at least $4,000.

Remember that only pieces with the words L’Echalote, La Romarin, or La Marjolaine written below the pattern can be costly. It is estimated that the most expensive dishes can be worth at least $5,200. 

6. Cornflower casserole dish

Beautiful blue cornflower dishes came in various sizes and decorations containing three blue flowers. Pieces with the recognizable pattern are rare and valuable as the first CorningWare ever produced.

Be prepared that the complete 13-piece cookware set is pricey. It can reach an astonishing $25,000 on eBay nowadays.

For instance, you can find only one dish with a glass lid produced after 1972 for at least $1,600. On the other hand, poorly known older versions with small handles and sloped sides can be worth a small fortune.

Collectors particularly appreciate a Range Topper with improved heat distribution, allowing you to use it directly on a heat source. You can find this dish for about $300.

Vintage CorningWare Value

Vintage CorningWare is readily available and inexpensive, but those with rare floral patterns can be costly. For instance, you can find a piece at a garage sale or thrift store for $0.50 to $10, while rarer pieces can reach $30 to $50.

Some collectors are prepared to pay thousands of dollars for collectibles from limited production or those with a unique flaw. One piece of CorningWare with a limited-produced pattern from the 1970s was sold for $7,000 on eBay.

However, it is not a common practice, and you can find a rare piece with the Black Starburst pattern for approximately $70 on eBay.

The crucial thing is to determine the difference between asking and selling prices. Since CorningWare became vintage recently, the interest in these dishes has rapidly increased. Therefore, people started asking thousands of dollars for each piece, although it is not realistic.

There is one specific problem most sellers are not aware of. One vintage CorningWare dish was paid over $10,000 on eBay, making sellers immoderate with prices.

However, light searching the term CorningWare on eBay will show that most listings range from $5 to $40. Since most pieces are still inexpensive, you should check recently sold listings to find a realistic price range for each product.

 

Summary

Even though CorningWare was a regular kitchen dish in the past, women rarely use them nowadays. However, these beautiful pieces have become highly collectible in the meantime. Believe it or not, some models are pricey, and you should set aside thousands of dollars for the rarest ones.