Australians are selling a popular range of retro kitchenware second-hand for up to $75,000.
Prices for the highly sought-after CorningWare casserole dishes have skyrocketed on buy-and-sell sites after the parent company, Instant Brands, which produces them, filed for bankruptcy.
These dishes were the kitchenware all the rage in the ’70s and are sought after today for their high-quality glass, durability and nostalgic value.
New Corningware dishes are still being produced, but collectors seek out the old-fashioned floral prints.
A man listed his “barely used” dish from 1970 that he had “kept in cupboards for 40 years” for a whopping $75,000.
The type of ceramic used to make this durable range of cookware was discovered in the 1950s and has even been used in military weapons in the United States.
Prices for the highly sought-after CorningWare casserole dishes have soared on buy-and-sell sites after the parent company that produces them filed for bankruptcy.
The white casserole dishes with clear lids come in a range of patterns and designs, with the most unpopular at the time fetching up to $75,000 on Facebook Marketplace.
Instant Brands owns CoringWare as well as Pyrex, Corelle and Snapware and filed for bankruptcy in June, citing tighter credit terms and higher interest rates.
According to the US-based company, the move will secure $132.5 million in funding to help keep the company operating.
Its entities outside the United States and Canada will not be affected.
Before the bankruptcy, the brand’s rare Spice of Life range, which features a pattern of vegetables and greenery and the words “L’Echalote La Marjolaine” which translates to “Chalotes and Marjolaine”, on the front, was sold on Ebay for up to $15,000. .
The white casserole dishes with clear lids come in a range of patterns and designs, with the most unpopular at the time fetching up to $75,000 on Facebook Marketplace.
While the Wildflower range, on sale for seven years, and the Floral Bouquet range, present for four years, sell for up to $10,000.
The popular blue line is the least valuable, but a casserole dish in good condition can still cost more than $1,200.
Glass expert Dean Six said nostalgia was behind the price spike.
“The collection is often what we remember, which is why it’s important now because baby boomers are buying back what they grew up with. Baby boomers are decorating their homes with these pieces,” he said.
“A piece of CorningWare, in a little-produced model, recently sold on Ebay for US$7,000 (AUD$9.8,000). It was a product of the 1970s that fizzled.
