I heart pyrex

I have a modest Pyrex glass ware collection. I probably started collecting it about 10 years ago, before I got married. I used to go on ebay all the time checking prices, learning the patterns, coveting the different designs. It was fun.

But I quickly ran out of room in our small apartment, and ever since my pregnancy, I haven't been as interested. Occasionally, I will find a piece. Last week I went to a second hand store to find something to make an "astronaut coat" for my son (we found an 18mo size snow suit that fit the bill), but I also found a 1 1/2 pint turquoise butterprint dish with lid. It is a useful size for leftovers, so I grabbed it.  The pictures below shows some of my favorite and most used dishes.  My new one is the top left.

I use most of my Pyrex dishes.  My go-to mixing bowl is one of the large white bowls from a Hamilton Beach stand mixer. 

I do put my Pyrex through the dishwaher, but I usually feel guilty about it. Where does that come from?  They're mine and I can do whatever I want with them, so why the guilt? I know, I know, the dishwasher will eventually damage the paint/glaze, which is why I used to always hand wash. But now with an almost 4 year old in the house ... well, I bet you can imagine why they go in the dishwasher now.

The scientist loves my Pyrex too. He just told me so the other day. I like them because it means I don't have to store or heat my food in plastic, and because they are pretty. He likes them because they have clear lids and you can see what's inside. Unfortunately, the scientist has butter fingers and has broken some of my pieces. Arggh.

My prized possession is a complete set of four cinderella bowls in the orange butterprint pattern. This is a pretty rare set. It was given to me by my husband's grandmother. I would take a picture, but they are in storage. Here is a pic I found on the web of one bowl.

 

When I first started collecting, I was very fond of the early american pattern.  But I soon learned that it is not very desired among serious collectors, and my love for that design kind of died because of that - isn't that sad? I have two of them in the small cinderella bowl, and I love them for eating a big bowl of cereal.

Pyrex Love is a great resource for Pyrex collectors. They have a listing of all of the Pyrex patterns with photos and what size bowls were made in each pattern. It's a listing they've put together from their own collection and from other collectors as well. I don't believe there is any official Pyrex listing of all the patterns.

I went onto ebay this afternoon, and I would say that some of the prices have come down from what I remember about five years ago. Yes, some of the most popular and rare sets are still going for around $80, but the individual pieces seem to be more in the $5-10 range, down from the $10-18 I recall from several years back. It makes me a little excited, and I feel like doing a little more collecting!