Author: Doug

Friday morning, running late. Better skip the thrift store today. Haven't scored a collectible piece there in nearly a year, anyway. Nah, what the hell, it's right here. Boom! The true opal 402 I've been after for over four years. Set complete. And as a bonus, a true opal 403. Both for $7.

Saxony, 1967. Been waiting a really loooonnng time to complete this one. Trivia: In Canada, a slightly different candle warmer with a removable candle cup and less-curvy arms was paired with Saxony and also a 1968 Daisy 475 promo.

This clipping from the 1971 dealer catalog likely does much to explain where the name "Brown", seen on cartons, came from as relates to the Earthtones bakeware set. Even though this was the first year that catalogs illustrated each pattern's array of shapes this way, it's clear the capability existed to show reasonably accurate shades of color. Perhaps this set was "reimagined" before it actually came to market. Note that 8 is the same pattern number as that of the Americana bowls.

933 oblong baking dish aka lasagna pan from the Earthtones/Brown bakeware set. Pyrex picking trips have been far fewer than usual this past year and some months. I spotted this one on an antique store's facebook page over a year ago. The owner regularly takes store photos, and it never moved in all that time. Must be dinged up or priced too high, I figured. Amazingly, other than a little cooking residue on the tops of the handles, it's mint, not a scratch. And I got a $5 discount.

All four Compatibles cream and sugar sets, available 1972 to 1975. I was lucky enough to obtain all of them including the often-missing sugar bowl covers, and the Snowflake Blue set in its original box. These are known as the "small" sets, and were only available in these four patterns. Creamers in many other patterns were made as restaurant ware, as were the bouillon/custard cups whose shape was borrowed for these sugar bowls. The "large" sets that followed in 1981 were available in a far wider array of patterns to match over a dozen Corelle patterns.

1962 Deluxe Hostess Casserole, officially. Unofficially, "Frost Garland". Hard to find undamaged; harder to find with original candle warmer cradle.

Two Butterfly Gold butter dishes. Notice a difference? Collectors have discerned it long enough to call them "light" and "dark". The original Butterfly Gold pattern debuted in 1972. In 1979, it was redesigned with a different pattern and color scheme. Although butter dishes were not included in the redesign, we often fail to consider they continued to be marketed through the end of 1983, an additional five years. The new design color palette included colors both lighter and darker than the original '72 pattern's gold. Let me be the first to say I prefer certainty over speculation, but I think I may have a plausible explanation for the difference in these two butter dishes. It would make sense that, after the pattern was redesigned, Corning would not continue to stock the original shade of paint just to decorate what catalogs reveal would have been less than a handful of tabletop ware items. It would make more sense to use a shade they already had plenty of on hand. The lighter, yellow shade of BFG '79 would have been so low in contrast as to be noticeable; the darker shade, not used as decoration on plain opal, would likely not have raised any eyebrows. As I said, just a theory on my part, so please don't repeat as fact. Thanks to FB user Jo A. for the photo. 

Small tabletop ware cream and sugar. Released on the heels of new-for-1972 Pyrex Compatibles, these can be fun to collect. The sugar bowl was a re-purposed restaurant ware custard/bouillon cup, and has the Little Joe gaffer backstamp. The glass lids are often missing, but, undaunted, eBay sellers merely describe them as "open" sugar bowls. As table and restaurant ware, they both were made in many standard and custom patterns. The Compatibles versions were discontinued after 1975.

Pyrex 709 mugs. From the tableware catalog, this shape differs from the classic bowl-ish 701 cups, but is the shape I identify as that in which you would expect to be served coffee seated at a classic diner counter.

Early American 1962-1971. A long lived pattern, and may or may not have lasted longer but for the incompatibility of its gold leaf decoration with newly-popular microwave ovens. Found in a consignment store, this 045 oval is in pristine, mint condition, amazing for its 50-60 year age.