Information for the Vintage Glass Kitchenware Enthusiast
#664 4 qt. Round Casserole. New for 1975, it was made to go with Spring Blossom Green, Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Old Orchard, and, later, Homestead. These unusual large casseroles, dubbed "Big Bertha" by collectors, were discontinued in late 1976. Snowflake Blue and Homestead are less frequently seen, each only being offered one of those years. A rare "Polynesian" patterned version exists. A very good day at the thrift store; with a 75% discount, this one set me back $6.74 (plus tax).
Bottom to top: Deluxe Cinderella Casserole 1958 (Golden Hearts*), Deluxe Cinderella Casserole 1960 (Hex Signs*), Golden Classic 1962. Gold decoration first appeared on that 1958 promo, and expanded from there. Throughout the 1960s, gold leaf decoration remained largely confined to promotional pieces, but also appeared on Limited patterns like Golden Acorn and Golden Honeysuckle. Gold leaf made the jump to Standard patterns with Early American in 1962. Its use continued through the 1960s, peaking in 1967. When printed on plain clear or bare opal glass its durability is lacking, and which its application over a fired-on base layer would appear to have improved. Its use came to a halt after 1970, coinciding with the new popularity of microwave ovens, with which it proved incompatible.
1965 Casserole with Cradle, 1-1/2 quart Floral. Not to be confused with the 1960 Floral Casserole aka Green Honeysuckle*. No lid was supplied with this promo. The cradle was also used with the 1965 Empire Scroll promo, and some other less frequently-seen late-1960s 045 promos with the same footprint as this 063. The identical cradle in chrome rather than gold tone came with the 1967 Blue Ivy 063 promo.
The beginning and the postscript. The earliest 402 didn't even have the number on the backstamp. 42 years later, in 1987, and a year after the last opalware 402 was discontinued, the 400 series shapes were produced in clear glass and supplied with plastic covers as part of the Storage Plus Storage System. The 7401, 7402, and 7403 were catalogued as 3, 6, and 10 cup "all purpose bowls", which translates to 1-1/2 pt, 1-1/2 qt, and 2-1/2 qt. They were also sold as a #7252 set of three. They may have been 740x in the catalogs, but were still 40x on the bowls for some period of time. The 7 on the backstamps often appears "tacked on", slightly askew and outside the perimeter of the rest of the markings. The traditional 400 series shape disappears after the 1989 catalog. Sculptured versions first appear in 1992 catalogs, joining several other standard shapes given the "sculptured" treatment. There was no 7404, but there is a sculptured 7404-S.
Hot Air Balloons gets a turn with the bracket. No, I'm never taking the price tag off the bowl because I smile every time I see it.
Here's the 1958 Cinderella Cradled Casserole from an angle showing the lower height of the handles vs. Bluebird's.
Chip and Dip, Bluebelle aka Golden Grapes* 1960. More than I would like to have paid, but the bowls are mint and, well, there's the original bracket, so...
Putting together a promo dish with it's correct accessory is usually fairly easy. There are a couple of instances that can be confusing or which the casual observer might not even notice. At left is 1958's Cinderella Cradled Casserole; on the right is 1959's Bluebird. The dishes actually fit either cradle quite nicely, but they're not the same. Photos can often distort their angles and proportions. The long curved bars of the 023's cradle on the left, however, don't also bend toward each other like those on the oval casserole's. Also, when viewed from the side, Bluebird's cradle's handles are even with or slightly higher than the top of the bars which support the dish.
FrankenSet? How about FrankenPromo? AFAIK, the only promo to feature the Friendship pattern was the Penn Dutch 475 Cinderella casserole with underplate. This cradle is from the 1959 Cinderella Serving Bowl 443 promo which was turquoise with a white scroll design.
1956 Opaque White Casserole with its original cradle and period-correct knob-top lid. Cha-ching!