These Vintage Thrift Store Finds Can Be Worth Hundreds of Dollars

I love any and all things vintage, but especially vintage bowls. I use thrifted bowls for all kinds of things, from displaying fruit on the table and serving food to decorating a console table and beyond. So when I moved across the country about 10 years ago, I was thrilled when my aunt gifted me a set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls from the 1950s. 

I love to bake, so I was excited to finally stock my kitchen with these adorable little nesting bowls. I’ve used these bowls on a near-weekly basis ever since, but when collecting vintage Pyrex began trending on social media I got the idea to look up how much mine were worth — and boy, was I surprised! 

My beloved blue and white bowls — which I now know is the pattern “Colonial Mist” — feature floral scrawls and alternate between a blue and white base. I love that they nest so neatly inside one another, making them easy to store. In my research, I found an identical set on Etsy for $350. 

Finding a complete set like this is somewhat rare; that’s why the price is so high. Most complete vintage Pyrex mixing bowl sets sell for around $200 to $500 online. Some colors and patterns can actually sell for double, maybe even triple that amount. For example, the Pumpkin Orange Butterprint set — which is cream and orange featuring farm scenes — can sell for upwards of $2000, and the elusive Pink Gooseberry collection (very retro pink and white) can sell for over $500. 

This discovery has me constantly checking thrift store aisles for Pyrex mixing bowls. While it’s incredibly rare to find a full set these days, you can piece them together by collecting the bowls one by one; creator @ashleysweetreats on TikTok did exactly that, and shared her impressive collection last year. There’s a whole community of avid Pyrex collectors online who will tell you the same. Or, if you find a piece IRL and are struggling to complete the collection, you can always check out eBay or Etsy for vintage Pyrex gems.

Luckily my original set is already complete, but I have found many one-off pieces over the years that could have helped kickstart a new beautiful collection. Whether you’re a fanatic or a casual collector, I encourage you to always keep an eye out for these adorable little dishes. While I use mine mostly for baking, there are so many different ways to use vintage Pyrex dishes. Even if you only ever use them as eye candy, the brand’s durability and vintage charm make Pyrex a score to find secondhand.