Host Bex Scott shares the five Pyrex patterns that she doesn’t love in this episode. In addition to naming the unloved patterns, she explores their history and what dishes made up the sets on offer. Everyone’s tastes are different so listeners may love a pattern Bex doesn’t. You may agree with Bex or you may want to bring a case in defence of a favourite that appears on this list. Or possibly you’re new to Pyrex and want to explore different sets. Whichever way you lean, there’s something for you in this episode. 

All the information Bex shares is from the Pyrex Bible, more formally known as Pyrex Passion 2nd Edition by Michael D. Barber. From Golden Acorn to the infamous Old Orchard, Bex lets you into her opinions on her least loved Pyrex patterns. What is it about these patterns that put her off? What other patterns does she dislike? What is the best way to ruin a gold pattern Pyrex bowl? And is there anybody who will stand up in support of Old Orchard? Listen in then share your agreements, arguments, and collection display photos with Bex on Instagram @PyrexWithBex. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• “Pyrex Passion 2nd Edition” by Michael D. Barber
• Golden Acorn Pyrex
• Golden Honeysuckle Pyrex
• Old Orchard Pyrex
• Forest Fancies Pyrex
• Pyrex brown hugger cradle

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Contact Rebecca Scott | Pyrex With Bex: 

• Website: PyrexWithBex.com
• Instagram: @pyrexwithbex

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Transcript

Bex Scott: [00:00:02 ] Hey everybody, it's Bex Scott and welcome to the Pyrex with Bex podcast, where you guessed it, I talk about vintage Pyrex, but also all things vintage housewares. I'll take you on my latest thrifting adventures, talk about reselling, chat with other enthusiasts about their collections, and learn about a bunch of really awesome items from the past. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you love listening to podcasts so you don't miss a beat. Hey everybody, this is Bex Scott and you are listening to the Pyrex with Bex podcast. On today's episode, I wanted to talk about the five Pyrex patterns that I don't love. I figured that since I've talked in the past about so many of the patterns that I do love, and I've had guests talking about their collections and the ones that they collect the most often, I'd switch things up a little bit and talk about the ones that I don't love as much. Now I do enjoy all Pyrex and I'll use any kind of pattern. I have even put patterns that I don't love in displays just because they go so well. And you'll realize that there's a bit of a pattern to the ones that I don't love once I start going through them. But I wanted to give you an idea of some of the ones that I don't necessarily collect as much of, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you agree with me, which ones you don't love, and get a conversation going. You can find me on Instagram at Pyrex with Bex, and feel free to share your thoughts about this episode there.

Bex Scott: [00:01:42 ] So starting off, we have the first one, and I'll start by saying all of the information that I'm going to give is from the Pyrex Bible, the Pyrex Passion Book by Michael D Barber. I have the second edition, and that's where I get all of my of my information from. So I wanted to, once I say which pattern I don't love, give you a little bit of background information on the dish so that you can learn a little bit more about it if you're a new collector, or maybe you have been collecting for a while, but you haven't necessarily read up about certain patterns. And just to give some fun information on each of the pieces. Because regardless of whether I like it, there's tons of other people out there that do like these pieces, so to each their own.

Bex Scott: [00:02:30 ] So the very first one is the Gold Acorn. And I have owned various pieces of this set, and I believe I started off liking them, but it just wasn't a pattern that grew on me. So this one was produced from 1959 to 1963, and it came in an assorted bakeware set. So it was gold applied to a beige background. It paints a little bit of a picture, and it's like a scrolly kind of ivy leaf pattern with little acorns on it. And it says that the boxes didn't include the pattern name, but marketing materials from the time used the name Gold Acorn on Ivory or Golden Touch in reference to this pattern. And it says that the first edition of Pyrex Passion referred to the pattern as Golden Acorn, but Gold Acorn was more commonly used in the catalogs. And most items were offered from 1959 to 1963, with the exception of the 053 oval open baker, which was dropped in 1962. So the ones that I've had are the oval casseroles, and they come in the one and a half quart and two and a half quart with the clear lids. And I've also had a divided serving dish. And one of the things that I learned early on when I was collecting Pyrex is that you don't put anything abrasive on gold, and this was me being naive. I should have known better. But I remember getting a tube of peek because starting off in my collecting, I had heard that peek is the perfect thing to take the utensil marks off of Pyrex and just clean them up, which it is. But you cannot use anything abrasive on gold because it will wear it off. So I remember squeezing the peek onto a piece of paper towel, and I rubbed off the whole bottom half of the gold acorn pattern. And I still haven't forgotten that it was a good lesson for me to learn, but for any of you that are just starting out, you can use peek to clean your Pyrex but do not use it on the gold. It will ruin it.

Bex Scott: [00:04:58 ] Okay, so the Gold Acorn was also offered in the stamp catalog carousel with a cradle, and the stamp program was where you would redeem your stamps at the store and they would give you the Pyrex in return. So it says the item appears in the 1961 Top Value Stamps Family Gift Catalog. The cradle was the same one used on the 1959 duet, or also known as Dandelion Casserole. And that one kind of has the same colorings. It's more of a yellow, though, actually. And I really like the Dandelion. The oval divided serving dish also came in Gold Acorn and then the oval open baker. And I have to say, I don't love this pattern, but I do have a weakness for space saver casseroles. I just love the size of them, especially if they come with that metal lid. Perfect for the freezer. So these ones were sold individually with a clear lid from 1959 to 1963. And then they came out with another set, same time frame though, with the oven freezer serving set. And they were both packaged in a set that included one clear lid and two metal lids. And I know where I am in Canada at least those metal lids are very hard to come by. I think I have maybe one of them that I was lucky enough to find on Facebook Marketplace, and that's one that I will never resell. That one will stay in my collection, and I'm always on the lookout for more of those metal lids. Now, the Gold Acorn did have a prototype, and they were the 473, 474 and 475. They were the round casseroles with clear lids, and these ones were not standard production items. They have resurfaced in this pattern and are being said that they're possibly manufactured as test items in the early 1960s.

Bex Scott: [00:07:00 ] So next up, you'll see there's a bit of a theme here with which patterns I don't love. We have the Golden Honeysuckle, so it's not all gold that I dislike. There are quite a few patterns, especially the promotional ones that have gold. There's just something about these ones that have the vines or the flowers that I don't know why, it just doesn't do it for me. The Golden Honeysuckle 1963 to 1965. It was testing, Corning was testing the market with new shapes and sizes of casseroles. And I think that's maybe why this one I don't love so much. Now, I've owned all of the Golden Honeysuckle, and they are really nice to bake casseroles in and to heat things in because they're nice and long and they're really deep. There's also shallow ones for vegetables, which is great. But to me, this isn't the standard Pyrex that I know and love. They released four casseroles, and they featured a unique square shape designed by William M Curtis.

Bex Scott: [00:08:09 ] To ensure the gold pattern adhered properly casseroles were sprayed white on top of the opal glass. Walnut serving trays were also available in one size, a 935 that fit the two smaller casseroles, while another size, 958, fit the two larger casseroles. The serving trays were sold separately and also packaged with the casseroles when sold as a set. And these casseroles were sold individually and you have the 033, 035, 055, 058, 935 which is the tray and the 958 which is the tray. And then it came as a casserole serving set. So you have the 33, the 35, the 55 and the 58. And then there were casserole prototypes. So after the casserole style was patented in 1961, Corning tested the new shapes with many different designs. These prototype items are quite rare, but can be found in many patterns such as Early American, Green Scroll, White Snowflake on Turquoise, and White Compass on Turquoise.

Bex Scott: [00:09:17 ] O