You may not want to pin your grandmother’s dated cabinets for your upcoming kitchen renovation, but you may want to take a closer look at what’s inside them.
The resale value of that tacky-looking pig cookie jar might be a few hundred dollars. If you’re lucky enough to spot Tiffany or Bernardaud china patterns, you can score a few thousand.
“These are usually well-marked on the back and can be searched online to identify the specific piece and its value,” Austin Carrier, cofounder and principal at Hommeboys Interiors in Sonoma, California, says.
Even humble mason jars and casserole dishes can be treasures. We spoke to designers and antique shopping connoisseurs to learn about hidden gems of yesteryear that are now worth a shiny penny. Keep reading to see their top 13 picks.
Copper Pots
You may need to use some elbow grease to clean copper pots, but the effort is more than worth it. “Copper pots are heavy but cook very evenly, so cooks tend to keep them for a long time,” Natalie Page, principal designer behind NPage Studio and cofounder of Lostine, says.
“Nineteenth-century antique ones seem to be the most coveted.” A French set of four copper pots can cost around $1,500.
Cut Crystal and Glassware
Cut crystal and cut glass can be extremely valuable depending on the pattern and collection. “These pieces are often in perfect condition, as they were generally only used on special occasions and tucked away the majority of the time,”
Austin Carrier, cofounder and principal at Hommeboys Interiors in Sonoma, California, says. Whatever you do, don’t put crystal in the dishwasher—the high heat will cloud the glass.
Solid Sterling Silver Flatware
“Along the same lines as the cut crystal, many grannies received solid sterling or plated silver flatware on their wedding day and proceeded to protect and polish these pieces throughout their adult lives,” Carrier says. “Usually kept safely in their original wood boxes, it’s common to find a complete set, with solid silver being the most valuable.”
Handmade Ceramics
Ceramics may look humble, but when they’re handmade by artisans and decorated with specialty glazes and patterns that are no longer in production, their value skyrockets. “Brands like Heath and Rookwood Pottery and designs like spongeware are extremely collectible and valuable,” Carrier says.
Pyrex Mixing Bowls and Casserole Dishes
Almost every American kitchen had Pyrex pieces up until about 20 years ago. If you spot one in a cupboard, don’t add it to the garage sale pile. “[Vintage Pyrex sets] are actually worth more than you think,” Amanda Keller, curator of Historic Interiors & Household Accessories at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, says.
“The most valuable patterns are the 1956 Pink Daisy, 1957 Butterprint, and the 1983 Colonial Mist.” The resale value can range from $50 to $1,400, depending on the pattern, set pieces, and condition.
This machine-made glass ovenware has been produced by Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York, since 1915. You can also find Pyrex mixing bowls, pie plates, casserole dishes, and loaf pans. Keller has a set of three Butterprint mixing bowls that depicts an Amish couple surrounded by farm crops—it once belonged to her mother-in-law. Her three-piece set can be found on eBay for $250.
“The glass that Pyrex is made from is so durable that it can be used in the oven, freezer, and refrigerator—just don’t put it in the dishwasher,” she adds. “Hand wash only! The dishwasher often removes the pattern on the outside of the pieces and ruins the value.”
Corningware Casserole Dish Sets
Made by the same New York company as Pyrex, a Corningware casserole dish was a ubiquitous wedding present in the 1950s. Don’t discard one of these without checking to see if the pattern and design is rare or was discontinued shortly after manufacturing.
“The Cornflower blue design is the most common pattern but is still worth quite a bit of money today,” Keller says. “The rarer patterns like Wildflower, produced from 1977 to 1984, and Floral Bouquet, from 1971 to 1975, can go online for over $10,000.”
Originally developed for military applications in World War II, Corningware casserole dishes were made of a nonporous glass-ceramic material that can both withstand sudden temperature changes and resist stains and odors.
In the 1990s, the company transitioned to ceramic stoneware to accommodate the growing demand for a wider variety of colors and designs, but the original glass-ceramic cookware was reintroduced in 2009 due to popular demand.
Jadeite Mixing Bowl Sets
The milky green hue of jadeite, or jade glass, is not only gorgeous but also a throwback to the Great Depression era. The McKee Glass Company and its rival, the Jeannette Glass Company, began jadeite production in 1932, making mixing bowls, canisters, and shakers.
These two companies added uranium to the glass mixture, so pieces made by them glow under a black light. By 1945, jadeite dinnerware was also produced by the Anchor Hocking Fire-King division. “You can find jadeite pieces everywhere, although it is becoming more and more rare because of its popularity,” Keller says. “The value is affected by both the quality of the piece and the rarity of the item.
” Prices on Etsy and eBay sell vintage jadeite pieces range from $300 for mixing bowls to $1,200 for a complete set of dinnerware.
Mason Jars
There are the typical mason jars you buy at the hardware store and use to can fruits and veggies, and then there are the collectible ones. Many Americans canned fruits and vegetables during the world wars, especially when rationing became the norm during WWII.
Even the Rockefellers had their housekeeper can peaches, green beans, tomatoes, and beets in the early 1940s. “Upside-down Ball mason jars are rare, as well as jars made from amber-colored glass,” Keller says. Companies other than Ball made mason jars as well, so do not discount those, either, if you find them.
“A glass mason jar made by Van Vliet recently went for $23,000 at auction,” Keller says. The resale marketplace price for these jars ranges from $700 to $3,900, depending on the color of the glass, type of lid, embossed lettering, and whether it’s blown or molded glass.
Vintage Enamelware
White enamel bowls with simple black rims are timeless and fit perfectly in a farmhouse kitchen. This type of kitchenware became popular in the 1850s in America and began losing its prime position in the 1930s due to the rise of plastic, aluminum, stainless steel, and Pyrex.
As a result, many enamelware pieces were lost to World War II scrap metal drives. “The once-plentiful kitchenware is harder to find, making vintage enamelware of the 1940s a favorite of designers and antique collectors,” Keller says.
Depending on whether the enamel is used as cookware versus bakeware and if it is a set in good condition, the price of these ranges from $50 to $1,500.
Champagne Coupes
Vintage champagne flutes are nice, but if you find some with hollow stems—that’s a rarity. This design was used in the early 1900s to remove the sediment from bubbly by giving it a place to settle before one took a sip.
Kelly Waters of Studio Waters in San Francisco and Napa came across hollow-stem coupes that were her husband’s grandmother’s. “Rumored to be molded from Marie Antoinette’s breast, they are stunningly pretty with the bubbles floating up that center stem,” Waters says. A quick search shows that similar pieces come in at around $400.
Cast Iron Skillets
Take a closer look at that cast iron skillet. Is it very smooth? Much lighter than yours? So light you can pick it up with one hand? Turn it over. Does it say Griswold, Wagner, or Lodge? “Cast iron made at the beginning of the 20th century is far superior” to pieces made today, Waters says.
“I never understood the fuss over a cast iron skillet until I finally picked up an old Griswold chicken fryer. It is a world of difference to cook compared to my contemporary skillet.” The value of a vintage skillet can range from $200 to $2,000, or more.
Smoked Glass Crystal
Back in the day, Orrefors smoked glass crystal pieces cost just $1.50 each. “It isn’t currently in production, but the few substantial sets are nearly $400,” Waters says. “They are really stunning in person and everyone remarks on their shape.”
