10 Rarest CorningWare Patterns: Value and Price Guide

When CorningWare made their debut in 1958, they were revolutionary. They featured beautiful patterns that made them stand out.

Also, made from a special glass-ceramic material, they were virtually impervious to temperature extremes. This allowed them to be safely used as cookware (in ovens, microwaves, stovetop, freezers, and refrigerators) and as beautiful serveware.

Today, CorningWares are as (or even more) valuable as they were all those years back. But this is not for their functionality as cook- and serveware, but for their appeal as collectibles.

Many of the CorningWare patterns are so rare today that they command tidy sums.

What are the rarest CorningWare patterns? How much will they fetch you? How do you identify vintage and valuable CorningWare? Read on to find the answers to these questions.

10 Rarest CorningWare Patterns

No.
Name
Year
Price
1
BlueHeather
1977-1981
$100-$150
2
Nature’sBounty
1971
$50-$120
3
AllWhite/JustWhite
1965
$60-$90
4
RenaissancePattern
1970
$100
5
BlackStar/BlackAtomicStar
1960
$150
6
StarburstPattern
1959-1973
$100
7
TheWildflower
1978
$80-$100
8
TheMedallionpattern
1972-1974
$40-$50
9
TheSpiceofLife
1970
$100-$1000
10
TheBlueCornflower
1958
$100-$1000

Some of the rarest CorningWare patterns and their costs are:

1. Blue Heather

Year: 1977-1981

Price: $100 – $150

Blue Heather
Blue Heather image Source: Ebay

This pattern was produced from around 1977 to 1981. It features small blue 5-petal flowers and small green leaves connected by vinery.

The appeal of the Blue Heather design is in simplistic sophistication. The blue blooms are small and cool to look at, and not the big flowers of some designs that jump at you. Also, they spread over a large section of the ware creating a beautiful flowery bed.

You’ll find these beautiful pieces for around $100 – $150.

2. Nature’s Bounty

Year: 1971

Price: $50 – $120

Nature's Bounty
Vintage Corning Ware casserole set released in 1971 as a limited edition gift line image Source:amazon

The Nature’s Bounty pattern is one of the rarest CorningWare patterns you’ll find. It was produced only in 1971, not over a long stretch of time. Also, it is a limited edition, so not many of it were produced.

It features a harvest of vegetables on a white background. The cluster of vegetables include carrots (complete with their feathery carrot greens), mushrooms, green peppers, and tomatoes.

The Nature’s Bounty pattern conjures feelings of having a bountiful harvest. If you have one of the Nature Bounty CorningWares, it can fetch you a tidy sum. Their value range from about $50 to $120.

3. All White/ Just White

Year: 1965

Price: $60 – $90

All White Just White
Vintage 10″ MW-A-10 White Corning Ware Browning Casserole Dish with Glass Dome Lid image Source:etsy

When it comes to CorningWare patterns, the All White (sometimes called the Just White) is an outlaw.

As the name suggests, the ware is just a plain white colour. So, the All White is a patternless pattern.

It appealed to the conservatives. Those that are put off by the flowers, fruits, and veggies of the other CorningWare (which admittedly is sometimes overboard) used to be drawn to the matured plain look of the All White.

The All White design was introduced in 1965 and was produced only until 1968. So, relatively few were produced, making it one of the rarest CorningWare patterns today.

Today, you’ll find All White designs available for $60 – $90.

4. Renaissance Pattern

Year: 1970

Price: $100

Renaissance Pattern
Vintage Rare 1970 Corning Ware Renaissance Limited image Source:Ebay

The Renaissance pattern takes a sharp turn from the flowers and veggies that dominate CorningWare patterns.

It features a pen-styled black and white sketch of a Renaissance-era city.

The pictured city is Stockholm. In fact, the patterns are inspired by an etching of Stockholm’s seaport found in the 17th-century book Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna by Erik Dahlbergh.

The sketches differ depending on which of the Renaissance collection you find.

You’ll find sketches of a renaissance city skyline, as well as a port complete with ships’ mast. These drawings are all very detailed, even including ancient drawn carriages and people minding their businesses.

The Renaissance pattern is a very rare one. It was produced in 1970 as a limited edition, so not many were produced.

The Renaissance pattern CorningWare sells for around $100 and more.

5. Black Star/ Black Atomic Star

Year: 1960

Price: $150

Vintage Black Atomic Starburst Corning Ware Casserole Dish and Glass Lid rare
Vintage Black Atomic Starburst Corning Ware Casserole Dish and Glass Lid rare Source:worthpoint

The Black Star pattern is another one that shifts from the common patterns of blooms, fruits, and vegetables.

The black star (or black atomic star as it is sometimes called) features a black 8-pointed star design that looks like a retro’s space picture of a distant star.

The star design sits beautifully on the ceramic with no other markings. It’s elegantly simple.

The Black Star pattern CorningWare are so rare that not only is finding them difficult, but finding anything about them is also difficult.

The black Star pattern was produced in the early 1960s, presumably before 1963. It appeared on casserole dishes that usually have floral patterns.

If you have the CorningWare Black Star casserole today, it’ll fetch you over a hundred dollars – about $150.

6. Starburst Pattern

Year: 1959 – 1973

Price: $100

Rare ‼️ Vintage Starburst Corning Ware Percolator
Rare ‼️ Vintage Starburst Corning Ware Percolator Image Source( Poshmark )

The Starburst Pattern is one of the few CorningWare patterns that appeared only on percolators.

The design features three 4-pointed stars. One is prominent, and seems to be bursting, with curves of luminous energy around it. While the two other smaller stars appear as some distant glow below the prominent one.

Overall, it’s a very simple and beautiful design.

The Starburst Pattern was in production from around 1959 to 1973. The fact that it was on only percolators means CorningWares with the pattern are rare today.

The CorningWare percolators with the Starburst design will set you back by around $100.

7. The Wildflower

Year: 1978

Price: $80 – $100

PYREX Vintage Corning Ware Wildflower Dutch Oven Casserole Baking Dish A-3-B
PYREX Vintage Corning Ware Wildflower Dutch Oven Casserole Baking Dish A-3-B Image Source: Etsy

The Wildflower is another CorningWare bloom pattern. It features bright red showy poppies, yellow daisies, and little blue flowers, all basking in a summer shine.

The Wildflower design will evoke feelings of basking in the summer glow. The design first popped up on CorningWare in 1978 and was seen until about 1984.

The Wildflower design warmed hearts back then not just because of its summer appeal, but also because the design was more intricate than previous ones.

It is for this reason that the Wildflower pattern is a very valuable CorningWare pattern today. You’ll find casserole dishes with the intricate wildflower pattern priced at about $80 to $100.

8. The Medallion pattern

Year: 1972 – 1974

Price: $40 – $50

The Medallion pattern
The Medallion pattern Source: Corningware411

The Medallion pattern features artistic lines working together to form a beautiful design. The CorningWare medallion design was available in two colours – blue and green.

The Medallion is one of the rarest CorningWare patterns today. This is because it was made as a promotional pattern for Shell Oil company between 1972 and 1974.

This means that only a few companies were made, and that they were not available for sale in stores like other CorningWares.

The vintage Medallion patterned CorningWares can be found today coating about $40 – $50.

9. The Spice of Life

Year: 1970

Price: $100 – $1000

The Spice of Life
The Spice of Life

The Spice of Life CorningWare pattern is a wonder in so many ways.

The first is that the iconic design is simply a lineup of red tomatoes, green pepper, artichokes, mushrooms, and spices on a field of herbs. It somehow turns a lazy line of veggies and spices into a bright and cheerful design.

In the earlier “Spice of Life” casserole dishes, you’ll find one of three inscriptions just below the veggies. These are French phrases – La Romarin, L’Echalote, and La Marjolaine. For this reason, these earlier “Spice of Life” patterns are often called “French Spice”.

Also, while the Spice of Life design is the second most-produced CorningWare pattern, it is one of the rarest today.

When it comes to vintage products, the fewer products produced at the time, the rarer the products will be later on, and the more valuable they’ll be as collectibles. Well, the “Spice of Life” shatters that narrative. While it’s the second most-produced pattern, it’s arguably the most valuable CorningWare pattern today.

The “Spice of Life” casseroles are among the few CorningWare patterns that’ll fetch you four figures today.

The earlier “Spice of Life” with the French inscriptions are priced at $1,000+. Without the inscription, the Spice of Life can still command a couple of hundreds.

10. The Blue Cornflower

Year: 1958

Price: $100 – $1000

The Blue Cornflower
The Blue Cornflower Image: Wikipeida

The Blue Cornflower is the most recognisable CorningWare pattern. It became the first CorningWare pattern when it was introduced in 1958. It is a very simple design that features 3 glorious blue cornflowers complete with their leafy stalks.

The earlier casserole dishes bearing the blue cornflower pattern had sloped sides, but from 1972, the sides became straighter.

The blue cornflower pattern is definitely the most produced CorningWare pattern ever. It was produced for over thirty after its introduction and then discontinued. But its extinction was short-lived, as it made a rousing comeback.

Being the first CorningWare pattern raises the mystique of the blue cornflower pattern, and hence its value. The early blue cornflower dishes are some of the most valuable today, especially those pretty oldies with slope sides. Just like the “Spice of Life” pattern, they can fetch you over a thousand dollars.

How much is CorningWare worth?

The vintage CorningWare can reasonably fetch you between $40 to $1,500.

Know that you’ll find many online articles shouting that the CorningWares are worth “up to $10,000” or “thousands of dollars”.

However, this is not entirely true.

There are two situations that have caused the recent perception about CorningWare being the new gold.

The first is that a vintage CorningWare allegedly sold for $10,000 on eBay. The second is that many other CorningWare listings on eBay appeared to have sold for thousands of dollars.

However, experts say that there are signs that these eBay sales figures are inaccurate. For example, they are usually auction sales and come with two prices – a listed price (quoted) and a “best offer” (not quoted).

So, if the listed price is $7,000, it is not conclusive that the item was sold for $7,000. The item had almost certainly sold at the best offer – the highest bid that the seller received for it.

Also, most of those high figures that Corningwares have appeared to be sold for are even figures (like $4,000, $7,000, etc). This is unlikely in auction sales where persons bid in small increments.

Conclusively, your CorningWare cook- and serve-ware are unlikely to fetch you $10,000 or anything close to that. However, the ConrningWare are picking up steam as collectibles and will fetch you tidy sums, up to $1,500.

Which vintage CorningWare is worth the most?

Some of the most valuable CorningWares are the early Blue Cornflower designs with sloped sides. These valuable pieces are sure to command four figures of about $1,000 – $1,500.

The “French Spice” is another very valuable CorningWare patterned cookware. These are the early versions of the “Spice of Life” pattern with cursive French inscriptions. They can fetch you about $1,200.

What is the rarest CorningWare?

One of the rarest CorningWare is the Medallion patterned wares. Being that they were not sold in stores, it is quite difficult to find them today.

The Renaissance, the Nature Bounty, the Black Atomic Star, the All White are also very rare CorningWare patterns for different reasons. For the Renaissance and the Nature Bounty, not many were produced back then because they were limited editions. For the Black Atomic Star and the All White, not many were produced back then because the patterns were discontinued only a few years after their production started.

How to identify vintage CorningWare

There are different ways to identify vintage CorningWare including looking at the patterns, the lids, and the design of the cookware.

The different patterns were introduced at different times, with some discontinued at particular times. So, the pattern in a Corning ware can tell you the proof it was made.

The design of the ware is also very informative. For example, the P 1 ¾-B (1.75 quart) casserole dish was discontinued in 1972. So, if you find any of these, you’ll know it was one of the early CorningWare made before 1972.

The lids of the ware are also very informative as different lids were introduced at different times. For example, the A 7-C lid replaced the P 7-C lid in 1972, so if your CorningWare comes with an P 7-C, it’s from before 1972.

Conclusion

CorningWare are now becoming valuable collectibles. Maybe not as valuable as the media circus is making them, but a rare CorningWare pattern can fetch as much as $1,500.

Some of the rarest and most valuable CorningWares include the early Blue Cornflower pattern with sloped sides, and the early Spice of Life patterns with the French inscriptions.

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