The Vintage CorningWare Dish You'd Be Excited To Find At The Thrift Store

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One thing many homemakers from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s likely didn't bet on was that one day, the kitchenware they used every day to make their family's meals and beverages would be worth a pretty penny. While it's often an overlooked kitchen brand compared to Pyrex or Le Creuset, CorningWare has its share of coveted and covetable patterns. You're probably familiar with the brand's Blue Cornflower pattern, which is always worth looking out for at an estate sale or thrift store. But lesser-known, rare patterns include the Black Star pattern (sometimes called Black Atomic Starburst) and the Starburst pattern.

Two things set the Starburst and Black Star patterns apart from more common CorningWare patterns. One is their design, which is space age, rather than floral or fruity. Another is their limited production. The Black Star or Atomic Starburst pattern was produced in the early 1960s. The Starburst pattern was only used on the brand's percolators, which were largely recalled in the late 1970s due to a hazardous design flaw. If you spot either one at a thrift store, be sure to snap them up, but maybe keep the percolators for display only.

While neither the Black Star nor Starburst patterns could be considered the holy grail of vintage kitchenware finds, both are worth grabbing should you come across them at a flea market, thrift store, or online. Both patterns are the stuff of legend. CorningWare introduced its percolators in 1960. Over the next two decades, the brand sold 18.5 million of the coffee makers. It issued a partial recall in 1976, then recalled every single percolator produced in 1979, because of the risk of the metal handle splitting apart from the ceramic-glass pot.

Since the Starburst pattern only appeared on the percolators, when the recall was issued, the pattern was taken off the market, too. The design features one larger, four-pointed star with scroll detailing and two smaller four-pointed stars. Two colors exist, one with platinum stars and the other with black stars.

Less is known about the Black Star pattern. The design, an eight-pointed black star, appeared on the brand's iconic casserole dishes. It's hard to find information about the design — some say it was created for employees of Ford Motor Company. Others claim the design was only available in Canada. No matter which version of the story is true, the pattern is rare enough that it's sold for as much as $400 on eBay and has caused thrift store shoppers to rejoice and post on Facebook when they've come across it.