The Kitchenware Brand To Hunt For At Thrift Stores If You Like Pyrex & Le Creuset

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In the world of cute, colorful, vintage kitchenware, you have your heavyweights, the names almost everyone knows — Pyrex, Le Creuset, Fiestaware, and Corningware. Then you have the overlooked kitchenware brands, like Cathrineholm, which still have their devotees. And then there are the even less well-known brands.

Into that third category falls Glasbake, aka Glasbak. Created just two years after the launch of Pyrex, in 1917, Glasbake products were made from soda-lime glass, rather than the borosilicate glass used in old-school PYREX, but similar to the glass used in modern-day pyrex. The earliest Glasbake products were made from clear glass, but sometime around the middle of the 20th century, the company took a page from Pyrex and started producing milk glass dishes with pretty patterns on them.

Designs included blueberries, flowers, leaves, and even an atomic starburst, similar to the rare Corningware pattern. It seems Glasbake wasn't shy about playing around with the shape and style of its dishware, either, offering heart-shaped casseroles, bottles made for hot liquid called "hottles," and square coffee cups. Despite its wide range, the company ultimately couldn't compete with Pyrex and Anchor Hocking, and ended up shuttering in 1983. In some ways, its lack of popularity is good news for today's collectors, as it's pretty easy to track down cute Glasbake pieces for budget-friendly prices.

Unlike Pyrex, there isn't too much documentation about Glasbake available. Your best bet, if you come across a piece of glassware at a thrift store, is to flip it over. Glasbake pieces will have a backstamp on their base, with the brand's name and "Made in the USA." There will also usually be a model number, which can help you identify the general time period when the piece was made.

Pieces that have a model number beginning with "J" were produced after the company was acquired by Jeannette Glass, in 1961. A piece made in the early years, when the company was owned by McKee Glass Company, will have "McK" or "McKee" on the base. Glasbake had a diffusion line with Sears. Pieces from that collection are likely to read "Sears" on the bottom, while having a model number that starts with "J."

If you're feeling priced out of the Pyrex market, Glasbake can help to fill that hole in your life, without busting your budget. While some pieces sell for more than $100 on eBay, it seems that many Glasbake casseroles go for around $20. With its cute designs and creative pieces, it's definitely a brand worth picking up the next time you're at a thrift store.