Not Pyrex Or Tupperware: The Cute Vintage Dishware Brand To Look For At Thrift Stores

Not every company that produces dishes and tableware gets to be a household name. Sure, there's Pyrex and Tupperware. But there are many other brands that just aren't as well known. Case in point, International China Company, which produced dishware in multiple patterns in the 1980s and 1990s. It's the tableware your grandparents or parents may have had on the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Some of International China Company's patterns resemble those of other high-quality dinnerware brands, like Pfaltzgraff. At some point, the brand collaborated with the American painter Bob Timberlake to create patterns like seasonal scenes and landscapes. Similar to Corelle, another vintage dinnerware brand worth seeking out at thrift stores, the price of International China Company dishes depends on whether you stumble across a full set or individual pieces. The pattern and type of dish also influence the price. 

Over the course of its history, International Tableworks released many patterns. Replacements.com has nearly 600 of the brand's designs in stock. Whether your kitchen decor style ranges from trendy dark cottagecore to classic French country, you're bound to find an International Tableworks pattern that matches your tastes.

The Heartland series is a popular line with lots of options. Produced from 1986 until 1999, the design features farmland scenes, with animals, houses, and floral motifs, perfect for a cottage-core home. Marmalade, which has geese holding blue ribbons in their mouths, is another iconic line that was produced from 1986 until 1997. Among the pieces designed by Bob Timberlake, Riverwood, with its blue and white country scenes, and Ella's Rooster, with its whimsical, all-American print, are also well-known.

When you're browsing the dishware options at your local thrift store or scoping out an estate sale or flea market, identifying International Tableworks pieces is pretty easy, as each piece is marked on the bottom, and the markings tend to be pretty detailed. You'll likely see the brand's logo, the name of the pattern, the model number, and where the piece was made. Many of International China Company's dinnerware pieces were made in Japan, but some, like those with the Riverwood pattern, were made in England.