The Vintage Pyrex Set That's Perfect For Your Next Dinner Party

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From its heyday in the mid-20th century to the time production ceased in the mid-1980s, Pyrex was at the forefront of entertaining trends in the U.S. As people's interests shifted from formal, buttoned-up dinner parties to more relaxed gatherings, Corning was ready with dishware that suited the times. Perhaps no form of dishware is more iconic of the mid-century casual dining trend than Pyrex's chip and dip sets, which featured the smallest of the brand's mixing bowls suspended over one its largest. Patterns available as a chip and dip set include the ultra-rare and valuable Atomic Eyes and Green Ivy, sometimes just called Ivy.

The Green Ivy chip and dip was one of Pyrex's promotional items, also called gift sets, released in 1964 for a limited time only. The pattern on the chip and dip set doesn't have an official name, but over the years, collectors have christened it Green Ivy or Ivy due to the delicate green vines that stretch around its circumference.

Although the intended use is as a bowl for chips and dips, there are plenty of other ways you can use the set at your next dinner party, such as vessels for salad and dressing or wings and sauce. Of course, that's assuming you're able to find a complete Green Ivy chip and dip set. Like plenty of other vintage Pyrex dishes, it's often the case that the large bowl has been separated from its smaller companion and the bracket that held them together.

The Green Ivy chip and dip set uses Pyrex's unique and dreamy Cinderella bowl shape, with the smaller bowl measuring 1.5-pints and the larger bowl measuring 4-quarts. Both bowls have the brand's signature backstamp on their underside, reading "PYREX" and including the model number for Cinderella mixing bowls — 441 for the small bowl and 444 for the larger one. The fact that the two bowls are labeled with the model numbers for mixing bowls, combined with the detail that it's common for the bigger bowl to get separated from the smaller one, has led to some confusion. You're likely to find just the big bowl offered for sale, and often described as a mixing bowl.

Depending on your budget and preferences, you may be content to take home just the larger Green Ivy bowl. Sold alone, the 444 bowl often has a price of around $50. You can use it to hold chips or a salad, or as a mixing bowl. However, tack on the smaller, 441 bowl, add in the brass bracket, and if you're lucky, find a set with the original box, and the price of Green Ivy climbs considerably. While it doesn't quite reach the stratospheric prices seen by the likes of the super valuable Starburst vintage dish pattern, a full Green Ivy set (with box) could set you back $350. For the mid-century vintage charm and cool factor it will add to your next casual dinner party, that price may just be worth it.