Having been raised in a home that valued old things, its no surprise I was drawn to vintage Pyrex. I had always dreamed of having a large collection “someday”. My someday came at the end of 2019, between business trips to Mexico and meetings. My husband and I found ourselves with little to do on weekends. Naturally, we sniffed out the many antique malls in our new home, Appleton, WI.
I recall keeping my eyes peeled as I traipsed the aisles of Memories Antique mall (North side of Appleton). I did not know what I was looking for, but I knew I would know it when I saw it. I was winding my way through the store, and as I turned the corner, there it was: A promotional green medallion 443 bowl. I snatched up that baby so quick. I then held it close to my chest and sped walked to go find my husband.
This was early in my collecting days, so I truly had no idea on which patterns where what, nor did I have any idea about bowl sizes or promotional patterns. I quickly added more green (spring blossom) dishes to my collection. By February of 2020, I added the beautiful navy and gold “golden bouquet” 045 promotional dish. By this time, I was thinking I would focus on more green and blue tones in my collection, but ended up with a mixture of whatever caught my fancy.
We began making the various antique malls our favorite spots. As both of us were collecting things; Obsolete paper currency for Justin and Pyrex for me. My collection seemed to grow each weekend. Little by little Justin and I broadened our range for vintage. Visiting towns like Ripon, Princeton, Oshkosh, and Manitowoc. Each town provided us more information as collectors. We learned of swaps, shows, and upcoming opportunities as well as other stores to visit in surrounding areas. New relationships with other collectors to potentially buy, sell, or trade with grew.
It is those relationships we chose to capitalize on. In August of 2020, we headed down to Elkhorn Flea market, our best flea to date. We saw mass amounts of Pyrex and vintage Christmas items. Justin was able to buy a handful of “raw” ungraded notes from a connection he had made a Green Bay Antique store.
If you choose or are choosing to collect vintage, my advice is this:
1. Always have a list of “wants”. Take stock of your collection and be on the lookout for those which will make your heart flutter.
2. Cash is king. Having money on hand will save you in the long run. Don’t miss out on the many deals available to cash paying customers.
3. Have a budget in mind. This will take time as you learn your market and interests.
4. Join a FB group! There truly are so many for collectors.
5. Speak up! All it takes is a quick “I collect this” comment to a booth vendor or shop owner to make a connection or open up a private collection.
6. Hold out for what you really want at the right price! Don’t be afraid to walk away from a deal if it seems to be too much money or more than you want. Some of my very best finds came to me by way of a little “Pyrex magic”. Wait and watch for the right deals.
~ Suzannah Schiefla