Look Out For This Colorful 1960s Cookware At Antique Shops

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The vivid colors and fun, homey patterns of vintage cookware make it a popular thing to hunt for in thrift and antique stores. One brand that helped embody the 1960s aesthetic in cookware was Cathrineholm (sometimes erroneously translated as Catherine Holmes), a Norwegian company that initially made iron and agricultural goods before transitioning to enamelware in 1907. But midcentury Cathrineholm pieces are what makes the brand iconic.

Cathrineholm was known for the no less than 17 different colorways it put on its enameled steel cookware, including both solid colors and patterns. One designer, Grete Prytz Kittelsen, was responsible for some of the company's most iconic designs, including Lotus, produced between 1962 and 1965. It was named for the stylized lotus leaf patterns placed atop Cathrineholm's many enamel colors. Lotus was perhaps Cathrineholm's most popular product. It became such an iconic 1960s design that it even appeared in an episode of AMC's "Mad Men," a period drama celebrated for its historical accuracy. Ironically enough, Kittelsen herself was not a fan of the Lotus design, believing that the leaves added by Arne Clausen (a fellow Cathrineholm designer) ruined her color choices.

Sometimes, old pots and pans command top dollar. For instance, vintage French copper cookware can be worth tons of money today. But vintage Cathrineholm pieces are not terribly expensive. On eBay, most pieces sell for between $50 and $100, but larger items or complete sets can sometimes climb higher. Cathrineholm may not be as pricey and collectible as Griswold pans, an 1800s cast iron cookware brand you rarely see anymore even though they can be worth thousands of dollars. But much like Griswold pans, genuine Cathrineholm enamelware is no longer in production either, so markets like antique shops, estate sales, and the like are your only chance to get them.

Cathrineholm cookware designs are easy to spot once you are familiar with their patterns and colors. But while authenticating vintage PYREX is easy thanks to the stamped brand name, in Cathrineholm's case, some pieces have the company logo on the bottom and others do not. Luckily, counterfeits and reproductions are rare. The ones that do exist are usually made of plastic or ceramic instead of enameled stainless steel, which is an immediate tell.