The First Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set Featured These Bright Colors

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Before it became a coveted collectible brand with millions sold, Pyrex was introduced as a better bakeware alternative to the ceramic and metal options of the time. New York-based Corning Glass Works launched the heat-resistant bakeware line in 1915. While the cookware brand offers hundreds of patterns, colors, designs, and shapes today, it was more limited at first. Originally, the 12-piece line came only in plain, clear glass, and it wasn't until the 1940s that the company introduced a four-piece mixing bowl set in the primary colors of yellow, green, blue, and red.

All had a milky white opal-glass interior and were marketed as "2½ times as strong as ordinary bowls and heat-resistant for oven use." The blue bowl was 1 pint, the red was 1¼ quarts, the green 2½ quarts, and the yellow was a four-quart bowl. Unlike most later Pyrex dishes, the primary color set didn't have three-digit model numbers on the bottom, which is one way to tell they're authentic. They also have a significant meaning behind them. It wasn't until around 1950 that mixing bowl sets were issued the 401, 402, 403, and 404 numbers. 

When Pyrex rolled out the primary color mixing bowl set in 1945, it cost $2.50. The brand stopped manufacturing the original primary colors around 1949, before redesigning them with numbers in 1950. They're now considered valuable collector's items, especially the full set.

"The world's most famous mixing bowl set" is out there, but you might have to pay a little more for it. A set of the four numbered mixing bowls is listed on eBay for $473. And an unnumbered set is going for $450 on Etsy. Individual bowls are a little easier to snag and cheaper, with a yellow mixing bowl listed on eBay for $55.23. The unnumbered bowls and a large rimmed foot on the bottom are the two ways to distinguish the originals produced in 1945. "PYREX" and "Made in U.S.A." should also be etched into the bottom.

If you'd rather not spend a fortune to collect this discontinued set, don't be disheartened. You just have to know where to look. One lucky thifter on Reddit found an entire unnumbered set at a yard sale for $15. Another finally completed their collection after a three-year hunt. Some colors are easier to find thrifting than others. "I've been searching for the red bowl for over a decade, but any time I see one it is in terrible condition," said one Reddit commenter.

Once you have tracked down all the primary-color bowls, you can use them to store leftovers, serve salads, or serve a fancy side dish at your next potluck. Or you could display these retro beauties in your china cabinet or hutch.