Depression A

The "Originals"

According to Rogove and Steinhauer, Pyrex by Corning, production of Pyrex Glass began in 1915 with the introduction of 12 different pieces. We are happy to have some of theses, and they are definitely the 'treasures' of our museum. We hope to find more in the future - so many flea markets, so little time!! Here is a listing of the descriptions and piece numbers of the original pieces.

The "Originals"
Here is a listing of the original twelve pieces that Corning produced in 1915. Some of these identification numbers were later used by Corning on pieces other than these. If you find a piece with one of these numbers, be sure that the description matches that here - if not, you probably have a piece which was produced later.
Identification Number	Description	Identification Number	Description
101	2 quart covered casserole	301	7 inch shirred egg dish
103	1 quart covered casserole	302	5 1/2 inch shirred egg dish
104	1 pint covered casserole	322	6 x 8 au gratin dish
102	8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan	401	4 x 6 oval individual baker
201	8 1/2 inch pie plate	402	3 1/2 inch custard cup
202	8 inch pie plate	423	3 inch custard cup

8 1/2" Pie Plate #201
The #201 was introduced in 1915, but the backstamp on ours has the patent date for Pyrex, May 27, 1919. Since the #201 was discontinued in 1920 we can easily date our particular piece. It is pristine, and could have been produced yesterday!! It is also THICK. It weighs 1 lb 12 oz, while a 9" #209 produced in 1920 weighs only 1 lb 5 oz.

3 1/2" Custard
This little beauty is a #402 custard or ramekin. We were fortunate to find two at one time, and suspect they have spent the last 95 years together! They are in excellent condition, and perhaps one day I will be able to get a good picture. The backstamp is simply the reverse dollar signs, the earliest of the Pyrex backstamps. The stamps are poor, and the rim stamps are almost illegible. So much for quality control!!

5 1/2" Shirred Egg Dish
This is a nice, little piece that Linda found in a Salvation Army thrift store in Windham, ME. Shirred eggs is an egg dish where eggs have been baked in a gratin dish with a flat bottom. Traditionally they have been cooked in a dish called a shirrer, from which the dish gets its name. An alternative way of cooking is to crack the eggs into individual ramekins (see above) and cook them in a water bath, creating the French dish eggs en cocotte.

7" Shirred Egg Dish
This beautiful piece was also found at a thrift store. It simply shows that these pieces are disappearing into the background of Americana and are not highly valued at this point, exactly why we began this museum.

This picture shows both the Shirred Egg dishes together. If we call the larger the 'papa' dish and the smaller the 'mama' dish, the above ramekin could be the 'baby' dish!!