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.

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!!

6" round Individual Casserole
This is a nice, little piece that Linda found in a Salvation Army thrift store in Windham, ME. I guess that these would have been used for cooking and serving an individual dishe to each person. One person could have a no-salt casserole, one have no nuts, etc. They could all be cooked together and served individually. But ... the kitchen clean-up crew (aka mom) now had a lot of dishes to do!!