Vintage Pyrex, Cast Iron, and Kitchen Items Worth Money

The kitchen is where the money hides

People always focus on the furniture and the jewelry. But I've pulled more unexpected value out of kitchens than anywhere else in a house.

Vintage Pyrex

The colored mixing bowls from the 1940s through the 1970s. Primary colors (red, yellow, green, blue) in the nesting set go for $80 to $150 for a complete set in good shape. The Butterprint pattern with the rooster? Even more.

We found a full set of Pyrex Friendship pattern casserole dishes at a McMinnville farmhouse sale and they were gone within the first hour. The buyer drove from Eugene specifically for those.

The key is condition. No chips, no fading on the print, no lid cracks. Check the bottoms for pattern names and numbers.

Cast iron

Griswold and Wagner are the two names. A Griswold No. 8 skillet with the "small logo" can bring $50 to $200 depending on condition. A No. 14 skillet or a waffle iron? More.

Lodge is worth less because they still make it, but older Lodge pieces with the "3 notch" heat ring are collectible.

The test is simple: is the cooking surface smooth or rough? Old cast iron was machined smooth. Modern cast iron has a pebbly texture. Smooth = more money.

Other kitchen items that sell

Le Creuset Dutch ovens and pots. The enamel ones in flame orange or blue are worth $80 to $200 used if they're not chipped.

KitchenAid stand mixers. Even older models sell for $100+. The bowl-lift commercial ones go higher.

Corningware. The old Spice of Life and Cornflower Blue patterns. Not huge money but they move fast at $5 to $15 per piece. A full set adds up.

Hoosier cabinets. If there's one of those old freestanding kitchen cabinets with the flour sifter and pull-out counter, that's $400 to $800. We sold one at a Salem sale for $650.

Before you donate the kitchen

Check every drawer and cabinet. Items people overlook end up at Goodwill for $2 when they should have been in an estate sale for $50. We do free walkthroughs across the Willamette Valley. Let us take a look before anything goes out the door.