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retromania

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2011
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1,140
Location
Anderson, South Carolina
I love Corelle. I remember when it first came out. There was a small farm next to the neighborhood I grew up in. The property was sold and in 1969 construction started on a new Kmart Plaza. That was a big deal for our small town. It opened early in 1970. Anyway, a neighbor of our's had children our age and we were at each other's house quite a bit. I remember the day Mrs. Doyle came come with a complete set of Corelle dinnerware in the Golden Butterfly pattern. I had never seen it. Being interested in anything domestic even at that age of 8, I was right there when she started unpacking it. Incidentally, her kitchen had all Frigidaire appliances in brown. I remember her saying it was going to be great because it was chip proof and virtually unbreakable. At first glance I thought it was plastic dinnerware because the plates and saucers were so thin. Then a few years later another family we knew got the green Crazy Daisy pattern for their camper trailer at the beach. I currently have the Winter Frost which is just plain white, but I want to start a collection. It's sort of pricey on Ebay so I will have to shop around. Golden Butterfly seems to be the most popular vintage pattern right now as far as I can tell.
 
Butterfly Gold, Frost White, and Spring Blossom Green patterns are usually quite easy to find at thrift stores, garage/yard sales, and estate sales.  There are also lots of accessory pieces for Corelle but, you just have to keep your eyes open and be patient.  Gemco made alot of the accessory pieces, and although the patterns on their pieces may be slightly different than the authentic Corelle pattern, it is often so slight as to be nearly undetectable. 

[this post was last edited: 8/26/2012-12:14]
 
If one will go to flea markets, estate sales, and the like, it can be had more reasonably priced. I built a huge set of Spring Blossom Green with all the various accessories, casseroles, mixing bowls, etc this way, over a period of a few years, a few peices at a time.
 
If I remember correctly 1970's Corelle can't be used in the microwave otherwise it will spark. The manual for our first microwave (a 1975 Litton) said not to microwave Corelle. Later versions of Corelle can be microwaved.
 
Allen,

I don't know about microwave issues with Corelle.  Mom has her original Spring Blossom set from circa 1976-77 plus a ton in storage that I bought for her at an estate auction and it has all been used in a microwave at one time or another.  If someone here is more knowledgeable, I stand corrected.
 
It is the original

closed handled cups that cannot be microwaved, because they are Centura, which has metal. Corning quickly came up with the open handle cups that are microwave safe.

Wasn't there a thread about this a week or two ago?

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Maytagbear:

There may have been a thread about all of this recently, but I haven't benn on AW.org in a while so I didn't see it. I apologize. I started this thread today.

Thanks,
Andy
 
Andy:

You should have no problem whatsoever putting together as much Butterfly Gold or Spring Blossom Green as you want - they are two very common patterns and they turn up in thrifts a lot.

Winter Frost White is slightly less common, but still out there, and it has one advantage: It's still made, and available new at Wal-Mart, except for cups and saucers.

Whatever pattern you collect, the hook-handled cups are microwave-safe. Other cup styles may or may not be. Corelle was originally sold with cups made of Centura, a non-microwave-safe material. This was not a big deal at the time (1970-72) because relatively few people had a microwave. But '72 was the beginning of the microwave boom, and late that year was when the hook-handled cups came out. You can tell a Centura cup by its loop handle, and its lack of a mark saying "Pyrex."

The hook-handled cups are made of Vitrelle glass, the same laminated glass from which all other Corelle is made. Unfortunately, the hook-handled cup was not totally accepted by consumers, which led Corning to begin making loop-handled cups out of Pyrex for a while; these are always marked "Pyrex." Cups marked "Pyrex" are microwave-safe.

In some long-running Corelle patterns like Old Town Blue, it is possible to find cups in all three materials - early Centura ones, hook-handled Vitrelle ones and late Pyrex ones.

Today, Corelle cups are not available in every pattern (a lot of people today use mugs for everything, so matching cups aren't a huge seller any more), and those patterns that do have them available come with regular ceramic cups from China. These are marked "Microwave Safe."

You might also like to know that Corelle sets did not come with patterned bowls the first two years - all Corelle bowls were Winter Frost White from 1970 to 1972. So if matching bowls are hard to find for your favorite pattern, using Winter Frost White bowls is "correct."

Hope this helps. P.S: The reason that cups have always been a problem with Corelle is that the Vitrelle glass starts out as a flat sheet, which makes it impossible to produce something that is really steep-sided and deep. In addition, pieces of Vitrelle cannot be joined together during the manufacturing process; all items have to be one-piece. That's the reason for the hook handle; it's all of a piece with the rest of the cup.
 
I've got full set of Spring Blossom Green that was my grandparents with the closed handled cups, while my grandparents bought my parents a set of Butterfly Gold with the open handled cups. My parents never used the cups as my dad always complained the KitchenAid dishwasher would and could blow them around in the racks! My grandparents set I inherited when I moved as a college grad and needed dishes. It's actually in pretty good shape as my grandparents didn't have a dishwasher while my parents set when retired several years ago for Fiesta Ware, was in somewhat rougher but still presentable shape. Corelle is certainly tough!
 
Butterfly Gold...

...ubiquitous as all get out, and because of that, not cared for much anymore, is my favorite pattern.  I've been able to build up a nice set from shopping the thrift stores over the last ten years or so.  I have especially enjoyed finding the platter, the go with butter dish, gravy boat and under plate, and some related bits by Gemco.

 

Because the pattern was very popular in these parts, and saw hard use by many, I have found many of the pieces in the thrifts to be marred by knife marks, rust stains from spending too much time in a dishwasher rack that had seen equally hard use, and roughness with staining around the edges.  I've learned to examine carefully before purchasing.

 

As for my reasons for liking the pattern - the pattern is associated with a nice period of time when I was a young adult.  It is my daily-use service.

 

Joe
 
Here's What I Collect:

This is the least common of the original four Corelle patterns; it's called Snowflake Blue. It was the first Corelle pattern to be discontinued. It was introduced in 1970 with Centura cups and Winter Frost White bowls. In late '72, Vitrelle hook-handled cups and patterned bowls were added. By '76, it was gone; Old Town Blue (introduced in '72) became the major Corelle pattern in blue. Corning made some Pyrex go-alongs for this pattern, like butter dishes, but there were never Pyrex cups for Snowflake Blue. There were also a lot of Gemco go-alongs for it, like oil and vinegar cruets, etc.

I would be very grateful to know of any pieces for sale, or any leads!

danemodsandy++8-27-2012-05-46-41.jpg
 
Joe,

Just recently at an estate sale I saw 3 Butterfly Gold sugar bowls and 2 of the 3 had nice white covers.  Had I known earlier, I would have gotten them for you.
 
Oooooohhhhhhhh....

Butterfly Gold sugar with white lids - something I have been looking for. The sugars that I have found are either lidless, or the lid has gone yellow.
Thanks for the thought!

Joe
 
Joe:

Those yellowed lids for Corelle sugar bowls are fixable.

Using a process called Retr0Bright, you can reverse the UV damage and yellowing from pollutants on most plastics. Retr0Bright is a combination of chemicals you can buy yourself, plus sunlight - it is not a product you buy in stores. It was invented by people who collect vintage computers and game consoles, which are highly prone to becoming yellowish or brownish over time.

The process is detailed - with some astounding before-and-after photos - on the Retr0Bright website, which is here:

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
 
Thanks for the reminder...

...and the link. I had forgotten about RetroBrite. I seem to recall a large discussion on the vac side about the "refreshener" - and there were dramatic results posted. I'll keep that in mind, the next time I see a sugar and yellowed lid. It would be worth a try, and certainly not a large project.

Again - one of the reasons why I enjoy these forums - the sharing of ideas and knowledge, plus the comraderie of folks who share a similar interest and collecting bug!

Joe
 
Dan:

I appreciate the link, but I have to confess that I have had very bad luck buying dishes on eBay. Prices are usually top dollar, shipping is high, and too many sellers think that newspaper is adequate packing material for dinnerware.

I am looking for other sources, because of the many, many disappointments I've had buying dishes this way. I buy many other things from eBay, but not fragile items if I can avoid it.
 
I appreciate the link, but I have to confess that I have had very bad luck buying dishes on eBay. Prices are usually top dollar, shipping is high, and too many sellers think that newspaper is adequate packing material for dinnerware.

Yeah, I hear ya there.

I usually write out a very long and detailed email (and archive the response for later dates) on how to properly ship some heavy yet fragile items. Most are usually conducive, but some just loosely throw it in a box with little to no protection.

I'll keep a look out for ya!
 
If anyone here is interested, I picked up a pair of the small Pyrex salt & pepper shakers in the Butterfly Gold pattern at a yard sale today.  They have the tops that just slide in.  They're clear glass with the pattern around the bottom. 
 
The covers are gold plastic, and the name "PYREX" is on the plastic tops that insert into the openings.

 

 

 

P.S. FYI, I've already been contacted by a fellow member who has expressed an interest in them.  Not try trying to be snarky, just giving a heads up. 
 
Oh, Okay.....

....Thanks.

Just for the info of the interested party, those shakers are the genuine Corning go-along for Butterfly Gold. There were knock-offs by Gemco and some other companies that had chromed tops, hence my question. The butterfly pattern on the knock-offs is a little bit different from the real Butterfly Gold pattern, but so close most people wouldn't spot the difference.
 
Ths Is My Pattern

My sister gave me a set like this 31 years ago at Christmas.

As time went on with repeated hand and automatic dish washing, they became less durable. A fall to the floor was the culprit in destroying the salad plates and bowls.

The only remaining items I have is 3 dinner plates and 4 coffee cups (the plates are still part of my daily driver).

dirtybuck++9-9-2012-12-45-59.jpg
 

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