If you’re not a vintage dealer then you’ve probably heard of the elusive Lucky at Love Pattern of Pyrex dishes. No? Really?
You really should.
Just this week, a vintage Pyrex casserole dish with the lucky in love pattern sold for over 22 thousand dollars. No I’m not joking. Below is a screen shot of the winning bid and the dish.
Screen Shot of eBay Listing July 2022
Lucky in Love Pyrex was released in 1959 and was a limited release. Pyrex has stated that there is no record of how many pieces were sold in this pattern. That’s what makes it so desirable for collectors. There aren’t hundreds of them on the market. Pyrex re-released the pattern in 2018 as “Forever Lucky in Love” but it is slightly different from the original version. If you notice the 1959 version the green clover and some grass is overlapped by the heart and the green bleeds through the red (pink?) a little. The 2018 “Forever Lucky” version is clear glass storage dishes and the clover goes around the heart so there’s no bleed through.
Photo Courtesy of Pyrex
It’s so elusive that many dealers, and collectors started to doubt its existence. After all, someone would have found a piece in the wild at some point. Even if it was limited.
After learning of this pattern a few years ago, I search every sale I go to looking for the overlapping hearts and clovers. Now my job is searching for this stuff. Seriously, I spend every week shopping for vintage items at estate, garage, and junk sales and I have never even caught whiff of Lucky in Love.
Still there it is on eBay proving that it’s out there. Somewhere. So I keep searching.
It’s Not All Pyrex Jackpots but There’s Still a Profit
The truth of the matter is finds like these are few and far between. Not every dish I find is worth anywhere near 22 thousand dollars. No mine are using around the $22 range. Still when I pick up a dish for 50 cents and sell it for $22 it feels like a win for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to find a Lucky in Love Pyrex. I could use an extra 22 thousand dollars. Who couldn’t, right? I mean that would buy me gas for a week or so. Okay maybe more than gas. I might get some groceries too.
I once thought I found a silver bridal basket at a yard sale. While it was a silver bridal basked it wasn’t sterling. Nope just silver plated. Had the basket been sterling a collector would have paid around 75 thousand for that lovely item.
The key to success in the business is to celebrate the small successes. The $22 dollar wins and try not to be discouraged when someone else snags the 22 thousand dollar piece you were hoping to find. You never know when your keen eye will spot a piece that someone else over looked and it will be your turn to celebrate.
The hunt in reality is the fun of this job. Around any trash heap you might find something incredible. So we keep searching. Keep looking my friends! You will find it. Someday. And when you do, share it with me. I will be more than happy to celebrate with you.