Saturday, January 8, 2011

Help Me - Primary Bowl Question

I am going to break with Collective tradition and not post any photos with this entry- everyone knows what the primary bowl set looks like, but I have a couple of questions - hopefully, someone out there can help me.  I have 3 bowls which I believe to be from the primary set - the 404 yellow I got from my Mother, I remember it from the late 60's, it reads 404, 4 qt, Trade Mark, 16, Pyrex, R, Made in U.S.A. Oven Ware.
Yesterday I found the red 402 bowl at VV - perfect condition, $2.99, it reads 402, 1 1/2 qt, Trade Mark, 8, Pyrex, R, Made in U.S.A. Ovenware(this is one word, on yellow it was two words).  The blue bowl is really where my question lies - I got it in the fall at VV  - the bottom reads  401, Pyrex, R, 14 and this has a circle around it -  that's it nothing more - I am wondering if this bowl could be from an older primary set?  Anyone know?? 
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8 comments:

  1. JenifirJanuary 8, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Have you checked Pyrexlove: http://www.pyrexlove.com/primary-color-pyrex-bowls-400-series/glassware/
    I do not have this set, so I have yet to try and figure out dating them. Lucky you! I have yet to see Primariy mixing bowls (any size) in good condition while thrifting i.e. very faded set for $10.00!

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  2. JillJanuary 8, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Thanks for your response - I've checked Pyrexlove and the two books I have - no luck! This set is so pretty - now to find the green one - hope you come upon them some day too!!

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  3. CeeJanuary 8, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    My primary set is pieced together too and the easiest way I've found to tell older from newer is by the thickness of the glass itself. The older 40s/early 50s bowls are much thicker at the rim...easy to see when you nest them then look. As for the stamps, general rule is the simpler the stamp...the older it is. But I'm also in Canada and we have some weird stamps from different times.
    My blue and yellow read: 'T.M. Reg - Pyrex - U.S. Pat Off' with the first and last line forming a "circle" around the Pyrex. These are both very thick glass.
    My red and green are both very simple and read: '402 - Pyrex - R - 18' in consecutive lines, but are thinner glass. This seems to be yours.
    I have another green that has the same stamps as the blue and yellow and is thicker glass as well.

    If it reads ovenware, its for sure a late 50s and up piece. The early stuff didn't have that. I'd say the blue guy you found was early 50s...after the glass changed but before the stamps did. I could be wrong though, the glass could just be factory difference or such...but I've read that somewhere else before too.

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  4. SharonJanuary 10, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    Here's a picture of the bottom of one of my bowls--I believe it's an older set

    http://pyrexcollective.blogspot.com/2010/12/pyrex-primary-color-bowls.html

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  5. JillJanuary 10, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    Thanks everyone for the help - I think my little blue bowl is like your green and red bowls, Rueby, very simple markings - they have to be older ones! Now to keep on the hunt for the green bowl!

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  6. UnknownNovember 11, 2015 at 1:22 AM

    Can someone help me I found a brand new never used primary bowl mixing set on my birthday Nov 6th that I think was my present but wait I also found a clear glass Pyrex pitcher with lemons on it and 10 matching little juice glasses and a few more Pyrex items but all brand new so it was all and a the best thrift shop trip and I have been there a lot my mom used to take me every weekend as a kid. Best hit ever considering I just started noticing the primary colors last week I usually like the patterns. So I was looking at primary sets and they were just really expensive on eBay some up to $300! So my question is this I've seen solid bottoms but the ones I have are clear and they have like a thumb print pattrn in the clear part at the bottom of it. Can anyone tell me are they old or are they knew I don't really know but I've only seen one other than that how to clear bottom. He been was going for a lot of money I paid $8 for my set I didn't even check out the whole set I didn't think to I just wanted to get it in my cart and leave when I opened everything to my surprise it was brand new never even been touched I mean there was absolutely nothing wrong with it I must have just got it off the shelf and somehow it made it there unscaved.

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  7. ninaOctober 14, 2019 at 11:07 AM

    I have a yellow large primary bowl with no writing on the bottom How old is this

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  8. ninaOctober 14, 2019 at 11:08 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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