Host Bex Scott welcomes her second guest to the show, Podcast Host and Pyrex collector Kelli Szurek. Kelli is an avid collector of all things Pyrex, along with other vintage glassware and figurines, and she discusses how she came to Pyrex love and what she is hunting for with Bex.
Host Bex Scott welcomes her second guest to the show, Podcast Host and Pyrex collector Kelli Szurek. Kelli is an avid collector of all things Pyrex, along with other vintage glassware and figurines, and she discusses how she came to Pyrex love and what she is hunting for with Bex.
Kelli, like Bex, really fell into collecting Pyrex in the pandemic in 2020. The first Pyrex she bought was the Spring Blossom Cinderella set and as she says, “from there I was hooked”. Kelli tells Bex about some of the pieces she’s collected and where they came from, including some treasured items she received as gifts. Their conversation ranges from how hard it is to come across great treasures in flea markets and antique shops, their coveted holy grail Pyrex pieces, how Kelli anticipates Pyrex collecting to look in the future, and what sets are overrated or underrated. Lovers of Pyrex will truly identify with this episode and the absolute fascination with Pyrex and vintage collecting that hooked Kelli and Bex.
Resources discussed in this episode:
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Contact Rebecca Scott | Pyrex With Bex:
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Transcript
Bex Scott: [00:00:02] Hey everybody, it's Bex Scott and welcome to the Pyrex with Bex podcast where, you guessed it, I talk about vintage Pyrex, but also all things vintage housewares. I'll take you on my latest thrifting adventures, talk about reselling, chat with other enthusiasts about their collections, and learn about a bunch of really awesome items from the past. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you love listening to podcasts so you don't miss a beat.
Bex Scott: [00:00:30] Hey everybody, this is Bex Scott and you're listening to the Pyrex with Bex podcast. On today's episode, I'm chatting with Kelli Szurek about her amazing Pyrex collection, some of the pieces she's been able to find over the years, and where she thinks Pyrex collecting is headed. Hey everybody! I am super excited because today I have my second guest on the Pyrex with Bex podcast and it is Kelli Szurek. Welcome, Kelli. Thanks so much for joining me today.
Kelli Szurek: [00:00:57] Thank you. I'm glad to be here. Super excited. I love Pyrex a ton, and it's always exciting to me when there's other people out there who are avidly collecting and are the younger generation, because we want this to continue on for a long time, right?
Bex Scott: [00:01:13] Definitely. I agree, and I was really excited when we started chatting on Instagram and I found out that you collected. It's hard to find people who are really passionate about it, who are open to chatting and kind of like the same things in the vintage world. And you also have your own podcast. So tell me a little bit about that.
Kelli Szurek: [00:01:33] Sure my son and I do a podcast. It has nothing to do with Pyrex. I occasionally do talk about Pyrex on the podcast, but our podcast is about just our relationship, and he just started high school this year. And so it's just kind of been the process of junior high changes, high school changes, struggles, just things going on in our life and how we just handle hurdles. And also we recently expanded to having guests on there just because sometimes our life isn't that eventful, which is good because, you know, I don't want to talk about all the trouble he gets in school all the time.
Bex Scott: [00:02:12] Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:02:12] You check, you guys can all check that out. You can find On Our Best Behavior wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bex Scott: [00:02:18] Perfect. I've checked out a few of your episodes so far and they're awesome, so I definitely recommend it. So you love Pyrex, I love Pyrex. What was the beginning of your Pyrex addiction and how did you get started collecting?
Kelli Szurek: [00:02:32] So looking back, I cannot remember that anyone ever had Pyrex. My grandparents, I was fortunate enough to know my great grandparents for a long time. They lived until they were in their 90s and nobody had Pyrex. And my mom had one dish, but she didn't have the lid. It was just a yellow casserole dish. And I always wondered, like, this dish is so cool and it's so colorful. Why is it like, just like this random piece of kitchenware that we have? But I was young., I really didn't know anything about it. And then when the pandemic happened and the whole entire world shut down, I just found myself scrolling on Facebook Marketplace and I, for some reason, I don't know why it started showing up, but I just started seeing pieces of Pyrex and I just got really interested. I love these patterns. I love these colors. Not knowing how huge the Pyrex collection and world is. And my very first piece that I ever bought was on Facebook Marketplace, and it was the Spring Blossom Cinderella set. And from there I was hooked. Once I found out there was, like, this isn't just a one thing, there's like millions of, it has a whole collection, right? And a whole set and a refrigerator set and all these casserole dishes. And so I just kind of got sucked in and got on a deep dive and through the internet and books, and I was like, oh my gosh. And then I just started buying.
Bex Scott: [00:04:05] I love it. That's kind of similar to my story. I started off during the pandemic as well, and it spiraled. And I remember the Spring Blossom was one of my very first as well. My grandma had it hidden away in her pantry and she pulled it out one day and I said, oh, I just started collecting this stuff. And she was like, oh, it's yours. You can have it. So I've kept that to the side. I don't use those ones, but it definitely has a special place in my heart as well.
Kelli Szurek: [00:04:34] What kind of like hooked you? Was it the memories from when you were young?
Bex Scott: [00:04:38] I think I remember my mom using Pyrex a little bit. She had the Autumn Harvest casseroles, those were on our table a few times during the years, but I started when I was cleaning out my grandparents garage, and they had some of my great aunt's dishes in big rubbermaid bins, and we were unpacking them, and I found a lasagna pan and a couple primary bowls. And that was my, kind of my gateway bowls, I call them. That started everything. And I went on Instagram, and I instantly found all these pink displays and turquoise, and I started messaging other collectors. And that's kind of when I was fully hooked. And then, like you, I went down the Marketplace rabbit hole looking for anything I could find and just buying the different sets. And yeah, it's a fun addiction.
Kelli Szurek: [00:05:31] Yeah, yeah it is.
Bex Scott: [00:05:35] And how does your, your family feel about your collection?
Kelli Szurek: [00:05:39] They've done well. They've embraced it pretty well. I really, you know, when Justin and I, who is my husband, got together, I really didn't collect much of anything. Like I remember him asking me what do you collect? And I was like, well, I collect these, like, Starbucks mugs from places I've been, you know, he's like, well that's not like old and vintage. I'm like, well, I don't, never really been a collector. And so he was really into like going to antique stores and checking out rummage sales, garage sales, estate sales. And I was just kind of like, why do you want to look through, like, old people's gross junk? But then when I got hooked on the Pyrex, then I understood and I was like, oh my. I remember the first time we went into an antique store after I had gotten hooked on Pyrex. I was like, this is amazing. Can we go to all of them? And he's like, what happened to you? So. He has done well in trying to, you know, he'll be like, hey, I think, he'll try to like, remember what the patterns are called, like, oh, hey, did you see over there they have this or that? And my son Maccoy, he's awesome about it. Like, he is really happy for me that I have something that makes me so happy. And he calls it his inheritance. So he always wants to know, like, how much is this going to be worth? How much is this going to be worth? What's the most rare pieces? So we've talked about that. And he always says like I'm not going to sell any of it. I'm just going to keep it all. Okay. We'll see. We'll see how your wife feels.
Bex Scott: [00:07:09] Yeah. He'll carry on the the collection for you.
Kelli Szurek: [00:07:15] Yeah, I hope so. I mean that would be, that would be sweet. You know, I think that it is really important for the younger generations to continue it on. Right? Because once people don't care about it anymore, then it kind of fades away, you know?
Bex Scott: [00:07:29] Yeah. My husband, he has been great with allowing me to have such a large collection and go to the thrift stores every week, and I think it's because he has a huge BMW old car collection, so he fixes them up and flips them. So if he was to say that I couldn't do my Pyrex collecting, then I might have an issue with his car collecting.
Kelli Szurek: [00:07:53] Yes. You have something to hold over him, right?
Bex Scott: [00:07:57] But I think that's awesome that your son calls it his inheritance. We have two boys and a girl, and I'm hoping, our baby girl is almost a year old, so I'm hoping that she's going to be the one that carries it on for me, because it will probably all be left to her because the boys, they don't want it right now. So.
Kelli Szurek: [00:08:15] You know, as we get older, like, right, our appreciation for things changes. And so that might happen.
Bex Scott: [00:08:22] Yeah. That's true. I'll keep working on them. Alex, he goes he goes to the thrift stores with me. And he's really good about finding things and being excited about it. So there's still hope.
Kelli Szurek: [00:08:33] It's good that you share that. He'll remember that always like, oh mom, remember when we used to do this or hey, I found this piece, you know, so it will be special to him.
Bex Scott: [00:08:40] Yeah, exactly. And what would you say are some of your best Pyrex finds that you've had over the years?
Kelli Szurek: [00:08:50] So I feel like, you know, a lot of the basic stuff, I, I have all of the basic stuff and I, a lot of my sets I have pieced together. So I have been very picky about, you know, only spending like so much money on them. And so a lot of my stuff I've really just pieced together because I think if you buy the whole set, you end up spending more money. Right? So I have just kind of slowly done that and, you know, really only great like steals. I found like, you know, steals like, oh, this is, you know, $0.25 at a garage sale, but it's a, you know, Woodland 401 bowl, whatever. Oh, sweet. I'll take it. You know, and I am a sucker for if I see anything like that's really, really cheap and, you know, dishwater damaged. Whatever. I'll take it home because I just don't want it to go into, like, the junk. So I'm really bad about that. But one, a few years ago and I think this might have been early on, but I saw on - I'm in a lot of Pyrex groups - and somebody had posted locally here in Minneapolis that they had a Barcode set for $90, and I don't think they realized what they had.
Kelli Szurek: [00:10:06] And I was like, I'm coming right now. So I got that. And then I also my other thing I was really, really proud of is I got a green dot bowl on auction for $30, and I just was over the moon about that. Yeah. So those are really my only like super great finds that I feel like I got for like a reason, you know, a way cheaper price. It's hard. I always want to be that person who goes into the thrift store and like, finds some diamond in the rough, but I feel like they're getting better at knowing what people are interested in, and then they will pull it aside or put it up on auction or something like that. And so then, you know, then it's not just laying there for us to find. So I'm still waiting to, like, stumble across a garage sale where somebody has like a, you know, Starburst Atomic Space Saver just sitting there for a dollar. That's my dream. Yeah.
Bex Scott: [00:11:03] I'm in a bunch of the Facebook groups as well, and I always see people posting about what they've found and how cheap it was. And I always get jealous. I'm like, oh, I never find steals like that.
Kelli Szurek: [00:11:15] And I think it doesn't happen that often because I used to do the same thing. I'm like, I'm going thrifting all the time. I'm stopping at so many garage sales, you know, I did it so much at one time that I just was like, would go home empty handed and feel so defeated. So then I was like, I'm done doing this. I need to take a break. I feel too disappointed.
Bex Scott: [00:11:35] And there was, I think, last week or a couple of weeks ago in one of the groups, you might even be a part of it, but a lady mentioned that she found the Blue Dianthus Cinderella bowls at Goodwill and it was like 7.99 and 12.99 or something crazy like that. And that would never happen over here where I am in Canada. So.
Kelli Szurek: [00:11:58] So in Canada, do you see like more of the, I mean, you're just a country up from me. It's not too far away. But I always feel like in different countries, like they have a different variety of things, or it seems like certain things are easier to find and other things are harder to find.
Bex Scott: [00:12:14] Yeah. We, I don't know, I found a ton of primary here. I feel like every time I go to the store, I see the yellow primary bowl everywhere. What else has there been? Um, lots of Spring Blossom, Forest Fancies, Old Orchard. It haunts me. It follows me around everywhere. And I see it.
Kelli Szurek: [00:12:39] It's here too.
Bex Scott: [00:12:40] Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:12:42] That and the Early American like, runs rampant here, so.
Bex Scott: [00:12:45] Oh, really? We don't have any of that here.
Kelli Szurek: [00:12:48] Oh, really?
Bex Scott: [00:12:48] Yeah, I think I've seen one and it was in British Columbia and so I picked that one up. But yeah. Yeah, the thrift stores are fun. I think my best find at the thrift store so far has been, what was it, a divided dish. It was the black and white snowflake and I think it was 999 and I was pretty happy about that.
Kelli Szurek: [00:13:14] Yeah it is. It is a rush. It is a rush.
Bex Scott: [00:13:17] That's the problem. The adrenaline you get from it. And you keep wanting to go back more and more.
Kelli Szurek: [00:13:22] And, you know, I don't know about you, but the problem I have now is I have so much and I have so many that I love. Like, how do you display all of it? I feel like I have to constantly like switch it out to display it. Otherwise, I don't know, it's tough. I'm like, we need to build a house that has like built ins in every single room so that I can just put the Pyrex in every room. Justin's always like, okay, we'll do that. Yeah.
Bex Scott: [00:13:53] I always love when the hardcore collectors have a whole basement that's lined with either built ins or Ikea shelves, and you just walk in and they have lighting coming from everywhere. And that would be my dream, I think.
Kelli Szurek: [00:14:07] I always wonder, like, what do those people do for a living?
Bex Scott: [00:14:12] Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:14:14] Or like, how long have they been, you know, you just wonder everyone's story. Like, how did this madness start for you?
Bex Scott: [00:14:20] Yeah. So what would you say is the piece that you've paid the most for?
Kelli Szurek: [00:14:25] So I personally didn't pay for it. But there was a Balloon bowl, chip and dip set with the bracket on Facebook Marketplace in the city, Minneapolis, and I think Justin paid $250 for it for me, it was a Christmas present.
Bex Scott: [00:14:41] Oh, nice.
Kelli Szurek: [00:14:42] I thought that was a good price for it. Like, don't even try to barter with her. Like 250 is a real fair price. And I think he did try to like get her down to 200 still. And she was like not happening. I have a lot of other people that want this, so take it or I'm moving on. Like take it.
Bex Scott: [00:15:01] Yeah, I don't have that set yet. It's on my list though. I passed it up for a really good deal maybe 2 or 3 years ago, and I still regret it. I could have had it.
Kelli Szurek: [00:15:11] That's the thing that's tough, right? Like when you see it, you have to make like a rash decision to buy because it's not like Target where you can just go back and get it tomorrow or go back and get it next week, you know.
Bex Scott: [00:15:25] Yeah. And especially if it's on Marketplace, people are savage on there. Nobody holds anything. And I don't blame them because there's so many no shows. But you have to be within seconds of it being posted. And what would you say is your all time holy grail unicorn piece that you really want to have?
Kelli Szurek: [00:15:45] Well, I always say, like, if we ever win the lottery when it's $1 billion, I want, you know, I think this is most people's holy grail, but I've never even seen it in real life, is the Lucky in Love dish. So I think there's maybe, you know, and I'm not, don't quote me on this because I don't know for sure, but I think like there's like two known in the whole entire world. So I saw one goal. I saw one on auction and it was, you know, over $10,000 that the bidding was at. So that'd be another one I'd just love to, like, stumble across for, you know, a dollar at a garage sale. But my other ones that I really want, the turquoise Atomic Starburst, the space saver, and which, you know, is attainable. So it's just, you know, you have to be ready to spend the money when you find them. And the Pumpkin Butter print. So those are like my three, you know, like Lucky in Love I'd probably never, ever get. But that would be my holy grail.
Bex Scott: [00:16:46] What does the Pumpkin Butter print go for in your area usually?
Kelli Szurek: [00:16:49] $1,000 for a set.
Bex Scott: [00:16:51] That's like us here too.
Kelli Szurek: [00:16:52] So $800 to $1200. And I've even tried to, like, bid on like bowl by bowl to try to get like, I'm like, okay, if I can get them for $200 a piece slowly, you know. When they sell individually, I feel like they sell for even more because people are probably trying to do the same thing and piece their own together. And then you need like that one last piece and then you're paying more than you should for it. Or some people just have way more money and can, you know, afford it. I try to have a Pyrex budget, so.
Bex Scott: [00:17:25] It's a smart thing to do. Right now I don't have one and I'm kind of all over the place, so it's dangerous. Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:17:32] And then you get to the point where you're like, oh, I've done that, where I've bought something and then I've already had it. Oh shoot, I couldn't remember, but it was a really good price, I don't want to pass it up, like that whole thing. So. Yeah.
Bex Scott: [00:17:46] And do you guys use your Pyrex at home?
Kelli Szurek: [00:17:49] So anything that I have that I've picked up at like flea markets or anything like that, that's just kind of been, you know, like 401 bowls, we'll use those for cereal bowls at our house. I have some things that I feel so blessed that people know about my Pyrex love. And a lot of times, like a family member will pass and they'll say, hey, I'm cleaning out. So, you know, going through my grandma's things, she has this, do you want it? Yes. And so there's a couple of casserole dishes that I'll use and I always remember, like, who got me it or who gave it to me. And so then it's like special when I use it like, oh, this was from so and so when it was her grandma's. And I just think that that's really special.
Bex Scott: [00:18:32] I love that about collecting and having other people kind of looking out for you and wanting to pass the dishes to you because they know that you'll look after them and it'll be important to you just like it was for them.
Kelli Szurek: [00:18:48] And I also, but it also makes me realize the other side of that, which is how many people are going through their grandparents things and just throwing all this in the garbage, because a lot of people are like, well, we're just going to toss it if you don't want it or drop it off at Goodwill or whatever, which is I guess that's fine. But yeah, if you're just going to throw it away, call me. I met this, I've met a lot of people on Marketplace and just in the community, and I bought a dresser from this one guy, and he, just like a random thing, and he was telling me, like, he cleans out houses for a living. So like stuff that's going to get like condemned or knocked down and he'll go through and then he'll kind of like pick through stuff and resell it. And he's like, oh, you know, he's like, what's your thing that you love? And I'm like, oh, Pyrex. And he's like, oh, I wish I would have known you last week there was this house or so much of it, and I just left it all behind. And I'm like, you call me when that happens.
Bex Scott: [00:19:42] Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:19:42] And he's like, okay, just so you know, like you have to be ready to come right now. And I'm like, well, if you call me, I'll try. And if I can't, I can't. But yeah, please reach out to me if you ever, if that ever happens again. And of course it hasn't happened but yeah it was that was a recent meet. So I'm still hopeful that he'll think of me.
Bex Scott: [00:20:01] I was watching a story on Instagram of a collector that I follow, and they went to an estate sale out in the country and not everything sold. So they just took, the company, or the family took everything and put it into a big dumpster. And the collector was going through and trying to find as much as they could that they could salvage. And I was just thinking, oh, I would have loved to be there to save everything and bring it home. It's kind of like me with cats and dogs.
Kelli Szurek: [00:20:32] You bring them all home?
Bex Scott: [00:20:33] Yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:20:36] I know people, I also have two bunnies, and so whenever, whenever there's, like, a bunny that needs a home, people are always like, you need to help this bunny. I'm like, I can't take any more animals, I can't.
Bex Scott: [00:20:50] Oh, and you mentioned before when we were chatting before the podcast that you love to collect other things as well. So what are some of the the other things that you really love?
Kelli Szurek: [00:21:03] So I feel like once I started collecting Pyrex, then I just kind of went down this rabbit hole of vintage glass and Fire-King has some. I don't love all Fire-King, but you know, I like the the super popular stuff that everyone does. The tulip bowls, the jadeite bowls, they have these teardrop bowls. So I have those. So Fire-King and then Hazel-Atlas they make like these cute dot bowls. So I have those and Federal Glass also has some like, I honestly am not like a big enough collector of those things to actually even tell you the real name of what they're called. But yeah, just as time has gone on and I've seen pieces or I've seen stuff, I'm like, oh, I have to have that. It's so cute. So yeah, I have randomly collected some of that. Like Fire-King has their own version of a primary set, so I have that. One of my other really unique items that I have is I have a primary set in a sealed box. And so I love that.
Bex Scott: [00:22:09] That's amazing.
Kelli Szurek: [00:22:09] That was a gift too. So that's kind of what's fun about Christmas is I'm like, okay, here's all the Pyrex I still need. Find it. But he actually, that was actually a Marketplace find too. And yeah, so that was, I feel like I'm really surprised with how much local stuff I've found that's a big find. And then, you know, just throughout I've really taken a liking to vintage sprinklers. If they're metal, like I have to have it, I use them to water my lawn. But I just think it's fun and they're cool. And I love bunnies. So I also collect any cute vintage bunny figurines. My mom had collected some Lefton when I was young and when she died, I kept all of that. So that has brought me on a trail of trying to finish, you know, like I didn't know when I was younger. I remember like, oh, this angel was a set of 3 or 4, and now I have to find them because she, there's only one left. So. But those are harder to, I feel like I've had a hard time finding those. Or people, which I remember we were going to throw that in a donate box and, you know, they go for $35 a figurine, which I think is expensive. So, you know, they're hard to find. But I was at a flea market, I think it was this summer, and I was at like in line to check out. I had found a pink striped bowl that was super cheap because it was it was a little faded. But we, you know, so that's one we just use in the kitchen. And I was standing in line and I saw one of those Lefton angel girls or poinsettia, I think it's a Lefton Poinsettia Girl and she just has like this poinsettia dress on. She's little. And I was like, oh my gosh. Like I saw one. And it was, you know, super cheap. It was like a dollar. So I was like, that was my every once in a while, you know, you get that like, I'm so excited about this. So yeah. So that's just kind of like, I end up getting into like, you know, if I start to see things repetitiously, sometimes they'll start to call my name and some things I'm just like, this is cute, I like it, I'm getting it. And then it just kind of starts a whole nother trail of junk. Yeah. My treasure. Right?
Bex Scott: [00:24:19] Yeah. It's easy to to fall into the next hole of collecting the next best thing. My other addictions are the little blue birds. They were my great grandmas. So I've started collecting those. And then the Merry Mushroom canisters and anything mushroom I love. So that's another issue that I have to deal with.
Kelli Szurek: [00:24:42] I know I also get in like that, I was a child of the 80s, so anything like Pound Puppies, Care Bears that's still in the box, I'm hooked. Like, oh, I have to have that.
Bex Scott: [00:24:54] Oh, I love Pound Puppies. I forgot about those. I had quite a few of those.
Kelli Szurek: [00:25:00] So now when I find like the old ones, I actually, one of my favorite finds was an antique store here, I live in Anoka, it was like a little bride and groom Pound Puppy set still in the box, like they are still in the box. So I was super excited about that. Like, I have to have it. So yeah, that's. And then Justin makes fun of me, like, oh, now you're on to something else. Okay.
Bex Scott: [00:25:24] Make more room in the house. I have another collection.
Kelli Szurek: [00:25:27] It's like, where are you going to put this? I'm like my grandma always said, if you want it, you'll find a spot for it.
Bex Scott: [00:25:32] That's very true. Yeah. So where would you say Pyrex collecting is headed? Do you think there's going to be crazy prices, a lack of available dishes? What are your thoughts on that?
Kelli Szurek: [00:25:48] Well, I do feel like as time goes on, right, they don't make Pyrex like this anymore so it's definitely going to get harder to find if people stop collecting it. You know, pricing, I always get a little frustrated with people online when somebody will post something for sale and people will comment like, this is a ridiculous price. I feel like things are worth what people are willing to pay for them. As somebody who has a very large Pyrex collection, I still want it to be worth something, you know, 50 years down the road. So I am hopeful that people will continue to collect, and I do want the price to stay high. So, you know, I want to find things for a steal. And I think that's what is really exciting about collecting some kind of antique item is it's, the hunt is fun, the hunt is part of the high, right? So I hope it continues. But I do see in my community a lot of young people, I also read, so I'll buy things in auction lots a lot, and I'll be going for one piece, but it comes in like this huge lot of other Pyrex or other stuff, and I'll resell that. And it is a lot of younger girls that are buying it because they're like, my grandma had this, I have to have it.
Kelli Szurek: [00:27:15] And so that does make me super happy that people still have that in them. And I do think like, I don't know about this generation, but there is a generation younger than me that is into like vintage stuff. And now people are into like, don't throw stuff into the landfill, like let's reuse, let's recycle, let's... so that's inspiring that hopefully people will continue thinking that way. Save the planet, don't buy new stuff. Use the old stuff. So I don't know where it's going to go, but I don't see it slowing down right now. In my experience, since 2020, it's only been three years, but I haven't seen it slowing down at all. And even like, I'll even look at some auction websites and just to see, like, what stuff's still going for, what are people still bidding at? And yeah, it's not slowing, it's not slowing down. I always think, oh, maybe as a reseller, I don't claim to just be a reseller, but if I have extra stuff or stuff that I got that I wasn't going for, I'll try to resell it and I'll go on those auction sites sometimes and think like, oh, maybe I can find something super cheap and resell it. But I mean, I feel like it's going for what it's worth. So.
Bex Scott: [00:28:36] Yeah, I agree, I'd like to see it continue and the younger generation get more into it. And I remember when I first started collecting, looking online for articles about Pyrex and it was mostly people, well, not mostly, but a lot of people getting angry about how there was a huge influx of collectors and resellers during the pandemic, and it was pushing prices up like crazy, and people were worried about where it was headed. But I think it's good if they're collecting it for the right reasons, and they love the dishes and they're going to pass them on to people and keep it going, I think that's awesome.
Kelli Szurek: [00:29:13] Right. If we have been spending this much money on it and it's at its highest cost or whatever, then you never want anything to go down in value after you've invested in it.
Bex Scott: [00:29:25] Mhm.
Kelli Szurek: [00:29:26] We'll see. We'll see what happens. I mean I don't see it going anywhere. People are still, people are still buying it. So it's good.
Bex Scott: [00:29:33] Mhm.
Kelli Szurek: [00:29:34] But I'm to the point now where you know, Justin will be like, we'll be at an antique store and he'll be like oh did you go over there, they have a room full of Pyrex. And I'm like, and he's like, do you have all of that? I'm like, maybe.
Bex Scott: [00:29:47] I might.
Kelli Szurek: [00:29:49] That is the point where I'm really just treasure hunting, you know, the more rare things. So it's, I definitely haven't been spending as much money because I never stumble across those right pieces unless I'm ready to pay what they're worth. And I don't want to do that.
Bex Scott: [00:30:07] And when I first started, I wasn't keeping track of what I was spending on it. So I'd hate to go back and calculate that because it would be a huge amount, because I was buying anything and everything I came across, and I had bajillions of duplicates, and I was trying to finish every pattern and I didn't get very far. But now I'm kind of, I've stuck to, I have my primary dishes and sets that I really love and then pink and turquoise. And now, like you, I'm going for the harder to find more rare pieces and selling off my extras to be able to pay for the more expensive ones.
Kelli Szurek: [00:30:48] Yes. Yeah, I do that too. Like if I resell anything on Facebook Marketplace, I'm like, okay, well, I'm going to take that money and put it towards this thing that I really, you know, this piece that I really want or kind of just set that aside, like, okay, well if I'm reinvesting then it doesn't seem as bad, right?
Bex Scott: [00:31:04] Yeah, exactly. And you mentioned that you're working on a Pyrex tattoo.
Kelli Szurek: [00:31:11] Oh yeah. So I love tattoos and I have been wanting a tattoo for a long time, but it was like, what do you pick, right? Like you can't have every single bowl tattooed on your body. And trying to narrow it down, and so I initially was going to be like, okay, I'm going to get a tattoo of the Cinderella Spring Blossom. It was what hooked me. So it's, you know, that's a really important piece to me. It has a lot of meaning and significance. And then I was, Justin was asking me because I'm like, I'm really going to try to come up with this idea, he's like, why don't you make your set of four of your favorites? I'm like, oh, that's a good idea, because then, I'm like, but still like, how do you pick four? That's even hard. So I'm still trying to figure that out, but my goal is to have it done in January.
Bex Scott: [00:32:05] I'm excited to see the finished product. That'll be awesome.
Kelli Szurek: [00:32:10] Me too! We'll see what it looks like.
Bex Scott: [00:32:12] Oh very cool. Well, I thought we would finish off with a bit of a game of underrated or overrated. So different patterns and dishes. So what are your thoughts on the Starburst Casserole? Underrated or overrated?
Kelli Szurek: [00:32:28] I think it's appropriately rated. It is the next big piece on my agenda to have. So I mean I guess I would say it's overrated. Don't buy it so I can.
Bex Scott: [00:32:44] That's an awesome answer.
Kelli Szurek: [00:32:45] Nobody needs that. Nobody needs that. Don't buy it. Leave it on the shelf for me.
Bex Scott: [00:32:50] I always see those posts come up when there's people who have like 7 or 8 of them at home and I'm like, how do you do that? I have never found one. I could use 1 or 2 of those. What about the Duchess?
Kelli Szurek: [00:33:09] Gosh, I don't even know what that is.
Bex Scott: [00:33:10] It's the the pink one with the little flowers. I think they're, it comes with the, there's a Libby glass set that goes with it and a carafe. That one's my holy grail.
Kelli Szurek: [00:33:21] Is it? Okay, I'm going to have to Google it because I honestly, see, you know more than I do. I don't even know what that is.
Bex Scott: [00:33:28] It's amazing.
Kelli Szurek: [00:33:28] Underrated because I don't know.
Bex Scott: [00:33:33] How about the primary set.
Kelli Szurek: [00:33:35] What is this girl doing on this podcast?
Bex Scott: [00:33:39] Nah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:33:40] The primary set? You know, I think it's underrated because it was like the first bright color piece ever to come out. It's such a staple to me. So I think it's underrated because people don't realize like how great it is. It's what started this madness.
Bex Scott: [00:33:57] Yeah, I agree, I'd say underrated as well. And the Opals?
Kelli Szurek: [00:34:02] The true Opals, I think that they're underrated. I have never seen true Opal. And I think that what's tricky about it is that it's hard to tell unless you, like, know certain things to look for. Sometimes it can, people will advertise that they have white Opal and it's, you know, another bowl with all the paint taken off of it. So it's tricky. So I think it's underrated.
Bex Scott: [00:34:30] I agree.
Kelli Szurek: [00:34:31] What about you? Do you have some?
Bex Scott: [00:34:32] No I wish. I always see the the Butter print with nothing on it at the store. And I get really excited. And then I walk up and, nope.
Kelli Szurek: [00:34:44] Yeah.
Bex Scott: [00:34:45] Mm hmm. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Kelli, for joining me today. It was great chatting with somebody who who loves Pyrex just as much as me. And I think now I'll probably have to get into the Fire-King and Hazel Atlas. And to get your advice.
Kelli Szurek: [00:35:04] It's another expensive rabbit hole. So.
Bex Scott: [00:35:07] It is.
Kelli Szurek: [00:35:08] But you know, it's fun. It's fun. I was going to say, too, I wanted to mention this on your on your podcast, but one of the things I get really excited about and all my friends make fun of me is if we go to a movie or watching TV and I see like Pyrex in the background because, you know.
Bex Scott: [00:35:22] Oh yeah.
Kelli Szurek: [00:35:22] Did you see they came out with Dear God, it's me, Margaret. And that takes place in like, the 70s. And so there was so much Pyrex and like, oh my gosh, do you see the Pyrex? Do you see the vintage? Like, look at their living room. It looks so amazing. And they're like, oh my God Kelli, no one cares.
Bex Scott: [00:35:40] I love watching shows on TV. I think there was an episode of Young Sheldon my son was watching, and I was standing there and pointing out all the Pyrex. He's like, oh, I'm trying to watch the show.
Kelli Szurek: [00:35:51] Right? It's just like so alluring when you see it. It's like, oh my gosh, did I just see that? I hope they go back to it because sometimes it'll be like a quick flip. I'm like, oh, rewind it. We have to go back and see what that was. Or Justin will be like, oh, I watched this girl on TikTok and she bakes and she uses her Pyrex. She's using, like, you know, green dot bowl. I'm like, why would you use that in your kitchen?
Bex Scott: [00:36:13] Don't break.
Kelli Szurek: [00:36:13] It. Don't put it in the dishwasher.
Bex Scott: [00:36:16] So yeah, there's some really cool sites where you can look up dishes and there's a whole list of different shows that they've been on and where you can buy them. So that's something fun to do. I found a set of Denby dishes at Value Village the other day, and I looked them up and it said that they were all on The Brady Bunch. And I used to love The Brady Bunch. Yeah, it's kind of a neat thing to look up.
Kelli Szurek: [00:36:41] Yeah. That's fun. Thank you.
Bex Scott: [00:36:45] Awesome. Well, thanks so much, Kelli.
Kelli Szurek: [00:36:47] Yes. You're welcome. And I'm excited to listen to all your episodes as they start coming out. It's exciting.