Kitchen Pickin’: Heavy and fragile

EAST TEXAS (KLTV/KTRE) - We had so much fun last time, we decided to do it again. Jeff Awtrey has his finds from a weekend of yard sales and Mama Steph has plenty to say about them.

This week, Jeff realized not all kitchen items are light and easy to transport like last week’s Tupperware.

Here are the finds from the weekend of Sept. 10:

Tupperware juice container:

Jeff: Speaking of Tupperware, my wife and I had to pick this one up. It’s called a juice container and its ID is 261-16. I told Steph I could taste the cold Tang just by looking at it. I stop and look at Tupperware all the time and pick some up about half the time. We did pass up some storage containers that looked really vintage but they were a little pricey.

Steph: I don’t blame you for grabbing this one. It’s handy and in great shape. I remember having one of these in our house growing up, but it was orange (because it was the ‘70s). I love the size of this one, and I’m guessing it’s more of the 1950s white Tupperware. It’s amazing that it doesn’t smell like juice and there are no stains in it. Good find!

Fiesta presentation bowl

Jeff: I first heard of Fiesta just the week before. I saw this one and picked it up but now I kind of wish I had gotten something with more vibrant colors. Especially hearing Mama Steph’s confirmation. But it’s still really pretty! I’m really becoming a fan of glassware, which is funny because all I ever used to look for at sales were vintage toys and video games. The bottom of this says it’s a “500″ and an Internet search shows this is called a presentation bowl. I learned today that Fiesta is the most popular brand of China sold in the U.S.

Steph: Fiesta really is popular, and for good reasons. It’s sturdy, it comes in any color you can imagine, and you can find just about any shape piece you can imagine, from bowls to pitchers to candlestick holders and much more. I think this is the pearl gray color, which was made from 1999 to 2001.

Pier One Christmas mug:

Jeff: When looking for kitchenware, I normally look for “made in the USA” on the bottom but this is an exception. Pier One is trending right now as the retail outlets have shut down. I saw the Pier One logo and got a good price on it and scooped it up. Coffee mugs are usually a dime a dozen (sometimes literally) but there are some out there that are really valuable. In fact, Youtube is full of videos about them. This one is really pretty and East Texas Now host Devyn Shea said she got a “Friends” vibe from it.

Steph: I can see why Devyn said that, because it has that ‘90s-style drawing inside the cup on the bottom. It’s really cute. I miss Pier 1. I always enjoyed that store.

Mar-Crest Daisy Dot Dutch oven with cover

Jeff: The daisies and dots around the perimeter give away the identity. I had never heard of Mar-Crest until the sale I hit up last Friday. This thing is also beautiful (though Steph pointed out a chip to me). I bought a larger bowl too, but didn’t bring it to the show this week.

Steph: I really like this. I have a couple of pieces I’ve picked up over the years to use at Thanksgiving, because it gives off that vibe to me. On the old advertising I see they call the color “Colorado Brown.” It was produced from the 1950s to early 1960s in Illinois. You’ll see it around in vintage shops, and it’s usually not terribly expensive, which I like, because that means we’ll actually use it.

Indiana Jones glass:

Jeff: Sometimes things look a little too vintage and that’s because we’ve reached a point in time where we’re trying to make new things look old again. I had this suspicion with this glass. It was just in too nice of a condition! But sure enough, I turned it around and saw it was made in 1984. It’s a glass in tribute of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” The price was great so I grabbed it without hesitation. I’ll let Steph explain how it kept its condition. Some research shows this came from Brown’s Fried Chicken. I’d never heard of Brown’s but it’s based out of Chicago. This glass brings back fond memories of a time when you could buy glasses from fast-food restaurants. I remember having a set of Smurfs glasses from Hardees.

Steph: It’s definitely in perfect condition! That’s because it’s never seen the inside of a dishwasher. Dishwasher detergents are so effective at cleaning stuck-on food, but that means they can also strip off older finishes from pieces like this, and they can take the shine off of glassware and stoneware. I never put anything vintage in the dishwasher. Ever.

I can’t wait to see what you find when you guys go treasure hunting this week, Jeff!

We’d love to see some of the treasures our viewers find at yard sales and estate sales; if you have any to share, send pictures and a few interesting details to news@kltv.com. Just put “East Texas Kitchen Pickin’” in the subject line.

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