Rhiannon Ingle
We've all got some pretty questionable items shoved in the back of our pots and pans cupboards.
From dusty slow-cookers we all swore we'd incorporate into our weekly meal prep but never even took out the box to some pretty ghastly crockery that take the idea of 'retro' that one step too far - it's no surprise we've all probably accumulated quite a lot of kitchenware over the years.
However, it's recently come to light that one man's trash may be another's treasure as families are now being urged to check their kitchen cupboards for cookware which could be worth a fortune.
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Aussies are being encouraged to scour their kitchens for CorningWare collector’s items after the brand's US-based parent company's collapse.
Instant Brands announced at the start of this week (13 June) it had began a voluntary court-appointed bankruptcy process.
Instant Brands, the mastermind maker behind Pyrex glassware and Instant Pot pressure cookers, revealed high interest rates, tighter credit conditions and falling consumer demand which eventually made its debt load unsustainable.
In a Tuesday court filing, Chief Restructuring Officer Adam Hollerbach said Instant Brands saw a drop in sales following the Covid-19 pandemic as people were no longer stuck at home.
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However, it's not all doom and gloom as there could be a silver lining throughout all of this for the lucky families who happened to have nabbed some CorningWare items before the bust.
Such items are currently seeing a massive skyrocket in resell value on sites like eBay from the price range of anywhere between a couple hundred quid to a small fortune in the thousands.
There is currently one listing priced at a staggering US $20,000.00 (£15,000).
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The hefty listing is titled: "1970’s Rare Vintaged CorningWare: 'Spice Of Life' 4 Piece Set Including Lids."
Another is priced at a still impressive AU $13,888.00 (£7,000) with the description: "Collectable Rare CorningWare Casserole Dish Spice of Life Excellent Cond- 2size."
Other CorningWare designs on the reselling platform include 'Blue Cornflower' and 'Wildflower'.
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One savvy eBay seller has since hopped on the zeitgeist and successfully plugged herself into the growing demand for collector's crockery.
She told 7 News that her mother's collection had 'been gathering dust in our home for years'.
"I sold off a few pieces – with my mum’s blessing of course – and have made about AU $9,000 [£5,000] so far," the woman revealed.
"I have another one listed at the moment, which I’m hoping to get around AU $2,500 [£1,300] for."
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The reseller added: "I would never have thought that it could be so valuable. When I was younger, I thought it was just daggy.
"Now it’s making us more money than I ever dreamed."
Not too shabby at all for some old pots and crocks.