Which Came First?
Thanks for your question! According to Rogove and Steinhauer's book Pyrex by Corning: A Collector's Guide (Antique Publications, 1993):
The application for the PYREX trademark registration was filed on July 10, 1915, and the trademark was registered in the United States on March 13, 1917.
However, Corning Glass Works licensed the use of Pyrex by other companies, which may be where this confusion comes from. Rogove and Steinhauer continue:
McKee Glass Company ... was involved in a license agreement with Corning. In 1921, McKee "introduced" the "Glassbake" name on its own line of such utensils. Later when Corning developed top-of-the-stove glass cookware, McKee was also licensed to make that and introduced a line of 'Range-Tec' cookware..."
According to the book Florences’ Ovenware from the 1920s to the Present: Identification & Value Guide (Paducah, Ky: Collector Books, 2006), McKee introduced "Glasbak Ware" in 1917, then in 1951, it became "Glasbake," by the McKee Division of Thatcher Glass Corporation and was continued until 1961. From 1961 to 1983, it was Glasbake by Jeannette. Fire-King by Anchor-Hocking was first introduced in 1941 and continued until 2000.
Online Pyrex Resources
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The Corning Museum of Glass "Pyrex Potluck" website.
- The Rakow Research Library's Pyrex research guide.
- The Rakow Research Library's digitized collection of Pyrex Advertisements and Trade Catalogs.
Further Reading
- Barber, Michael D. Pyrex Passion: The Comprehensive Guide to Decorated Vintage Pyrex. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: Alvaro Pub., 2017.
- Florence, Cathy Gaines, and Gene Florence. Anchor Hocking’s Fire-King & More: Identification & Value Guide, Including Early American Prescut and Wexford. 4th ed. Paducah, Ky: Collector Books, 2010.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with your glass-related questions in the future!
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