With the Holiday Season fast approaching, people tend to spend more time inside and that means indoors cooking. It's the time of year when kitchen collectibles tend to peak, so don't miss out on these Yard Sale buys that can usually be found for a dollar or two, and regularly sell for $10 to $30 or more. In fact, some pans are selling for substantially higher sums, in many cases exceeding $100. There is a steady and growing market for vintage and retired cakes pans. Wilton is the most commonly known, and as a side benefit each Wilton pan is stamped with the stock number and initial production date right on the surface of the pan, so they are much easier to differentiate between vintage pans and current production pans. Other names to watch for that are highly collectible are Griswold (Cast Iron 2-Piece Pans can bring $125), Martha Stewart Aluminum Pans (2-Part MS Beehive Pan Sets regularly bring $100+), Nordic Ware, Revere Ware, and Liberty Ware Stainless Pans.
As with almost anything collectible, having the original box or insert (some didn't come in boxes, just the insert inside the pan) and instruction sheet adds to the value. In some cases the pan doesn't even need to be very old. Here's a few to look for, along with some pricing from recent sales:
Wilton Star Wars Cake Pans (retired issues) $35 - $65
Wilton Minnie Mouse (Full Figure 1998 Issue) $65 - $90
Wilton Mickey Mouse (Full Figure - retired issue) $25 - $35
Wilton Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1991) $35 - $50
Wilton Harley Davidson Motorcycle (1999 - retired) $35 - $55
Wilton Batman Logo Pan (1964 - Retired) $35 - $45
Wilton Pokémon Pikachu Nintendo Figure (retired) $35 - $50
Martha Stewart 3-D Thanksgiving Turkey Pan (retired) $75 - $100
Vintage Nude Female Torso Mold (Unknown Maker) $25 - $35
Nordic Ware Dinosaur Cupcake Pan $25 - $35
What to look for? The "Generic" forms are quite common, with many still being made today, and don't tend to be collectible. Look for the specialized pans that are of superheroes, cartoon characters, movies, and of branded merchandise. These normally required licensing for the pan manufacturers to be able to use, and the licensing periods were generally very limited time wise, so once the rights expired most were never reissued.
As with almost anything collectible, having the original box or insert (some didn't come in boxes, just the insert inside the pan) and instruction sheet adds to the value. In some cases the pan doesn't even need to be very old. Here's a few to look for, along with some pricing from recent sales:
Wilton Star Wars Cake Pans (retired issues) $35 - $65
Wilton Minnie Mouse (Full Figure 1998 Issue) $65 - $90
Wilton Mickey Mouse (Full Figure - retired issue) $25 - $35
Wilton Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1991) $35 - $50
Wilton Harley Davidson Motorcycle (1999 - retired) $35 - $55
Wilton Batman Logo Pan (1964 - Retired) $35 - $45
Wilton Pokémon Pikachu Nintendo Figure (retired) $35 - $50
Martha Stewart 3-D Thanksgiving Turkey Pan (retired) $75 - $100
Vintage Nude Female Torso Mold (Unknown Maker) $25 - $35
Nordic Ware Dinosaur Cupcake Pan $25 - $35
What to look for? The "Generic" forms are quite common, with many still being made today, and don't tend to be collectible. Look for the specialized pans that are of superheroes, cartoon characters, movies, and of branded merchandise. These normally required licensing for the pan manufacturers to be able to use, and the licensing periods were generally very limited time wise, so once the rights expired most were never reissued.