The Vintage Kitchen Storage Jars You Need To Grab If You Spot Them At A Thrift Store

If you're a thrifter, then you know the absolute thrill of spotting a highly coveted item to take home for your collection. While there are plenty of vintage kitchen brands that are the ultimate thrift store find, perhaps one of the most popular brands at the moment is the Sears Merry Mushrooms collection. With funky colors and quirky designs, this collection drives a big market with second-hand collectors and proves that mushrooms can be used for more than just a hearty mushroom bourguignon.

Sears released the Merry Mushrooms collection at various points throughout the 1970s and '80s, beginning in 1970 with the iconic mushroom cookie jar. These cookware and home decor items were made from ceramic and specifically kiln-glazed to protect against paint chipping, allowing them to stand the test of time over 50 years later. It was dubbed the "merry mushrooms" collection due to the cartoonish, forest-colored fungi decorating every item. By the end of the collection, Sears created over 250 pieces over the course of 17 years, spanning everything from casserole dishes and napkin holders to tea kettles and clocks. The pots, pans, and spice jars were some of the most popular items in the collection, but nothing beats the infamy of the Merry Mushrooms cookie jars, which ranged in size and were strikingly similar to the Merry Mushrooms canister set.

In the expansive collection, some Merry Mushrooms items are more valuable than others, but all will fetch a decent price on the right retail sites. A quick scroll through eBay shows that a two-piece Merry Mushrooms butter dish is going for $250, while a singular 10.5-inch Merry Mushrooms canister is going for $55. The 8-piece Merry Mushrooms spice canister set is going for $400, while the exceptionally rare Merry Mushrooms Ice Cooler and Stool sold on eBay in 2023 for a whopping price of $1,0001.25. Some thrifters get lucky and spot a portion of the collection for a decent price, but others are willing to pay hundreds more to get their hands on just a few items.

People go bananas for the Merry Mushrooms collection, and not just because mushrooms have become an increasingly popular decor trend. There are entire Facebook groups dedicated to the scouting and purchasing of rare pieces, not to mention tons of people on TikTok and Reddit gushing about the holy grail of Merry Mushrooms collectibles while thrifting. Due to its popularity, the set has seen its fair share of imitators throughout the years with similar designs, but you'll know you've struck thrifting gold if you spot that telltale embossed pattern. It might not be a great idea to buy second-hand kitchen utensils, but there's no going wrong with a thrifted Merry Mushrooms piece.