Vintage Royal China Recipe Pie Plates

I had seen recipe pie plates before but I had never heard specifically of the ones by Royal China until eBay sellers 2DogsDigs discussed them recently on this Youtube video. They learned and now I have learned that some of these pie dishes are very hard to find and, therefore, quite valuable. 

Made in the 1970s and 1980s, these ceramic pieces remind us of Grandma’s kitchen. Each one has fluted edges and a recipe printed on the inside. They have an Americana or country-style feel that is definitely nostalgic. 

Many other manufacturers made recipe pie plates but Royal China Company pie plates in general seem to command the best prices. Of course, value depends on rarity of the particular recipe as well as the design, condition, etc. In the last three years of sales on eBay, these dishes have sold from $10 to $718. The rarest pattern can perhaps be determined by the two that fetched the highest prices. That is, the Sweet Potato Pie and Peanut Butter Pie plates.

Of course, there were other companies creating similar pie plates at the time.  These pie plates were very popular at the time and decades later they are popular again! A few of the other manufacturers who made similar pie dishes are Rawleigh, Watkins and Good Housekeeping. The Maple Walnut Pie plate by Good Housekeeping is also a particularly valuable pie plate.

In terms of baking pies, these pans are considered to be of good quality. They are made of a ceramic material that is good for absorbing heat slowly and distributing it evenly, which is perfect for pie baking. They’re generously sized, which keeps fillings from overflowing and the recipes themselves don’t require a lot of unusual ingredients. The recipes are also fairly simple and traditional making the resulting pies taste as most people expect an old-fashioned pie to taste. Interestingly, the recipes are just for the filling and not for the pastry. I do love it when a collectible is practical.

But are the recipes any good? I was unable to find much information in that regard but saw a few references online indicating that the apple, pecan and quiche recipes are good. Of course, if you paid hundreds of dollars for one you might not want to bake a pie in it.

Visit eBay to see all of the Royal China recipe-themed pie plates by clicking here. 

Do you bake pies? Do you collect recipe-themed pie plates? Do you know if the recipes on these plates are good? 

See you

in the kitchen!

Brenda

ROYAL CHINA PIE PLATE LIST

These pie plates feature many recipes and a few series including but not limited to:

COUNTRY HARVEST

Apple Pie
Apricot Orange Ice Cream Pie
Blueberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Pie
Peanut Butter Pie
Peach Ice Cream Pie
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Sweet Potato Pie

JEANETTE

Apple Pie
Cheesecake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Pecan Pie
Strawberry Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Quiche Lorraine

ALL-AMERICAN SERIES

All-American Blueberry
All-American Strawberry Pie
All-American Cherry Pie
All-American Peach
All-American Pumpkin
All-American Strawberry

HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE SERIES

Hershey's Cocoa Cream Pie
Chattanooga Choo Choo Pie

MISCELLANEOUS

Armadillo Pie
Cheesecake

QUICK LINKS:

See what 2DogsDigs had to say about these vintage pie plates.