Secondhand stores are a great place to find copper pots, but that isn’t the only type of cookware to watch out for. If you find a mushroom-themed storage jar set at the thrift store, you might not want to let it out of your sight. The reason? It could be a Merry Mushroom jar. Sears-Roebuck’s Merry Mushrooms collection was all the rage in the ’70s. Today, one of these jars can be worth hundreds of dollars; you might be making quite the mushroom mistake if you leave it behind. According to the blog A Collector’s Guide to Merry Mushrooms, there are over 250 adorable pieces worth hundreds in the entire collection, including teapots, salad bowls, tableware, and much, much more.
As the name suggests, the designs feature mushrooms, usually with red and brown caps and white stems. They’re highly coveted nowadays and can fetch a pretty penny. On eBay, for example, a four-piece cookie jar set costs $200. And that’s on the cheaper end. A set of four mugs costs about $250, while a 12-piece breakfast set, with plates, mugs, and bowls, can set you back nearly $600. Damaged pieces go for less, of course, but that’s really the only discount you’ll get. It seems like they’re no longer available in stores. If you’re shopping for inexpensive thrift store cookware, look elsewhere.
How to tell if your Merry Mushroom kitchenware is authentic
There are plenty of useful kitchen tools in secondhand stores, but not all of them are necessarily valuable antiques. An authentic Sears Merry Mushrooms kitchenware piece would be labeled “Made in Japan.” But here’s the kicker: These labels were typically stickers, so if your storage jar or otherwise has been around a while, there’s a chance the sticker is worn down or gone entirely. Luckily, there are other tells. As one enthusiast noted in the comment section of A Collector’s Guide to Merry Mushrooms blog post, the company that originally manufactured molds for these products made other mushroom-themed items that weren’t part of the Sears collection. So, if you come across a mushroom storage jar, it might not be an authentic Merry Mushroom jar. The commenter recommended looking at the texture of the designs, implying that those that look airbrushed are likely inauthentic.
Other companies hopped on the mushroom trend as well. Fred Roberts Co. is one such example. The design is kind of similar, though Fred Roberts Co. incorporates more mushrooms, and doesn’t go for as much money. On eBay, a used Fred Roberts Co. Sugar Bowl and Creamer set costs $65. Not exactly cheap, but they’re no Merry Mushrooms.
