Olive Medallion

Olive Medallion is the unofficial name for this pattern.
In 1968, the same medallion design was released on an ivory dish with a gold pattern.

Olive Medallion, while not its official name, was released in two iterations. The first was in 1964 and had a light olive pattern on an ivory background. The second version was released in 1968 and was the same design, but with a gold pattern on an ivory background. The second version was unofficially called Gold Medallion. Olive Medallion was released on both the 1 ½ quart Oval Casserole (043) and the 2 ½ quart Oval Casserole (045). Both included clear lids and serving cradles.

Corning Glass Works offered its first patterned opalware gift set in 1953 when the Heinz Baking Dish was sold in grocery stores. Widespread distribution of promotional patterns occurred after the overwhelming success of the 1956 release of seasonal “decorator casseroles.” Using existing Pyrex shapes, gift sets featured new patterns offered for a limited production time. They often came with mounters, cradles, or candlewarmers and were advertised in the spring to appeal to Mother’s Day and summer wedding shoppers and in the fall to give the holiday gift-buyers something new. Corning continued to produce gift sets through 1983, creating nearly 135 different gift set patterns during that time. Corning intended these pieces to be sold for a limited time, and directed retailers to remove older, unsold promotions from the shelves.

Often, patterns used for these gift items were unnamed, or given names descriptive of the dish’s purpose, like “chip and dip set.” Collectors over the years have assigned names more reflective of the specific pattern.

2010.4.430