You can still find vintage melmac at flea markets, thrift stores and antique malls. As a starting collector it may behoove you to settle for less than perfect pieces before assembling a set of pristine. Some lines made by famous designers hold their value and when found in mint condition, should be possibly used for display and not in use. The reason for this is the rarity factors. Although millions of pieces of melamine was produced, much was used, coffee stained, bleached, cracked or scratched from use. Finding pristine sets, or mint in box sets is rare.
In time this will only get worse as more people will be using, abusing and loving their melmac. Less than perfect sets can be used for kids' lunches or camping, or even for family gatherings. It's not microwave safe and shouldn't be cut with steak knives.
My shop, Retro Chalet on Etsy has hard to find pieces and high-end rarities. And of course, I wish you best of luck in your searching. Use code RETRO10 to save 10 percent off your purchase on Etsy, and as always, hanks for supporting my Etsy shop!
Page last updated on 4.10.26
