Head over to our industry blog for tips on running your business. Cast iron also has strong ties to American history when the colonists used cast iron cookware on open fires.

Along came The Randall Corporation that bought Wagner in 1952, and McGraw Edison purchased Griswold in 1957.

Since stoves were originally made of wood, the “heat rings” were incorporated into the cast iron design to lift the pan so it wouldn’t touch the wood stove directly. Yet, that’s where historians date the beginnings of the use of iron. Afterwards Mary bought sixty pieces of cast iron on an auction and learned how to clean and season it. Ever since the 60s and 70s, cast iron has been popular with the outdoor types and hippies, and now it’s gone mainstream. Cast iron with heat rings is vintage because it was made with wood stoves in mind. Wagner made molded cast iron with a polished exterior and interior, and the best production was from 1920 to 1940. Located in Erie, Pennsylvania, Griswold’s reign as the king of cast iron skillets, pots, pans, grinders and waffle irons extended into the 1950s, when lighter aluminum and Teflon products hit the market. Some aficionados swear by flaxseed (while others say it flakes off), but other oils includ canola, coconut, and shortening. The Silk Road most likely brought iron to what are now the European countries, but it took many hundreds of years before weapons and armaments were forged from iron and turned into cookware. Yes and no. It’s in Tacoma, Washington, run by Larry and Marg O’Neil, avid cast iron collectors.

Vintage cast iron’s interesting history alone is worth collecting. A simple wipe-down after every use should suffice. Could this be one reason behind the cast iron craze? It sold the Sidney foundry in 1903, according to history by Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association (GCICA).

3. Look at the bottom of a cast iron skillet. “Because the seasoning makes it non-stick, it’s actually a lot easier than a normal pan. Or Wapak simply copied another company’s mold and used it for its own production. “Ghost marks” are almost invisible trademarks on the bottom of cast iron skillets that indicate a manufacturer other than that of the company claiming to be the producer. An example of the advantages of handmade molds: Lodge’s vintage cookware weighs approximately 1 pound less than that produced today, and the thickness of the sides is considerably less than today’s production.

While it was great for non-stick cooking, it’s been linked to disease.

All are indicators that the piece was made by Lodge and is most likely vintage. People are also getting savvier about what they put into their bodies and making healthier decisions. The debate lives on.

Seven variations of the logo can be traced back to age and, thus rarity. Now it’s a status symbol.

The Wapak “Z” logo indicates manufacture between 1903‒1926, and the “tapered” lettering of the company name indicates production took place between 1912‒1926. The Cast Iron Collector: Trademarks & Logos, The Pan Handler: Identifying and Dating Unmarked or Unknown Maker Vintage and Antique Cast Iron Skillets, Southern Kitchen: The history of American-Made Heirloom Cast Iron Skillets, Estate Sales.org: Vintage Cast Iron Guide, The Kitchen Professor: History of Wagner Cast Iron, Griswold Cookware: The Wapak Hollow Ware Company, Lodge Cast Iron: Our Signature Teardrop Handle, A Web Experience brought to you by LEAFtv.

Some of the Victor products don’t recognize Griswold as the producer.

Once you’ve been collecting cast iron for awhile, you learn all the nuances. This is a source for learning nuances in the marks and acquiring information about new patent numbers.

Let us know! Wagner Manufacturing was the original company, and it used “Wagner Ware” in some markings by 1902. Made in America Label I also have one particular pan, Oneta, and that was by the manufacturer Wapak, and there aren’t a lot of those around, but the pan I have is so light and is such a delight to work with,” she said. If cookware is warped, it won’t distribute heat evenly, which kind of defeats the purpose.

Another reason why cast iron is popular is because they make great family heirlooms. These logos mark the most valuable of the Wapak skillets and top the rank as highly treasured collectibles. While modern cast iron will also last a lifetime and be fully functional, it just won’t have the attention to detail and craft found in vintage. Now it’s a status symbol.

Founded in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, in 1891, the company is still family owned and still producing cast iron. Cast iron has been around as long as 5 B.C.E, when the Chinese used it for cooking. Like if gas gets into it and forms bubbles, a common imperfection in older cast iron pieces.

Saved by Socotra. Wagner and Griswold are the leaders in the American cast-iron collectibles market.

Other pieces use names other than Griswold. “I like thinking about where it might have been used, and who might have used it. In 1969, Textron sold both companies to General Housewares Corp. and it used both names on some items. . Cast iron pans were originally designed to fit on top of wood stoves. While it’s true cast iron can be warped, chipped, or pitted from heat, cast iron has to go through quite a lot to not be functional. Here are a few tips from the pros on what to look for: 1. Not everything new is better, but that doesn’t mean modern cast iron is worthless either. The high heat causes the oil to solidify (forming a “polymer”) on top of the surface, producing that nice thick coating. The O’Neils belong to a wide network of cast iron lovers, the Griswold and Cast Iron Cookware Association (G&CICA), who get together several times a year to share pieces, ask questions, share knowledge, and make friendships. Then the iron has to solidify a.k.a. Did you know there’s a family-owned Cast Iron Museum?

Know that cooking with it too will produce the coating (about five times should do the trick—an incentive to start makin’ bacon) so don’t hesitate to get started, especially when much of the cast iron you buy, whether vintage (from a dealer) or modern, will be pre-seasoned and ready to go.

Watch for quality cast iron cookware. Think: microwaves, margarine, and TV dinners.

“The most important thing I do is I dry them immediately after I wash them up, and I pop them back on my stove.

The Griswold identification stamp has changed repeatedly over the years, but these changes make it easy to determine the age of the pan. Other Griswold products’ origins are sketchy, and experts use a roundabout way to identify them. Casting flaws and ghost images indicate less-than-perfect manufacturing controls, which most likely led to the demise of the company but also add character to the cookware still in existence. What the heck is it? Its life span was short, and the plant closed in 1926. She has operated a small business for more than 20 years. More like this Wagner Ware markings help identify the era of production, but because of reproductions, confirmation is necessary.

At times, the company produced the “Victor” line between the years 1890 and 1950 and identified Griswold as the manufacturer. Wagner Ware reproductions have markings just like the originals.

Richard holds a bachelor's degree in English and business administration. It manufactured cast iron and tried other products over the next century, including brass and aluminum. bolognese sauce preparation image by Sean Wallace-Jones from, Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Gate marks mean it’s the real deal: older than 1880 and a true antique. Randall Company purchased Wagner Manufacturing in 1953, and Griswold, its biggest competitor, in 1957.

Advancements in technology and enhancements of cast iron have enabled the company to remain competitive in the field of cast iron cookware. Original cast iron always had a smooth surface. While makers marks have undergone continual change, each mark fits onto a timeline for dating.

Sand molds were formed and iron was melted down and usually combined with scrap iron and/ or steel.

There seem to be a million more cooking shows than there were years ago. Then the mixture was hand poured into a mold, which is the “casting” part of “cast” iron. Some people are interested in the individual stories of who once owned each piece, and the journey it took to end up in their kitchen.

This is part of its beauty.

Cast Iron Care Cast Iron Pot Cast Iron Dutch Oven Cast Iron Skillet Cast Iron Cookware Cast Iron Cooking It Cast Lodge Dutch Oven Wagner Cast Iron.

Not all cast iron brands are the same. GRISWOLD AND CAST IRON INFORMATION BOARD. People bring items and they say, We don’t know what this is, or maybe you don’t find very many of them, and then we have a couple seminars on, like one was on Erie skillets and another one was on G.F. Filley pans, and then we have an auction,” said Marg. And, finally, the “Made in America” label. .

After very thinly oiling the pan (so thin it might not look like it’s there), place it face down in the oven and bake on ~350 degrees for about an hour. Original Griswold skillets are collectors’ items and bring high prices on the open market. If you find cast iron with a gate mark, it hardly matters who the maker is — it’s valuable!

Cast iron was used all over Europe throughout history, and we still use cast iron Dutch ovens today.

It extends the letter “P” in the word Wapak at the bottom and splits, like a split hair. Collectors refer to this as a “mirror” or “satin” finish, which is one way to distinguish a well-loved vintage cast iron piece. Most cast iron is so lovely it doesn’t look bad sitting out, especially for a rustic kitchen look. She and her husband enjoy remodeling old houses and are currently working on a 1970s home. This mark bends around a circle, and the circle may contain a patent date.

So I like the fact that I’m not buying something that’s going to end up in a landfill,” said Mary T. Why buy a new pot or pan when a cast iron pan cooks just as well (if not better) and will last a lifetime? With the name and logo emblazoned on the bottom of the skillet, its origin can be traced and even dated. In 1957, another cast iron cookware manufacturer, Wagner, bought out Griswold and closed the Erie production facility.

Mary T. even collects vintage stoneware, which is how she first stumbled onto vintage cast iron. Sold even today in the finer cookware shops, Lodge can be called the only remaining manufacturer of original cast iron cookware.

Of course some vintage cast iron brands are no longer in production, and there are a lot of fakes out there to be aware of. It also means the skillet was produced prior to 1880. that they had to build a 3500 square foot building, and then another building across twenty acres to showcase and sell their finds.

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