Cast iron

[Robo410]

THe original Lodge enameled 5 qt and 2 qt baker were american made and pricey pieces. THe other is China made. THe raw and preseasoned is still USA as pointed out above.

Yes Wagner made a fine product. But if you find a piece of Griswald in good shape, get it.

 

[bullseye]

I am still on my eternal search to find a piece of Griswold.

GB, check out Ebay. There is not always a plethora of options, but, if you keep watching, something nice will turn up. It has for me!

 

[GB]

I always just thought the shipping costs would make it not worth it, but they do not really look that bad at all.

 

[bullseye]

Every time I pass a garage sale I have my eyes peeled for that black glint.

I acquired two Griswolds that very way! I have a 6" skillet that I use all the time when cooking for just me for $2.50. The seasoning was awesome, as it had been loving maintained for years. The other was an 8" skillet that needed some serious restoration, but is now a staple in my kitchen. It set me back $.50. Keep looking!

 

[Katie H]

Does anyone know of a master list of the Griswold skillet numbers so I can tell what the size of the skillet is from its number?

 

[Dave Hutchins]

I am 67 yrs old and inherited my mothers cast iron pans all lodge you would have to pry them out of my cold dead hands before I would part with them

 

[ArgosGrill]

Holy cow! This thread got me thinking about the cast iron I inherited so I looked and of the 3 pans I have the smallest one which is around 8 or 9 inches is a Griswold. You can just barely see the name and numbers through the build up. I guess I happened on a rather worthy hand me down. And it makes great cornbread to boot. The other two are a 12 inch lodge and a 12 inch no-name brand but they all work very well with good seasoning.

 

[justplainbill]

I am 67 yrs old and inherited my mothers cast iron pans all lodge you would have to pry them out of my cold dead hands before I would part with them

Following is from griswoldandwagner.com

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Wagner and Griswold came under the same ownership in 1957 as follows. Randall Corp. bought Wagner in Nov. 1952. McGraw Edison Inc. bought Griswold on March 29, 1957 and then sold it in December 1957 to Randall who already owned Wagner. Griswold production in Erie, Pa. ceased in Dec. 1957 and all subsequent "Griswold" pieces were made in the Wagner foundry in Sidney, Ohio. Randall then sold both Griswold and Wagner in 1959 to Textron which sold both companies to General Housewares in 1969 who continued production at the Wagner foundry until it closed in 1999. Griswold and Wagner operated for a time or longer as separate divisions across the hallway from one another. Griswold pieces made in the Wagner foundry do not say Erie on the piece and were made from old Griswold patterns slightly modified or Wagner patterns that were modified. Many Wagner pieces were made using modified older Griswold patterns. All of these pieces were usually marked on the bottom "Made in USA". Also, sizes started to be marked in "inches" instead of in trade numbers or "No." numbers. Quality and style began to decline markedly. Some new patterns and styles were developed including the Griswold "Hearthstone" pieces under General Housewares (GHC). During the later 1970's and/or early 1980's many pieces were marked with BOTH the Wagner and Griswold trademarks (logos) on the bottom of the pans. In 1991 a new line of Wagner pieces marked "Wagner's 1891 Original" was put into production to celebrate Wagner's 100th anniversary. This is the line that remained in production as a regular production item until the foundry closed in 1999. Some "limited production" piece were made in the 1891 line. Most collectors do not consider Griswold pieces made in Sidney to be real Griswold although the argument could be made that they are. In fact, almost any pieces made after 1960 has limited collector appeal and the quality is not as good as the earlier pieces. [/SIZE][/FONT]

BTW, I've read on other sites that the trade number (pan or pot size) was based on the size coal or wood stove ring that the pan or pot would fit into.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Great post Bill!! Excellent information.

 

[justplainbill]

Good morning to you and thanks for reading. Wife's chasing me to come have some Costa Rica Tarrazu Montecielo and toast made from my newfound favorite packaged bread- Farmhouse Sourdough.