![]() “If there are markings discernible, the typeface used could be a dead giveaway or at least point you in the right direction.” He also advises those looking to identify vintage cast iron to take a close look at the helper handle or tab design (if the pan has them), at the position and design of the heat ring on the bottom, and at the pour spouts to determine the maker. “I’ll look at the shape of the handle’s hole, if there is one, the contours of the top and bottom, and if there are any raised or incised numbers or general markings,” Robert says. “Typically, I will look at the handle first,” says Robert Kellermann, who is a descendant of Joseph Lodge, founder of Lodge Cast Iron, and the company’s primary source for identifying vintage or otherwise unmarked cast iron. When you find a cast-iron pan whose provenance is unclear, there are certain characteristics that will clue you in to its maker and age. Oftentimes, the letters and numbers you’ll find on the bottom of a vintage pan denote a pattern number or correspond to a particular cooking surface on a stove the pan might’ve been sold with, and unusual notches could be a maker’s mark incorporated into the piece to identify the actual person who crafted it. For example, a Wagner skillet made to sell in a specific store would forgo the Wagner label and rely on its signature characteristics for brand identification. ![]() Each brand had a well-conceived signature design, but for many brands of yesteryear, where consistency ended and mystery unfolded was with markings.Ī skillet’s markings could range from the company’s name to a set of cryptic letters and numbers to mysterious notches to nothing at all, and much of the inconsistency was a result of marketing. They made glassy smooth interiors, handles molded to seamlessly fit into a gripped hand, and walls and pour spouts whose curvature was perfected down to minute angles. The makers of today’s vintage cast iron were meticulously detailed craftsmen. A careful look at the logo on a vintage pan-if it has one-can help determine its age. ![]()
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