@@TheDCpicker resellers myself included love the learning vids. Give a man fish, or teach him to fish. Bolo item vs having some knowledge. I think itd make a great vid series, considering sourcing vids won't be happening. Spotting quality ties, vintage toys, antiques vs repros.... that kind of thing. Food for thought. Btw you're killing it on YT, your humor and bluntness is very refreshing.
Great video, the Lodge company is in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. A wonderful place to visit, They also have a National Cornbread Festival at the end of April, that they sponsor and make a special ceremony cast iron skillet for each year.
I currently have over 60 pieces of vintage cast iron that I've bought at thrift stores and yard sales over a number of years. I have items of every brand he mentioned and, in a wide variety of sizes. Many times I find them heavily encased in burned on grease and carbon so thick that they are almost unrecognizable. It's always nice when you clean up a really dirty one and find that it's almost pristine beneath the gunk. If you know how to clean them properly even the rusty ones can sometimes be salvaged for use if, they aren't too heavily pitted. Even the" rockers" and "spinners" can sometimes be used as "camping pans" or, over open flame or, on charcoal grills when the need to be dead flat for a stove top is unnecessary. I have a "rocker" that I get supper hot to sear a great steak outside ( heavy smoke). I wouldn't get one of my nice pans that hot for fear of damaging it but, for the rocker I paid $4 bucks for it's OK..
One of my most used pieces is a heavily pitted shallow skillet, with sides that flare out at an unusually wide angle. On the back it says, "10 1/2" SKILLET," and under that "TAIWAN". I don't remember when or where I got it, but I've had it for years. And in spite of the pitting, it's the most non-stick piece of cast iron I own.
I know it's been an entire year but I did have a question for you if you see this. Out of these brands that he mentioned, which one would you say is the best quality for money if I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars
@@captainfach There are two brands I would look for for value. One is an older Lodge brand pan because of the hugh number that were made, there are still a lot of them out there and they are really very good pans. The other one is a Birmingham Stove and Range pan. The pan I use almost daily is a Birmingham. You can still get them dirt cheap because they are not brand stamped so most people in thrift and junk stores don't know what they are so people will walk by them. They are mid weight and tough I rarely find them warped, and I never had one that cracked. They retain heat well and cook great. I recently paid $8 for a dirty 10" Birmingham skillet that cleaned up almost perfectly and sits dead flat.
Holy cow! I just got into using cast iron for cooking, and I have 3 sets that came from my great granngy! She passed away at the ripe age of 103. She always cooked in these. I have a set with the heat ring. 2 sets with the line across the bottom.
I found two rusty skillets next to a dumpster. One is a Griswold no.8 704D (no heat ring) the other has "14 SK MADE IN USA 2" on the bottom, a heat ring with 3 notches, and a small, solid, flat 2nd "handle" that you can only get two fingertips under. I cleaned the rust off and seasoned them twice and they're starting to look fantastic again 🤙
I couldn’t afford a cast iron pan but found a beautiful Griswold #7 Erie PA 701 E that I dearly love. At an antique store it was only $29! It works like a nonstick because I keep it seasoned. In nursing school I was taught that cast iron pans is a great way to get iron into your diet!
You can also get cast Iron pigs, fish, etc figures that are meant to be put into soups, etc as they cook. This allows the iron to leach out as your food cooks.
I have the skillet my mother used while I was growing up. I was born in 1957. Many a fried chickens, fried fish and cornbread were made in that skillet, along with the memories. I was always curious of who made it until watched your video. It's a 10 inch Birmingham with a fire ring. Even though it probably isn't worth much to a collector, it's priceless to me. I still use it today. Thanks.
I can honestly say, as far as I'm concerned, they're all pieces of history and you're lucky that you have a tangible piece of your family history. Treat them nice and they'll love on long past all of us!
DC, if you haven't already done so,you should publish a book on just cast iron cookware. Your information in this video is much appreciated and I'm sure there is much more you can tell. Thanks again.
Thanks. I really enjoyed your video. I am 73, and collected a lot of my Griswold, which is my favorite, years ago when you could still get them at flea markets for a really good price. Now they know what they are worth, but you can still find them at yard sales and junk shops for not much. All depends on how much the seller knows. LOL. I love mine and use them all the time.
This is a fantastic video sir! Thank for making it! I popped into a Goodwill yesterday and I couldn't believe that they had an old Wagner Dutch oven sitting on the shelf for TWO DOLLARS. SMH Needless to say, I snatched it up with the quickness! Not selling though, as I adore cooking with cast iron.
My favorite thrift store score is a vintage French chef knife that I bought in Beaumont, CA for a quarter. The sales clerk apologized for having to add three cents sales tax...
Great video. My father-in-law bought a Wagner chicken fryer at a fleamarket for $10 and gave it to my wife. It was orange with rust, but the rust had not pitted the cast iron. It cleaned up and seasoned beautifully. Don't be afraid of rust if it is only on the surface.
Speaking of the scrap yard @17:23 I just found a Griswald dutch oven and a Wagner no7 pan literally at the scrap yard when scrapping some brake rotors. the Wagner was rusted and pitted pretty bad but the Griswald cleaned up pretty nice, plus a smaller pan with ridges in it and a wood handle
My mom just passed and going through the kitchen there were some cast iron pieces. I'm sure they were my grandmothers because I never saw my mother use them. One piece was the Griswald rocky mountain pan that is in this video!
Nice job DC picker. I have been collecting cast iron for the past 5 years and have numerous Griswalds and Wagners. I also have a few Puritan, Vollrath, and a Favorite Piqua Ware. You gave a newer cast iron collected valuable information. You were clear and concise. One of the better info video’s.
No kidding! Great video overall but I couldn’t believe how he could be so expert in such obscure stuff and yet just wing it and guess (badly!) on something that’s fairly important and also well known.
This is great. Just discovered my pan is a griswold 1034 chicken pan with lid. Have no intention of selling it I use it three nights a week and it was passed down to my dad from his mother (who still cooked on a wood stove until about the 90s) bit still really interesting. I wonder what else grandma is still hanging on to....she was showing me some ration cards last time I saw her.
Wow! What an extremely interesting video here with lots of valuable information to a vintage cast iron newbie like myself. Thank you so much for sharing this info.
Welp, my buddy worked at a thrift store a couple years back. When we bought our house a couple years ago, he gave us a bunch of cast iron skillets. He gave us about 5 skillets that we use almost every night (some more than others) to cook with and they all have “Heat Rings” on them and look pretty spot on to the pictures you showed in the video 😅 apparently they’ve had the skillets hanging out in the back room for years and figured it would be a nice gift. If it’s worth money or not, they cook extremely well, and we try to keep them up with great care! I’ve always had an appreciation for my skillets but now I have a deeper respect! I’m 25 years old (got them when I was 22 years old). I wonder how many amazing dinners those skillets have prepared over the years! 😁
Love my old Griswold that was passed down from my parents. The handle shape is a great way to tell the age. Mine is from between 1939 and 1944 and is definitely well seasoned. Great video!
@@TheDCpicker Make sure you go to South Pittsburg, TENNESSEE and not Pennsylvania (as stated in the video) -- You probably won't find any cornbread there :D
Thank you. I am so happy you said over seas cast iron is good to cook on. I am not a reseller. I am a user. My most used skillet is made in Tiwan it is 12" at the top and is thick like new Lodge but smooth bottom like old Lodge. It also does not have that jimping on the handle. It is the only piece I own that is not USA made but I love it and it preforms like any good cast iron skillet will. Thank you for the video. I know most of the information in this video already but I still enjoyed watching it.
Thank you for this video. I just happened to get a free Griswold self-basting Dutch oven from my mom. Which she got for free from a friend. It’s in beautiful condition. And I’ve been restoring some lodge cast iron simultaneously with the Griswold, and lodge doesn’t hold a candle to Griswold on how beautiful it’s turning out. I’m not planning on selling this. Because I plan on using it for the rest of my life. But it’s still nice to know that my instincts were right in knowing it was of higher value based on how much easier and nicer it cleaned up.
I just came across a Martin #9 at a thrift shop 18$. Googled it and was dumb struck! Same store had a Wagner drip drop roaster. Im kinda obsessed now. Such a cool find!
I just watched your video, so I had to go and grab my mother's skillet and check it out. Low and behold, it's a Griswald with the double ring and cross in the center..has a No 8. And down below 2 0 0 8. .... ALSO it has straight hammered sides and a hammered lid, that hooks into the far side from the handle....yipee! It was a wedding present to my parents in 1942..in S.F., Cali....I am NOW 70...the youngest of 3, and still kicking! LOL. I cleaned it up and re seasoned it as per video instructions,,,,,,,it wants to wipe off black on to p/t ?? So, I just put it away. Until today. Today, I wiped off some of the oil, it looked good, so I fired it up, splashed on a bit of water, it sizzled, so I turned it off. (Afraid of rancid oil)...I took a wad of p/t to it and it didn't wipe off black....so, I'm good, right? Anything else i should do if it does that again? Why did it happen in the first place? Do you know anything extra about this skillet? Really enjoyed your video....Thank you, M.M.
I just happen to come across your video while I was browsing, I found it to be very informative, excellent video, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge on this topic
Dude, Thank You. Because of this video I have been able to identify and , somewhat, age a couple of items that i own. One is positively a Birmingham, pre 1960 pan. It was a gift , brand new, in the mid eighties. And a chicken fryer Dutch oven combo gifted to me with a shadow/ghost emblem on the underside of the lid. Griswold . I only have a small collection that I use .
Bruce.... Give me a break. The guy said that "he believes" which lends to the fact that he didn't know for sure. It's made in South Pittsburg. When you hear Pittsburgh over and over again, most people are going to think of Pennsylvania. Don't be a negative Nancy, Bruce. Sheesh
Many years ago, I had an extensive set of Asian cast iron. They were cheapo's, but I had lovingly seasoned and cared for them for several years, and they hung in a row above the counter and sink in my kitchen. One of my brothers fell on hard times, and came to live with me for a while. His wife wanted to show her appreciation for me taking them in, so she spent a day scrubbing the inside of every piece of cast iron down to bright metal. When I came home she was standing in the kitchen, proudly waiting to see my response. That was well over forty years ago, but I don't think she has yet forgiven me for the utterly horrified look on my face when I realized what she had done... 😄
@@Vic-Meow I doubt she ever did. She's a genuinely good person and I love her dearly for putting up with my brother for a lifetime, but she isn't exactly the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
These companies may have been driven into the ground as you suggest. But other cheap pans were coming about and people just weren't buying the cast iron anymore. I love mine. It's from my grandparents. It may even be from my great grandparents. I don't know. I do know they came to America around 1890 from Germany. Black smiths and butchers. Thanks for the tutorial. Very informative. I've also got two waffle irons from them.
The Wagner 1891 skillets cook just fine-not scrap only! I've had one since new and am seasoning a little 6.5" 1891 skillet as I type this. I learned a bunch from this video!
Thank you for the excellent education on cast iron pans. I just purchased a Vintage Erie No. 10 - 716 A Large Skillet Pan Pre Griswold, with tax and shipping I paid $276.00, I hope I made a good decision. The ERIE is visible on the bottom of the pan but it is partially worn off over time. The seller on Ebay said the pan is from the late 1800's but my research showed the No. 10 716 was made around the 1890's to 1905. The seller has good ratings so I believe the pan is authentic. Again, thank you for the excellent video, you taught me quite a bit.
A lot of the stuff he says isn’t actually correct. For instance the flash mark he mentions is wrong. Companies sold their failing molds to other companies, when they did, they tried to remove their branding and marked it with a score to define that the pan was a recast. Don’t be I’ve everything you see on the internet.
I have a 5 quart pot with steel wire handle and glass lid. It has Wagner and Griswald on the bottom. I belong to my mother in law and with aquired the memory when she passed two years ago alone with 2 8 inch Griswald skillets in rough but usable condition and some old Lodge and possibly a Birminham skillet. Sweet memories. She was also a wonderful cook.
I bought several pieces at Goodwill. Among that was 2 skillets 12in., Completely unmarked. Look like a lodge with the second handle. The gate mark is very smooth.
Found an old lodge with a heat ring. So happy with my find today. He definitely needs re-seasoning and a name.(because I'm a weirdo and have a Tamagotchi effect for cast iron cookware) Not a collector so I will buy cast iron rejects cheap as long as they aren't completely un usable. I mainly want vintage for their smoothness that modern lodge doesn't have. Have two Wagners one slightly spins(Angus a 5 pan cooks eggs well enough) and Flapjack Sr is a griddle with a small peice missing.(it was seasoned over so someone probably dropped it long ago and kept on cooking with it/makes awesome grilled cheese sandwiches)
9:58 I found that model in scrap today. I plan on restoring it. Its still older than the skillets I own now. Actually...its only 2 years younger than me! Anyways. It is free and I appreciate the info this video has offered me.
What a wonderful video... I have a little griddle that I just love.. it has a embossed #7 on the bottom with a heat ring... never seen a embossed number on cast iron before... have you... thanks for the video...
Very Interesting video. My old (inherited) cast iron is smoother than recently purchased pieces. Someone told me they now use courser sand than they used to. Do you know if that is the reason or has the texture of the old pieces just warn away?
Great info! I have several cast iron skillets picked up at yard sales over the years and really didn’t know much about them. Can’t wait to check them out now :) Thanks for sharing!!
The curious mind thanks you. I found a skillet in a van we bought, I think the guy used it to cook over a camp fire. the only markings are an 8 and a G. It has the heat ring. I guess it's a Birmingham. I use it all the time and I always wondered who made it. I never thought cast iron could be worth much but I'm gonna keep my eye out for it when we go junk pickin. Thank you for posting this.
Hi I work in a salvage yard and people throw away cast iron skillets daily we get them. I have an abundant sea of cast iron I know a lot of the markings even the lodge is old markings. So I collected them and restored them. I use a lot of cash during when I cook. I even have a few pots. I have some old cast iron animals that are Boston Terriers. I was told one of them is worth $1,000 in the other one almost as much but it's a remake. One of them has bolts going through it with square heads the other one has put together just by the Assembly of it like it was press together keep talking about that Castor and I like your videos thanks
I love my cast iron. I recently found two small cast iron bean pots by Marca Registrar's from Portugal. I looked up the smallest one and there was one on eBay for $60
A very, very valuable reference! Thank you very much! And, just a side note for you, your "corn cob holder" is actually a pan for making corn stick shaped cornbread. 😉
I've been looking for a flat bottomed gate marked pan. I got a big footed one with a matching lid, a few kettles, and a giant pot-belly cauldron with a double gate. But no stove top pan. All are still used for cooking.
I inherited two Wagner ware skillets, one was a deep 10" Sidney 1088, it's great. The other Wagner is a 11 3/4" made in USA. It's not as well finished on the outside as the other and it does have a small bump on the inner smooth surface. I have two smaller Vollrath skillets that are amazingly well finished. Both are better made than the Wagner 11 3/4" .
You definitely want to pack well. I shipped 3/4 ton brake drums cross country USPS packed well, arrived broken. Truck Brake drums! how did they do that?
I have a cast iron pan with a number 9 on the top side of the handle. And it says, LODGE on the back that's all the markings on it and it does have a heat ring.
I have my grandmother's skillet - she was born in 1896 and became the lady of the house when her mother died when she was eight. I can only imagine how much cornbread, and chicken and other dishes have been prepared in it. My mother got it when her mother died in 1973 and I got it when my Mom died in 2007. I still use it many times per year, and wouldn't sell it for $1000. It is going to my daughter-in-law when I go.
I went with the lodge SK LG size, as a cook and baker for many moons, I took it home and rocked it, and now I can get that golden brown I'm looking for that that other non cast cant do. Thank you for this very informative video. Interesting. Very interesting
I have an unmarked Wagner that has become my most used pan. The seasoning is good enough for low-temp scrambled eggs. I have 50's Lodge in an electrolysis bath. Both skillets have beautiful polished cooking surfaces that are unmatched by today's Lodge skillets.
thanks to u i discovered i have a ton of antique earie cast iron1865!!! also was habnded down alot of antique wagner ware.....griswald...some with gate marks---wow! some with heat rings.......
I use Lodge regularly, I ground down the ruff surface and then sanded smooth.. My last Lodge I over heated and warped it, so into the camp gear it went !
I’ve. been buying and using cast iron cookware for about 5 years - and have watched a lot of videos. And this video is one of the best I have seen. Great overview of cast iron products. I especially like old gate marked items and have 8 pieces - mainly for display. In my kitchen, I have 4 vintage 10 inch skillets (one by each of the makers you mentioned). But I’m more interested in older 10 inch diameter bake ovens and Dutch ovens but it’s hard to find them with their original lids. When I find one, it is usually priced over $100. Here in Alabama, it’s easier to find vintage Wagner Dutch ovens than other brands. I have one marked and another unmarked. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions related to this size Dutch oven.
I have a small skillet marked Wagner Ware Sidney. I have never thought about where they came from. Nice to know. I still use it for making a small cornbread from time to time
I get collecting, and I have some old Wagner and Griswold pans. But practically speaking vintage is no better than modern. My favorite pan was $10 from the camping section at Walmart. I took a palm sander to it to smooth the finish and it cooks just as well as my vintage pans. You can do the same with Lodge
Very informative I identified my Lodge with your video :) Thank you it has the three openings on the ring and says 10 unmarked , I have a another unmarked cast iron it says 101/2 Chicken Fryer with a 8 on the top handle and a helper feature on the top ?? any suggestions what I might have ?
So, if you find a vintage one, should you clean it? With antiques, patina is everything. Does that hold with cast iron? I have a Griswold with the ring on the bottom. Just curious
I have an older skillet, no markings besides an 8, the handle has a tear drop shape to it with a ridge the runs to the pan, and a ring along the bottom. It also has a super smooth cooking surface and not warped, cracked or damaged. I use it 3 to 4 times a day for the last 22 years. Any idea who made it and or the age?
I still shudder with regret when I recall throwing out one of the old cast iron skillets given to me by my mother. It was about 1989 and I was young and dumb. I couldn't cook with it and was frustrated it took so much room that I didn't have. It's so unlike me to throw something away like that so I was evidently in quite a mood. I still have the smaller skillet she gave me -- I think I've ascertained from this video it's the 8 inch skillet from Birmingham stove. It has the ridged handle and my mom lived in the Birmingham area. It must be from around the 1960s since it has no heat ring and does not say made in USA. Thanks for the education! PS. I have learned to love cooking with cast iron and the Birmingham Stove skillet is one of my favorites! It's a good quality product and I'm so happy I still have it.
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This will probably become your most viewed video. Great job!
I hope so! It took like 2 full days to make! More than half ended up on the cutting room floor.
@@TheDCpicker took a couple months but..... "called it!"
I couldn't help thinking of this comment as I was editing the new video 😂😭
@@TheDCpicker resellers myself included love the learning vids. Give a man fish, or teach him to fish. Bolo item vs having some knowledge. I think itd make a great vid series, considering sourcing vids won't be happening. Spotting quality ties, vintage toys, antiques vs repros.... that kind of thing. Food for thought. Btw you're killing it on YT, your humor and bluntness is very refreshing.
only vid to 1000 views so far..... you called it!
Great video, the Lodge company is in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. A wonderful place to visit, They also have a National Cornbread Festival at the end of April, that they sponsor and make a special ceremony cast iron skillet for each year.
Lodge has always been in South Pittsburg Tennessee.
I currently have over 60 pieces of vintage cast iron that I've bought at thrift stores and yard sales over a number of years. I have items of every brand he mentioned and, in a wide variety of sizes. Many times I find them heavily encased in burned on grease and carbon so thick that they are almost unrecognizable. It's always nice when you clean up a really dirty one and find that it's almost pristine beneath the gunk. If you know how to clean them properly even the rusty ones can sometimes be salvaged for use if, they aren't too heavily pitted. Even the" rockers" and "spinners" can sometimes be used as "camping pans" or, over open flame or, on charcoal grills when the need to be dead flat for a stove top is unnecessary. I have a "rocker" that I get supper hot to sear a great steak outside ( heavy smoke). I wouldn't get one of my nice pans that hot for fear of damaging it but, for the rocker I paid $4 bucks for it's OK..
One of my most used pieces is a heavily pitted shallow skillet, with sides that flare out at an unusually wide angle. On the back it says, "10 1/2" SKILLET," and under that "TAIWAN". I don't remember when or where I got it, but I've had it for years. And in spite of the pitting, it's the most non-stick piece of cast iron I own.
I know it's been an entire year but I did have a question for you if you see this. Out of these brands that he mentioned, which one would you say is the best quality for money if I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars
@@captainfach There are two brands I would look for for value. One is an older Lodge brand pan because of the hugh number that were made, there are still a lot of them out there and they are really very good pans. The other one is a Birmingham Stove and Range pan. The pan I use almost daily is a Birmingham. You can still get them dirt cheap because they are not brand stamped so most people in thrift and junk stores don't know what they are so people will walk by them. They are mid weight and tough I rarely find them warped, and I never had one that cracked. They retain heat well and cook great. I recently paid $8 for a dirty 10" Birmingham skillet that cleaned up almost perfectly and sits dead flat.
@a.c.king-dk5yl1ep2m oh wow thanks for the quick response! Does he go into how to identify a Birmingham if it's unmarked?
@@captainfach search for: Southern Cast iron, forgotten foundry, Birmingham Stove & Range.
Holy cow! I just got into using cast iron for cooking, and I have 3 sets that came from my great granngy! She passed away at the ripe age of 103. She always cooked in these. I have a set with the heat ring. 2 sets with the line across the bottom.
Wow❤❤❤ love them
Excellent! My cast iron is from grandma...1920s vintage Wagner...I use it every day here near Ester, Alaska.
Ya, ask at a garage sale “do you have any cast iron” this scored me a #14 Griswold . It;s worth the ask!
I found two rusty skillets next to a dumpster. One is a Griswold no.8 704D (no heat ring) the other has "14 SK MADE IN USA 2" on the bottom, a heat ring with 3 notches, and a small, solid, flat 2nd "handle" that you can only get two fingertips under. I cleaned the rust off and seasoned them twice and they're starting to look fantastic again 🤙
I couldn’t afford a cast iron pan but found a beautiful Griswold #7 Erie PA 701 E that I dearly love. At an antique store it was only $29! It works like a nonstick because I keep it seasoned. In nursing school I was taught that cast iron pans is a great way to get iron into your diet!
Just keep tomatoes out of it -- the acid will eat off the seasoning and put a funny taste into the food.
You can also get cast Iron pigs, fish, etc figures that are meant to be put into soups, etc as they cook. This allows the iron to leach out as your food cooks.
I have the skillet my mother used while I was growing up. I was born in 1957. Many a fried chickens, fried fish and cornbread were made in that skillet, along with the memories.
I was always curious of who made it until watched your video.
It's a 10 inch Birmingham with a fire ring.
Even though it probably isn't worth much to a collector, it's priceless to me. I still use it today.
Thanks.
I can honestly say, as far as I'm concerned, they're all pieces of history and you're lucky that you have a tangible piece of your family history. Treat them nice and they'll love on long past all of us!
BSR fan here as well 👍 wonderful to have family history at your finger tips, keep passing it along!
DC, if you haven't already done so,you should publish a book on just cast iron cookware. Your information in this video is much appreciated and I'm sure there is much more you can tell.
Thanks again.
Thanks. I really enjoyed your video. I am 73, and collected a lot of my Griswold, which is my favorite, years ago when you could still get them at flea markets for a really good price. Now they know what they are worth, but you can still find them at yard sales and junk shops for not much. All depends on how much the seller knows. LOL. I love mine and use them all the time.
This is a fantastic video sir! Thank for making it! I popped into a Goodwill yesterday and I couldn't believe that they had an old Wagner Dutch oven sitting on the shelf for TWO DOLLARS. SMH Needless to say, I snatched it up with the quickness! Not selling though, as I adore cooking with cast iron.
Awesome to hear some old iron being kept alive!
My favorite thrift store score is a vintage French chef knife that I bought in Beaumont, CA for a quarter. The sales clerk apologized for having to add three cents sales tax...
Yeah I used to collect vintage cast iron but I ended up with so much
I'm surprised it qas that cheap at the goodwill they've gotten ridiculously expensive
Great video. My father-in-law bought a Wagner chicken fryer at a fleamarket for $10 and gave it to my wife. It was orange with rust, but the rust had not pitted the cast iron. It cleaned up and seasoned beautifully. Don't be afraid of rust if it is only on the surface.
Very informative and well done. TheDCpicker is a first-class speaker and educator.
Speaking of the scrap yard @17:23 I just found a Griswald dutch oven and a Wagner no7 pan literally at the scrap yard when scrapping some brake rotors. the Wagner was rusted and pitted pretty bad but the Griswald cleaned up pretty nice, plus a smaller pan with ridges in it and a wood handle
Wow, you are antiques Roadshow level. Extremely helpful man. Good video
Thanks! I wish I had more in my hands, but I think the pics did a good job to get the point across.
You certainly know your cast iron!
Great video
Thanks! By no means is ALL the info mine. I had to backfill some gaps with good old fashioned research.
the one thing I do after using a piece. of cast iron is to oil it after each use
My mom just passed and going through the kitchen there were some cast iron pieces. I'm sure they were my grandmothers because I never saw my mother use them.
One piece was the Griswald rocky mountain pan that is in this video!
My sister found a cast-iron skillet that has Denmark on it thank you for Taking your valuable time and making this video for us 💕🥰
These are pans or Skillets,why are you calling them Pots?
Nice job DC picker. I have been collecting cast iron for the past 5 years and have numerous Griswalds and Wagners. I also have a few Puritan, Vollrath, and a Favorite Piqua Ware. You gave a newer cast iron collected valuable information. You were clear and concise. One of the better info video’s.
Thanks for watching!
Great job! Very informative. And well presented. This was a CAST IRON SKILLET TUTORIAL!
Lodge is made in St. Pittsburgh Tennessee. Just thought I'd let you know
No kidding! Great video overall but I couldn’t believe how he could be so expert in such obscure stuff and yet just wing it and guess (badly!) on something that’s fairly important and also well known.
@@ichbinderfreitag4461 In fairness his video's about vintage and antique - he gets a pass on modern cast iron details mwahaha.
Lodge are proudly made in South Pittsburgh Tennessee.
Yard sales are great places of finding cast iron and also Pyrex bowls. Thanks for the tips on identifying
This is great. Just discovered my pan is a griswold 1034 chicken pan with lid. Have no intention of selling it I use it three nights a week and it was passed down to my dad from his mother (who still cooked on a wood stove until about the 90s) bit still really interesting. I wonder what else grandma is still hanging on to....she was showing me some ration cards last time I saw her.
Yes I have 1034 A pan and matching #8,. 1035 lid. COOL STUFF
My mom gave me a caked up old cast iron pan 20 years ago, I decided to finally clean it up and found out it was a vintage Griswold #8 with a heat ring
Wow! What an extremely interesting video here with lots of valuable information to a vintage cast iron newbie like myself. Thank you so much for sharing this info.
Welp, my buddy worked at a thrift store a couple years back. When we bought our house a couple years ago, he gave us a bunch of cast iron skillets. He gave us about 5 skillets that we use almost every night (some more than others) to cook with and they all have “Heat Rings” on them and look pretty spot on to the pictures you showed in the video 😅 apparently they’ve had the skillets hanging out in the back room for years and figured it would be a nice gift. If it’s worth money or not, they cook extremely well, and we try to keep them up with great care!
I’ve always had an appreciation for my skillets but now I have a deeper respect!
I’m 25 years old (got them when I was 22 years old). I wonder how many amazing dinners those skillets have prepared over the years! 😁
Thank you for the heads up on passing on Wagner 1861.
No prob!
I so adore my cast iron I would go around on cheap budget to old junk markets and dig for old items ❤thanks
Love my old Griswold that was passed down from my parents. The handle shape is a great way to tell the age. Mine is from between 1939 and 1944 and is definitely well seasoned. Great video!
Lodge is My Favorite cast Iron. The factory I only 5 miles from my house. You can even do tours During the national cornbread festival
Thats fantastic! Maybe ill go one day!
@@TheDCpicker Make sure you go to South Pittsburg, TENNESSEE and not Pennsylvania (as stated in the video) -- You probably won't find any cornbread there :D
My largest Lodge has a divot in the center...
Thank you. I am so happy you said over seas cast iron is good to cook on. I am not a reseller. I am a user. My most used skillet is made in Tiwan it is 12" at the top and is thick like new Lodge but smooth bottom like old Lodge. It also does not have that jimping on the handle. It is the only piece I own that is not USA made but I love it and it preforms like any good cast iron skillet will. Thank you for the video. I know most of the information in this video already but I still enjoyed watching it.
Thank you for this video. I just happened to get a free Griswold self-basting Dutch oven from my mom. Which she got for free from a friend. It’s in beautiful condition. And I’ve been restoring some lodge cast iron simultaneously with the Griswold, and lodge doesn’t hold a candle to Griswold on how beautiful it’s turning out. I’m not planning on selling this. Because I plan on using it for the rest of my life. But it’s still nice to know that my instincts were right in knowing it was of higher value based on how much easier and nicer it cleaned up.
Thank you for the fantastic history lesson! I have many of my grandmother's cast iron... Some of my great grandmother's.
I just came across a Martin #9 at a thrift shop 18$. Googled it and was dumb struck! Same store had a Wagner drip drop roaster. Im kinda obsessed now. Such a cool find!
I just watched your video, so I had to go and grab my mother's skillet and check it out. Low and behold, it's a Griswald with the double ring and cross in the center..has a No 8. And down below 2 0 0 8. .... ALSO it has straight hammered sides and a hammered lid, that hooks into the far side from the handle....yipee! It was a wedding present to my parents in 1942..in S.F., Cali....I am NOW 70...the youngest of 3, and still kicking! LOL. I cleaned it up and re seasoned it as per video instructions,,,,,,,it wants to wipe off black on to p/t ?? So, I just put it away. Until today. Today, I wiped off some of the oil, it looked good, so I fired it up, splashed on a bit of water, it sizzled, so I turned it off. (Afraid of rancid oil)...I took a wad of p/t to it and it didn't wipe off black....so, I'm good, right? Anything else i should do if it does that again? Why did it happen in the first place? Do you know anything extra about this skillet? Really enjoyed your video....Thank you, M.M.
Well done video. Concise, informative, and not unneccessarily long-winded. Thanks
This was the most informative video I have ever seen to help me find good cast iron. Thank you so much!
I just happen to come across your video while I was browsing, I found it to be very informative, excellent video, thank you for sharing your vast knowledge on this topic
Dude, Thank You. Because of this video I have been able to identify and , somewhat, age a couple of items that i own. One is positively a Birmingham, pre 1960 pan. It was a gift , brand new, in the mid eighties. And a chicken fryer Dutch oven combo gifted to me with a shadow/ghost emblem on the underside of the lid. Griswold . I only have a small collection that I use .
Very helpful. Thank you. We collect but to use, not to sell. We have done well at yard sales in New England
Kudos excellent information…
First timer here…
Lodge is made and always has been made in South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Yeah, to be such an EXPERT, he didn't know that Lodge is made in TENNESSEE, not PA
Bruce.... Give me a break. The guy said that "he believes" which lends to the fact that he didn't know for sure. It's made in South Pittsburg. When you hear Pittsburgh over and over again, most people are going to think of Pennsylvania. Don't be a negative Nancy, Bruce. Sheesh
Thanks for the tips on details. I’m trying to ID my great grandmother’s Dutch oven.
Lots of great information here! Thanks. BTW those corn shaped pans are cornbread
The mind knows but the mouth has trouble keeping up lol!
I love that huge pan you showed, it's really cool and would love to get a size like that too.
Many years ago, I had an extensive set of Asian cast iron. They were cheapo's, but I had lovingly seasoned and cared for them for several years, and they hung in a row above the counter and sink in my kitchen. One of my brothers fell on hard times, and came to live with me for a while. His wife wanted to show her appreciation for me taking them in, so she spent a day scrubbing the inside of every piece of cast iron down to bright metal. When I came home she was standing in the kitchen, proudly waiting to see my response. That was well over forty years ago, but I don't think she has yet forgiven me for the utterly horrified look on my face when I realized what she had done... 😄
Omg, that is so sad for you and your pans! Did she ever come to realize the meaning of what she had done? Poor girl, good intentions but oh so wrong!
@@Vic-Meow I doubt she ever did. She's a genuinely good person and I love her dearly for putting up with my brother for a lifetime, but she isn't exactly the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.
@@troystallard6895 ha that's funny! And so nice of you!
OMG a family story for the ages!!
These companies may have been driven into the ground as you suggest. But other cheap pans were coming about and people just weren't buying the cast iron anymore.
I love mine. It's from my grandparents. It may even be from my great grandparents. I don't know. I do know they came to America around 1890 from Germany. Black smiths and butchers.
Thanks for the tutorial. Very informative. I've also got two waffle irons from them.
The Wagner 1891 skillets cook just fine-not scrap only! I've had one since new and am seasoning a little 6.5" 1891 skillet as I type this. I learned a bunch from this video!
This is primarily a "flipping for profit" channel. I meant not having value in flipping. But for cooking? Theyre great!
Thank you for the excellent education on cast iron pans. I just purchased a Vintage Erie No. 10 - 716 A Large Skillet Pan Pre Griswold, with tax and shipping I paid $276.00, I hope I made a good decision. The ERIE is visible on the bottom of the pan but it is partially worn off over time. The seller on Ebay said the pan is from the late 1800's but my research showed the No. 10 716 was made around the 1890's to 1905. The seller has good ratings so I believe the pan is authentic. Again, thank you for the excellent video, you taught me quite a bit.
A lot of the stuff he says isn’t actually correct. For instance the flash mark he mentions is wrong. Companies sold their failing molds to other companies, when they did, they tried to remove their branding and marked it with a score to define that the pan was a recast. Don’t be I’ve everything you see on the internet.
I have a 5 quart pot with steel wire handle and glass lid. It has Wagner and Griswald on the bottom. I belong to my mother in law and with aquired the memory when she passed two years ago alone with 2 8 inch Griswald skillets in rough but usable condition and some old Lodge and possibly a Birminham skillet. Sweet memories. She was also a wonderful cook.
I bought several pieces at Goodwill. Among that was 2 skillets 12in., Completely unmarked. Look like a lodge with the second handle. The gate mark is very smooth.
Nice video bro! Just found an old wagner in the basement of an old house! Pretty cool and seasoned very nicely 👌
Found an old lodge with a heat ring. So happy with my find today. He definitely needs re-seasoning and a name.(because I'm a weirdo and have a Tamagotchi effect for cast iron cookware) Not a collector so I will buy cast iron rejects cheap as long as they aren't completely un usable. I mainly want vintage for their smoothness that modern lodge doesn't have. Have two Wagners one slightly spins(Angus a 5 pan cooks eggs well enough) and Flapjack Sr is a griddle with a small peice missing.(it was seasoned over so someone probably dropped it long ago and kept on cooking with it/makes awesome grilled cheese sandwiches)
9:58 I found that model in scrap today. I plan on restoring it. Its still older than the skillets I own now. Actually...its only 2 years younger than me! Anyways. It is free and I appreciate the info this video has offered me.
What a wonderful video... I have a little griddle that I just love.. it has a embossed #7 on the bottom with a heat ring... never seen a embossed number on cast iron before... have you... thanks for the video...
Very Interesting video. My old (inherited) cast iron is smoother than recently purchased pieces. Someone told me they now use courser sand than they used to. Do you know if that is the reason or has the texture of the old pieces just warn away?
Thanks for the informative video. I have a Griswold pair of interlocking 12" skillets, what's this combo called?
Great information! Your podcast with Lonnie brought me here and your talented video earned my sub!
Great info! I have several cast iron skillets picked up at yard sales over the years and really didn’t know much about them. Can’t wait to check them out now :) Thanks for sharing!!
It's my pleasure. Investigating is half the fun with this stuff! It's my favorite! I hope you have some winners!
Got some Sears robust pans today $12 for 20 pans seasoned one and works awesome
Thanks for the cast iron tips! Cheers from Canada!
The curious mind thanks you. I found a skillet in a van we bought, I think the guy used it to cook over a camp fire. the only markings are an 8 and a G. It has the heat ring. I guess it's a Birmingham. I use it all the time and I always wondered who made it. I never thought cast iron could be worth much but I'm gonna keep my eye out for it when we go junk pickin. Thank you for posting this.
Cool find! Good luck out there!
BSR ran the fire ring till 1980s ish or so I do believe. A lot of good info here for people getting started.
Hi I work in a salvage yard and people throw away cast iron skillets daily we get them. I have an abundant sea of cast iron I know a lot of the markings even the lodge is old markings. So I collected them and restored them. I use a lot of cash during when I cook. I even have a few pots. I have some old cast iron animals that are Boston Terriers. I was told one of them is worth $1,000 in the other one almost as much but it's a remake. One of them has bolts going through it with square heads the other one has put together just by the Assembly of it like it was press together keep talking about that Castor and I like your videos thanks
Great video. I think you solved a mystery I have had for years. I have an old, hammered dutch oven. There was no name on it.
I love my cast iron. I recently found two small cast iron bean pots by Marca Registrar's from Portugal. I looked up the smallest one and there was one on eBay for $60
How do you tell who made a cast iron dutch oven
A very, very valuable reference! Thank you very much! And, just a side note for you, your "corn cob holder" is actually a pan for making corn stick shaped cornbread. 😉
Lodge is in South Pittsburg, TN 😁😁😁😁
I found a 10" Wagner at Goodwill for $7. Love those finds!
I've been looking for a flat bottomed gate marked pan. I got a big footed one with a matching lid, a few kettles, and a giant pot-belly cauldron with a double gate. But no stove top pan. All are still used for cooking.
I inherited two Wagner ware skillets, one was a deep 10" Sidney 1088, it's great. The other Wagner is a 11 3/4" made in USA. It's not as well finished on the outside as the other and it does have a small bump on the inner smooth surface. I have two smaller Vollrath skillets that are amazingly well finished. Both are better made than the Wagner 11 3/4" .
Awesome! I wish you the best of luck with them!
I'm watching a video about cooking pan and it's interested great job
TYVM!
Just the information I've been looking for. Many thanks.
You definitely want to pack well.
I shipped 3/4 ton brake drums cross country USPS packed well, arrived broken. Truck Brake drums! how did they do that?
I have a cast iron pan with a number 9 on the top side of the handle. And it says, LODGE on the back that's all the markings on it and it does have a heat ring.
Subscribed thank you for your time. I can learn a lot from you.
Interesting. I have an old Wagner and maybe some others which are unmarked. Thanks.
I have my grandmother's skillet - she was born in 1896 and became the lady of the house when her mother died when she was eight. I can only imagine how much cornbread, and chicken and other dishes have been prepared in it. My mother got it when her mother died in 1973 and I got it when my Mom died in 2007. I still use it many times per year, and wouldn't sell it for $1000. It is going to my daughter-in-law when I go.
I went with the lodge SK LG size, as a cook and baker for many moons, I took it home and rocked it, and now I can get that golden brown I'm looking for that that other non cast cant do. Thank you for this very informative video. Interesting. Very interesting
Lodge foundry is located in South Pittsburg, TN outside Chattanooga.
I have an unmarked Wagner that has become my most used pan. The seasoning is good enough for low-temp scrambled eggs. I have 50's Lodge in an electrolysis bath. Both skillets have beautiful polished cooking surfaces that are unmatched by today's Lodge skillets.
thanks to u i discovered i have a ton of antique earie cast iron1865!!! also was habnded down alot of antique wagner ware.....griswald...some with gate marks---wow! some with heat rings.......
Thank you for a great video loaded with great information!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the great video. Very informative.
It's my pleasure!!
I use Lodge regularly, I ground down the ruff surface and then sanded smooth..
My last Lodge I over heated and warped it, so into the camp gear it went !
I’ve. been buying and using cast iron cookware for about 5 years - and have watched a lot of videos. And this video is one of the best I have seen. Great overview of cast iron products. I especially like old gate marked items and have 8 pieces - mainly for display. In my kitchen, I have 4 vintage 10 inch skillets (one by each of the makers you mentioned). But I’m more interested in older 10 inch diameter bake ovens and Dutch ovens but it’s hard to find them with their original lids. When I find one, it is usually priced over $100. Here in Alabama, it’s easier to find vintage Wagner Dutch ovens than other brands. I have one marked and another unmarked.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions related to this size Dutch oven.
This is nicest comment anyone has ever left. Thank you for leaving it. And I don't see why a Dutch oven specific vid isn't possible....
how good are Benjamin & Medwin Cast Iron, I have one from the early '80s. I use it for everything.
Thanks for this informative video
My pleasure
I have a small skillet marked Wagner Ware Sidney. I have never thought about where they came from. Nice to know. I still use it for making a small cornbread from time to time
AWESOME! I broke out one of my antiques on Christmas dinner! What good is having them, if you dont use them?!
Bought my best pan at a flea market. Sometimes you can tell their old and were used well not well used.
the one thing that I would like to have a portage or pot with a wire handle.
I get collecting, and I have some old Wagner and Griswold pans. But practically speaking vintage is no better than modern. My favorite pan was $10 from the camping section at Walmart. I took a palm sander to it to smooth the finish and it cooks just as well as my vintage pans. You can do the same with Lodge
Very informative I identified my Lodge with your video :) Thank you it has the three openings on the ring and says 10 unmarked , I have a another unmarked cast iron it says 101/2 Chicken Fryer with a 8 on the top handle and a helper feature on the top ?? any suggestions what I might have ?
Glad i helped with the first one. If you want to send pix to my email, ill look at them and see what I can tell you.
Boy this is some good information
Thanks so much! It's by no means a complete tutorial, but its enough to get you in trouble 😀
So, if you find a vintage one, should you clean it? With antiques, patina is everything. Does that hold with cast iron? I have a Griswold with the ring on the bottom. Just curious
I have an older skillet, no markings besides an 8, the handle has a tear drop shape to it with a ridge the runs to the pan, and a ring along the bottom. It also has a super smooth cooking surface and not warped, cracked or damaged. I use it 3 to 4 times a day for the last 22 years. Any idea who made it and or the age?
I still shudder with regret when I recall throwing out one of the old cast iron skillets given to me by my mother. It was about 1989 and I was young and dumb. I couldn't cook with it and was frustrated it took so much room that I didn't have. It's so unlike me to throw something away like that so I was evidently in quite a mood. I still have the smaller skillet she gave me -- I think I've ascertained from this video it's the 8 inch skillet from Birmingham stove. It has the ridged handle and my mom lived in the Birmingham area. It must be from around the 1960s since it has no heat ring and does not say made in USA. Thanks for the education!
PS. I have learned to love cooking with cast iron and the Birmingham Stove skillet is one of my favorites! It's a good quality product and I'm so happy I still have it.