Who Made This?

UNCOVERING THE ORIGINS OF A CAST-IRON PAN CAN PROVE TO BE A CHALLENGE, BUT KNOWING WHERE TO LOOK CAN LEAD TO A PATH OF DISCOVERY

The makers of today’s vintage cast iron were meticulously detailed craftsmen. 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. Each brand had a well-conceived signature design, but for many brands of yesteryear, where consistency ended and mystery unfolded was with markings.

A 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. 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