Most vintage Lodge skillets do not say Lodge. From the 1930s until 1987 the company, based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, sold skillets without its name, and they are recognized by notches in the heat ring: one notch at 12 o'clock in the 1930s, and three notches at 9, 12 and 3 from the 1940s to 1987.
| Period | Mark | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 1900–1910 | None (“Blacklock”, attributed) | Outside heat ring, raised size number on the handle, raised molder's letter at 6. No marked example is known, so this is conjecture. |
| 1910–1930s | Arc logo | LODGE in arc lettering |
| 1930s | None, single notch | Inset ring with one notch at 12; raised size on the handle or a one-inch number at 12 |
| 1940s–1987 | None, three notch | Inset ring with notches at 9, 12 and 3; ¾-inch size number at 12 |
| 1987 onward | “Egg” logo | The Lodge name returns; the logo is recessed from 1993 |
Other makers copied the notches. If the handle is not a Lodge style, or the pan has very small pour spouts and a reinforced rim typical of automated molding, treat it as a look-alike. Read more in heat rings and notches.
Sources: The Cast Iron Collector: Identifying Unmarked Iron · The Cast Iron Collector: Trademarks and Logos · Cast Iron Collector forum: three notch with no markings
Collector reference
Date range: 1910–1930s
LODGE in arc lettering. Our sources show examples but give little written detail, so compare against reference photos.
Conjecture — not proven
Date range: 1900–1910
Outside heat ring, raised size number on top of the handle and a raised molder's letter at 6 o'clock. No marked Blacklock skillet is known, so this attribution is conjecture.
Collector reference
Date range: 1930s
No maker name. Inset heat ring with one notch at 12 o'clock; raised size number on the handle or a one-inch number at 12; small raised molder's letter at 6.
Collector reference
Date range: 1940s–1987
No maker name. Inset heat ring with notches at 9, 12 and 3 o'clock and a three-quarter-inch size number at 12. Letters such as SK appear from the late 1950s, and MADE IN USA at the center from about the mid-1960s.
Easily confused: Other makers copied the three notches. Collectors have ruled out Lodge on three-notch pans whose handle, small pour spouts and reinforced rim point to automated molding, so compare the handle with a documented Lodge before settling.
Sources: The Cast Iron Collector: Identifying Unmarked Iron · Cast Iron Collector forum: three notch with no markings
Collector reference
Date range: about 1987–present sources differ
Lodge put its name back on its cookware after 1987. This is modern production.
Sources: The Cast Iron Collector: Trademarks and Logos · The Cast Iron Collector: Identifying Unmarked Iron
Updated 2026-11-10. How we check and correct this site.