Wagner skillets, made in Sidney, Ohio, are dated by the wording and style of the trademark. Early pans say WAGNER alone, then WAGNER with SIDNEY, O. From about 1922 the familiar stylized Wagner Ware logo takes over, and after 1959 it loses the SIDNEY -O- line.
The marks at a glance
Mark
What to look for
Approximate dates
WAGNER, block
Plain straight lettering, usually at 12 o'clock
1890s
WAGNER, arc
The name curved in an arc
1891–1910
WAGNER / SIDNEY, O.
Place name beneath, in mixed straight and arc lettering
1895–1920
Wagner Ware stylized logo
One large fancy W shared by both words, SIDNEY and -O- beneath
1922–1959
Pie logo
Stylized logo inside a wedge-shaped border; CAST IRON SKILLET at 6
1924–1934
Stylized logo, no SIDNEY -O-
Same logo without the place name
After 1959
Dual logo
Stylized logo with a General Housewares Corporation logo
After 1969
The source calls these dates approximate, and the early ranges overlap. It also disagrees with itself in places: its text says the Wagner Ware name began about 1914, while its table places the plain WAGNER WARE / SIDNEY, O. lettering in the 1920s.
Where the logo sits
The stylized logo appears in three placements: at 12 o'clock; centered on heat-ring skillets in sizes 4 to 8, roughly 1924–1935; and high on the base of smooth-bottom skillets together with a catalog number.
Catalog numbers
Wagner catalog numbers encode model and size, usually with a pattern letter. On 1053C, 105x means a regular skillet, 3 is the size and C is the working pattern. Sizes 10 to 14 run from 1060 to 1064. See what the numbers mean.
Unmarked Wagner
Wagner also made smooth-bottom skillets without its name. The size number is incised on top of the handle, and early examples may carry no other mark. Later ones add wording at 6 o'clock such as 6½ INCH SKILLET, and MADE IN USA from the mid-1960s.
Raised ring on the base: ring set in from the edge or none: smooth, flat base
One large fancy W serves both words, with SIDNEY and -O- beneath. Found at 12 o'clock, or centered on heat-ring skillets in sizes 4–8 (roughly 1924–1935), or high on smooth bottoms with a catalog number.
Easily confused: After 1959 the same logo appears without SIDNEY -O-.
Logo shape: logo inside a wedge (pie slice) border
Raised ring on the base: none: smooth, flat base
The stylized logo inside a wedge-shaped border, with a raised catalog number and pattern letter and CAST IRON SKILLET curving at 6 o'clock. Associated with smooth bottoms.
Style of the size number: cut into the iron (incised)
No maker name. The size number is incised on top of the handle; early examples may carry only that mark. Later ones add a size in words at 6 o'clock, such as 6½ INCH SKILLET, and MADE IN USA from the mid-1960s.