Method and sources
Skillet Marks separates what can be seen on a pan from what is concluded about it. You report visible features by hand. The conclusion comes from matching those features against a reference library in which every entry cites its sources.
What counts as evidence
- Only what is clearly visible. A blank clue means “not checked”. It is never treated as “absent” and never rules a candidate out.
- Wording is taken literally. We match the words as cast and do not complete or correct them.
- Features are weighed together. Wording counts most, then the logo, the numbers, the heat ring and the handle. A candidate is called “most likely” only when several kinds of evidence agree and nothing contradicts it.
- Some features rule a candidate out. A clearly smooth base excludes an entry that always has a heat ring, for example.
When we do not name a maker
If the evidence is thin, or two entries fit equally well, the result says so and suggests the photo that would help most. Many unmarked skillets cannot be attributed by anyone, and a wrong answer given with confidence is worse than no answer.
Conflicting sources
References disagree more often than you might expect. Two pages of the same respected site date the Griswold large block logo to 1920–1940 and to 1924–1940, and the slant logo to 1906–1929 and 1909–1929. We keep every claim, show the widest range labeled “sources differ”, and link each claim so you can judge for yourself.
How firm an attribution is
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Documented | Supported by maker's catalogs or marked examples |
| Collector reference | The established view in collector references |
| Conjecture | A common attribution that has not been proven. Never shown as “most likely”. |
Where the information comes from
Entries draw on collector references, chiefly The Cast Iron Collector, on collector associations, and on period catalogs where available. Forum discussions are used as leads and as cautionary examples, not as the basis for an entry. Diagrams are our own schematics.
Sources: The Cast Iron Collector: Trademarks and Logos · The Cast Iron Collector: Griswold trademarks · The Cast Iron Collector: Evolution of the Griswold skillet · The Cast Iron Collector: Evolution of the Wagner trademark · The Cast Iron Collector: Numbers and Letters · The Cast Iron Collector: Identifying Unmarked Iron · The Cast Iron Collector: Reproductions and fakes · Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association: Collecting and identification · Wagner and Griswold Society: Reference catalogs · Griswold Manufacturing Co.: Catalogue No. 45 (Internet Archive)
Limits
- The library covers American vintage skillets and is far from complete. A pan that matches nothing may simply not be in it yet.
- Date ranges are approximate. Makers changed features gradually.
- We flag signs associated with reproductions but do not declare a pan fake. That takes the pan in hand.
- We do not appraise. Results link to sold listings so you can see real prices.
Corrections
If an entry is wrong or a source has been misread, we want to fix it.