Cast Iron Cookware News: Vol. III No. 1

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CAST IRON COOKWARE NEWS		In this issue: Griswold mismatched trademarks...........p.83 Letters to the editor................................p.84 Andresen wafer and waffle irons.............p.85 Wagner toy cookware............................p.86 early waffle iron pictured........................p.87 Buy-Sell-Trade......................................p.88

Vol. 3 No. 1

Number 12

June 1991

From the Editor...

The start of volume 3 is finally here. Thank you all who have been so patient while I dawdle away the time trying to get this volume under way. Actually, that's not all I have been doing. A number of subscribers renewed twice. You will be sent refunds with this or the next issue. As far as getting CICN out on time... Well, it just isn't happening and probably won't. But it will come, and at not too much of a rediculous interval as this one has.

Again, I ask readers for contributions to CICN. Pictures, printed material and advertising, articles of interest, or just about anything to do with early American cookware from the period 1860 to 1960. I can do it all, but it is much more interesting to get input from others. Any material sent to me will be returned if requested and in the same condition as received. ***** During my years of collecting cast iron cookware I have had many Griswold No8 dutch ovens of just about every variation, from the early ERIE ones to the latest small TM ones. Probably the most favored by collectors are the 1920 Patent dutch ovens because of the multitude of markings on them in addition to the fact that they have the basting rings on the underside of the cover.

Pictured above, right, is one such Griswold dutch oven that, in spite of its usual appearance, is one that I find interesting because of the mismatched trademarks (slant and block) and markings (Tite-Top Baster and Dutch Oven) on the top and bottom. The two photos of the cover are of the same cover. It is pretty well known that the slant TM was used before the block TM, with the change occuring somewhere around 1921 if one goes by the slant TM on the Heart Star waffle iron (patented 1920) and the block TM on the regular waffle irons with the 1922 patent. Of the 1920 Patent dutch ovens there are two distinct styles: The earlier of the two has a low domed cover with a round, cast-in handle. It may be marked either Tite-Top Baster or Dutch Oven. Both slant TM and Block TM (I believe) are used. The second, and later, style has the high domed cover, is always marked Dutch Oven and has the block TM. By observation, it has been my assumption that the term Tite-Top Baster was used before Dutch Oven and that, however the top and bottom were marked, they were the same; i.e. either both Tite-Top Baster or Dutch Oven. Even if the pictured piece is a marriage, how can the use of the later block TM on the earlier "Baster" bottom, and the earlier slant TM on the later "Dutch Oven" cover, be explained. It probably can't and I just thought it was an interesting and slightly oddball piece to illustrate Griswold's occasional inconsistencies.

CAST IRON COOKWARE NEWS is published six times per year by Steve Stephens. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Subscriptions are $16 for each year (volume). You will get all the year's back issues regardless of when you subscribe. Send subscriptions and all material to: Steve Stephens, 28 Angela Ave., San Anselmo, CA 94960 (415) 453-7790

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I have a skillet and a round griddle with the same markings. The surface is rough, like the latest Wagner pieces. The markings on the skillet are: A small GrisWold TM, 10½ inch skillet, Made in USA, E. What do you know about these types of markings? Is it a Sidney, Ohio "Wagner" produced skillet? Lamar Smith, LA

What you have, Lamar, are a couple of pieces that are marked Griswold but made in the Wagner foundry in Sidney. I do not know when they were made but would guess that it would be fairly early after Griswold and Wagner came under the same ownership, probably in the late 1950's. The TM on your skillet is definitely the the small Griswold TM (Lamar sent a photo with his letter) and not the later TM used on some Sidney, Ohio production that was a bit larger and with somewhat different print. For all practical purposes, if you see the "inch" size, or "Made in USA" on a piece of Griswold ware it was made in the Wagner foundry in Sidney and not by The Griswold Mfg. Co. in Erie, PA. Some of the original Griswold patterns from Erie were sent to Sidney to be used (often slightly modified) in the production of the two companies which had come under the same ownership. The E on your skillet is probably just a pattern mark with no collector significance.

***** Wasn't aware that Griswold made several barbeque grills. Wonder if ours could be a copy made from a prior mold? Always more questions than answers. It is very interesting to note that most people seem to feel that Griswold, with their 1865 beginning, was the earliest company to make HollowWare cookware. Actually, Favorite traces their beginning to 1848 as the W.C. Davis Co. and I am sure there were other companies in the business earlier. It might be interesting to challenge your readers to list any companies in business before 1940 as to the dates they made hollow ware.
Kay & Ray Johnston, FL

I have seen several different barbeque grills but have no information about them. Do any readers have some knowledge that they would be willing to share? A list of companies that made cast iron cookware and the dates of production would be quite interesting. Readers? Remember, I am always hoping for others to share any information they might have. With some few exceptions the response from readers in regards to contributions has been greatly lacking. -ed. ***** I guess that Wagner made a 5-piece toy set like Griswold. I would like to complete a couple of Wagner sets. Did Wagner use the dutch oven or the Hot Pot? Did they have the # -0- only, or four numbers (pattern nos.) like 1364? I also have two pieces in aluminum and would like to complete that set also.
Gary Stubblefield, CA

Gary, I think the catalog information elsewhere in this issue should answer most of your questions about Wagner toy ware. Note that all pieces, according to Wagner catalogs, were made both in iron and aluminum. (This may not have been true for all years of production or for the later toy sets which used mostly different pieces from earlier sets). Many people see the "-O-" on Wagner pieces and think that it is a zero while, actually, it is an abbreviation for Ohio and is placed on the bottom of the piece just below Sidney. Sometime in the 1920's, I believe, Wagner began using the catalog number of the piece on the bottom. For all practical purposes one could think of it as a pattern number although it really isn't. Wagner did not make a toy dutch oven as did Griswold. The Wagner "Hot Pot" was not a toy, but a pot made to cook and/or serve individual servings in. The Hot Pots were made in at least three diameters. At least one diameter was made in two different depths. Covers were made for all sizes. Wagner toy pieces were also available with a nickel finish on the iron. The most difficult of the Wagner toys to find are the later ones, especially the small skillet, skillet cover, and handled griddle. -ed.

***** I ran across an Erie No8 skillet with VOTE FOR ANDY molded in printed letters on the inside top edge opposite the handle. Do know anything about this skillet or have you ever seen one? George Horne, TX

No. Check its diameter closely against a similar regular Erie skillet. If it's the same size Griswold probably made it. If about 1/8" smaller it could have been cast from an ERIE pan by someone else. -ed.

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Reproduced above are two pages from a 1905 booklet from Alfred Andresen & Co. in So. Minneapolis, Minn. Below are the recipes given for these irons in the booklet. Probably made by Griswold, these irons come on Griswold frames and have the typical Griswold pattern numbers. The waffle iron is one of the best ever made for making delicious waffles and have less of a tendency to stick in these irons than in others.
RECIPES FOR KORNU KOPIA AND KRUMB KAKE Kornu Kopia-- 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar (mix well). 1 scant cup milk, 1½ cup flour (or more if necessary.) Krumb Kake-- 2 eggs, ½ cup butter, 1 cup sugar (mix well). 1 scant cup milk, 1½ cup flour. Flavor either of above with almond, lemon, vanilla, brandy or to taste. Pour either batter onto the iron with a spoon and close Iron tightly. When thoroughly baked place roller on top of cake and roll up in desired shape, cylinder or cone; leaving the roller in the cake until next one is baked.	RECIPE FOR WAFFLES Take--2 cups flour, 2 cups milk, ½ cup melted butter, 2 teaspoonfuls sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 1 teaspoonful salt, 2 eggs, with whites and yolks beaten separately. Have waffle iron hot and well greased. CREAM WAFFLES Three tablespoonfuls of corn starch and one cup of flour, stirred smoothly together, add a teaspoon of salt. Gradually mix in a pint of sour milk, one well beaten egg and a small teaspoonful of sode dissolved in water. Pour into hot waffle Iron.

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previous page From Wagner Catalog Number Thirty, 1924, showing their line of toy cookware and the different sets available. Note that all pieces were made in both iron and aluminum. The iron pieces were also available with a nickel finish during at least some years of production. By 1927 and shown in Catalog Number Forty Eight there was an additional piece, the handled griddle, catalog no.1370. Note that each piece could be bought individually in addition to the various sets. below From Wagner Catalog Number Fifty Five (date unknown, but probably the early 1930's). The sets available are almost completely different than those offered in the 1920's. Catalog nos. 1365 and 1370 are still the same skillet and griddle as earlier, but all the other catalog numbers pertain to new and different pieces. The small skillet, the cover for the larger skillet, and the handled griddle seem to be the hardest to find of all the Wagner toy cookware. Note that the waffle iron is no longer cataloged. Code names were used as an aid in ordering. The tea kettle and waffle iron have been reproduced in recent years.	above A very early waffle iron for use on wood stoves. Photo courtesy James Holroyd, Bend, Oregon.