Griswold "Plain Iron" Finish

LD Bellard

New member
I have a #4 Griswold LBL smooth bottom skillet marked with the 702 pattern number with an A. The Blue book identifies it as being made circa 1930-1939. I ran it through my E tank and, after the seasoning was removed, I discovered the inside of the pan doesn't have a polished finish like all the other Griswolds I have. At first I thought it had been sand blasted, but upon close inspection the interior looks like it was cast and not polished. The interior looks virtually identical to the exterior finish on it as well as many of the other others I have. I read this could be a "Plain Iron" finish as opposed to the polished "Extra Finish Ware". The Blue book doesn't say how long this plain iron finish was available. Was it available during the 1930-1939 time frame? If so, this would be the first time I have seen this finish.
 
The phrase "Extra Finished Ware" in Griswold literature was more a marketing gimmick than a description of a specific polishing or finishing process. It called attention to Griswold's assertion that whatever they did to their hollowware, for each type of piece, could not be done any better. Encompassed in the term were also things like quality of iron ore used and the smoothness, as well as lack of casting flaws, of unpolished pieces. Even pieces that couldn't be polished due to their irregular shapes also have the phrase listed above them in catalogs. Some items like oval roasters were offered either Plain Finish or Polished Finish only if the order requested. Gem and muffin pans, as well as items like breakfast skillets, were explicitly noted as Not Polished. The term Plain Iron seems to be a term coined by the BB authors to denote an unpolished finish item, but it shouldn't be inferred that it was normal for items to be offered both ways.

BSR, on the other hand, did offer items which could be polished in either "plain" or "AA" (polished) finishes.
 
Okay, Finally got the pics uploaded
 

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Griswold ceased to exist in 1946 or 1957 depending on how you look at it and wasn't around in the 60s. They were using U.S.A. as early as the 20s if memory serves correctly. Doug or someone else will have a better time line for you.
 
Need to differentiate between "U.S.A." and "Made In USA". Pans marked with the slant logo and "ERIE, PA, U.S.A." date back to before the 1920s. "Made In USA" markings started in the 1960s, after Griswold was no longer made in PA.
 
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