Alternative Ways of Finding Wanted Cast Pieces

Martin H

New member
I am not a facebook or E-Bay person. I look at grage sales and flea markets and used to at auctions but now distancing myself from them for the timebeing. I know this is not a buy, sell and trade site and this is the only place I frenquent.
My question is what other options do I have? There is one specific item I really want other than the ones I stumble onto now and again.
Really, really enjoy this place and have learned much here.
Thanks,
Marty
 
In a 150 mile radius of my home, there are only a couple of vendors with dedicated vintage CI booths at antique stores. Both are known to go on regular out-of-state picking trips. If there are similar in your area, you might try reaching out to see if they have what you're looking for but not currently on display, or perhaps they would be willing to put your name and number on a "wish list".
 
You know Doug I have done that for the past four weeks. Checking some pretty good displays. Joplin, Springfield, Lebanon and then north as far away as
Harrisonville checking out displays. I did reach out to one Antique Mall type place that had a terrific amount of stuff in one booth. So I called the place wanting the runner of the establishment to call the booth owner and ask if he had one and could reach out to the owner and let me know. Not trying to cut out that middleman so if they had it an I could afford the price everyone could get the cut. This person cut me down one side and up the other. We don't do that it is not right. We can check with them if the piece is over 100 dollars to negotiate but that is all. I again explained the piece needed was not there but they might have one to sell through you. Again I got cut to the core. Today it was farther South instead of North to Neosho to a very nice lady who runs booths in I think she said three or four places. Fun visit and she showed us her two lye tanks and two e-tanks. One very large. Very worth the trip and visit. I am on her list for a possible sale and my wish.
I am being proactive. :chuckle: Just not getting anywhere it seems. Each trip out I see something new. I have been told I have wine taste with a beer budget. Someday I will show some of my beer budget finds when I work up the nerve. The blind hog sometimes finds an acorn. Some of you all on here do way better than I have!
 
I have never been to one, but I have heard that swap eets are great places to see, sell, trade, barter, ect. I would like to go to one someday.
 
In my neighborhood, there is a guy who drives a beat up 1990's Ford F-150 around, picking up metal from the right of way on the day before trash day.

I flagged him and told him that I'd pay $5 per piece of cast iron if I liked what I saw. So far, he's brought a bunch of junk cast aluminum and some steel stuff with the teflon burned/worn off. But I've also gotten a single notch Lodge No. 5, a three notch No. 8 and a No. 7 BSR Red Mountain. All have cleaned up well.
 
Another place to try is a recycling center.....they deal with CI all the time, its just metal to them.
 
My luck has not been the best either.

I have been to a couple of flea markets in my area, but it is always a bust.
The two I have attended had a few old pieces priced very high. A few old pieces I came across had obvious signs of being spray painted. :covri:

Another place to check is thrift stores like St. Vincet De Paul or Goodwill in your community.

Some places have great stuff to buy, some of those places might charge what they think it is worth to a collector. Sometimes you can get a fantastic deal.

One Goodwill shop in my town, (they only accept donated items from the community), that I went to and asked, "Do you have any cast iron cookware?"... the response from the front desk was -

"No, we have an employee here who takes all of the cast iron pieces to his farm".

... Yep, that guy is making a huge profit from the donated cast iron pieces! Still trying to find his eBay name. lol

Keep in mind I have found some early BSR's, Wagner and Griswold from the other Goodwill stores in town. They are all different.

Sorry about going off topic. But local Goodwill, St. Vincet De Paul or other charitable organizations in town might just be a place you could expand your search to.

I have had a little luck with garage sales in smaller country, farming communities. When I come across them by happenstance.

Best of luck.
 
Thanks Sean,David and JK,
I do check Goodwill and do have a scrap/recycling center I check often. I did find some pieces there. Don't think we have a ST Vincet De Paul around here that I know of. Most of thhe Goodwill's have regulars who run them daily so I was told. None in my small town so I check Springfield and Joplin stores once a month. Will hit a few garage sales tomorrow for sure and Saturday maybe. Beginning to think the lid I want actually exists where I am looking :grin:.
Did some cooking this afternoon. A couple young squirrles were fried and gravy was made with the drippings Cooking in cast iron rocks. A mountian of mashed taters had a crater in them filled with the gravy!
 
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