Thrift Finds

Doug D.

Administrator
Staff member
Traffic getting on the interstate was a mess this morning, so I detoured to a ground route that took me past a local Goodwill. I don't usually expect to find CI there, but I'm on the lookout for other collectibles, so I stop when nearby. To my surprise, I found these four:
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L-R: BSR 3-S, a no-notch Lodge(?), a Wagner, and a Wagner chef skillet. Don't know yet if any of the last three will be marked or not, but we'll see. All appear well used but not abused. $5-$8 each.
 
You lucky doggggg. I have been looking for quite some time for a chef skillet and refuse to pay the elevated prices +S&H that most e-Bay sellers tack on to theirs. Maybe I will latch on to one next month when the bi-annual Round Top event starts here in Texas. See... There was a reason the traffic was backed up.
 
I found some of my best pieces due to unplanned route changes like that. Can't wait to see that Lodge when it's done.
 
I found some of my best pieces due to unplanned route changes like that. Can't wait to see that Lodge when it's done.

I'm not positive it is a Lodge. The handle is a little odd, but it could be.
 
O.K. Doug....This is not meant to top your story but your story inspired me to stop at a local shop that I only visit several times a year and low and behold I walked out of it with a 3 S BSR that should clean up to be on my display rack. It is in my e-tank at the moment so hopefully it will be ready sometime tomorrow. I paid a bit more than you did ($14.40) tax included but since they didn't make a lot of them I thought it to be reasonable.
I'll post a pic once ready....
 
Nice find. I used to regularly check my local goodwill-maybe 3/4 times a week, plus 2 others-maybe once every week or two. I kept this up for about 6 months or so and never found a single piece. Now, I rarely ever stop to check. I know that some goodwill stores sale on line, maybe that's the case where I check.
 
That is a really nice bunch of iron. I am wondering if you carried the pans over to the furniture section and tested the spin factor on a glass table? It's usually a challenge to try to find a place in GW to test for rock or spin.
 
I did it on the counter as I checked out. The Wagner regular had a little movement, but it also has enough crud on the bottom you can't see any hint of markings. They're all in the lye now, so maybe something in a bit. Or not, it's a tad chilly out there tonight.
 
O.K. Doug....This is not meant to top your story but your story inspired me to stop at a local shop that I only visit several times a year and low and behold I walked out of it with a 3 S BSR that should clean up to be on my display rack. It is in my e-tank at the moment so hopefully it will be ready sometime tomorrow. I paid a bit more than you did ($14.40) tax included but since they didn't make a lot of them I thought it to be reasonable.
I'll post a pic once ready....

Got it cleaned....Took longer than I thought and I may end up re-doing it. Here is the pic with first seasoning.
 

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All these are quite carbonized. Lye isn't doing anything to the bottoms, and electro is slow going. I have been able to determine the chef is unmarked Wagner Made In USA; its cooking surface is like glass, though. The Wagner #5 might end up to just be a copy; there are no markings at all coming through, and it feels quite bottom heavy. Haven't gotten anything off the Lodge yet to tell anything about it.
 
I have had both the Wagner and Griswold. I think that the chef skillets are one of my favorite. We used to have the Griswold #43 in our kitchen, but the wife likes all the early fancy handle skillets so the #43 found a new home.
 
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