Freebie Wagner

As gifts go, I'd say that one's pretty good. I always find interesting those pieces with casting artifacts that indicate markings have been filled in and replaced. Being that the Wagner marking which preceded the arc logo was the straight block lettering, it makes one wonder what other arc markings might have been there that were changed. "ERIE", perhaps? :icon_scratchchin:
 
For a second I was saying to my self - "What is he talking about?" Then I noticed in the picture that the WAGNER is in like a separate ribbon - So I had to look at the skillet and sure enough!

So...educate me (please)...is this a fake/forgery/reproduction? Would a maker modify a mold and cause it to look like this? Is it a Wagner, would they or did they "repurpose" molds?
 
PGrush said:
So...educate me (please)...is this a fake/forgery/reproduction? Would a maker modify a mold and cause it to look like this? Is it a Wagner, would they or did they "repurpose" molds?
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It is the PATTERN you are asking about. That is the permanent piece(s) that many MOLDS are made from. The sand mold is a one time use only and will be broken from around the new piece of iron after it is poured.

Foundries will often made a pattern using somebody else's piece. When doing so the old markings (such as ERIE) may be filled in with a substance that is softer than the pattern or piece being filled. In time, with many sand molds being packed against the pattern, the softer material will slowly wear away leaving a "ghost mark".

To know if your Wagner was made from a similar ERIE skillet you would have to measure the diameter. A copy casting will shrink about 1/8" per foot of diameter. If your pan were a No.9 I could tell you my ERIE deep skillet dimensions for a comparison.

I will say, though, that you have a wonderful and scarce skillet and a very usable one at that. I use my early ERIE No.9 deep skillet often.

From the looks of your pan it does appear than the pattern was modified at one time but the pan you have shows every indication of being a genuine Wagner pan.
 
Much like automakers have enlarged their emblems in recent years, perhaps someone at Wagner around the turn of the century looked at ERIE skillets and said, "Maybe we should make our lettering larger..."
 
Steve - Thanks for giving me the proper terms for what I was trying to say!

Doug - Ha! I could see that very scenario happening.
 
Doug D. said:
Much like automakers have enlarged their emblems in recent years, perhaps someone at Wagner around the turn of the century looked at ERIE skillets and said, "Maybe we should make our lettering larger..."
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And, no sooner than Wagner had made their name larger on their skillets, Griswold says "hey, Wagner has imitated us and our pans look too much alike. How about we come up with a cool trademark and put it on the bottom of the pans...?"

So, in 1909 Griswold did just that only to be followed by Wagner c.1917 I think with their WW logo.
 
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