What's my title?

W. Hilditch

Active member
I’m not a dealer. I don't sell CI. I don’t go out searching for CI. I find rusty tools interesting, but seldom touch them. I do enjoy cooking in CI and although I have a few pieces reserved for display I do not consider myself a collector. I have used 95% of my CI to cook in, if only once, but most more than that, and I don’t even own a CI muffin pan.

Yet, over the last 38 years I have managed to accumulate 38 pieces of hollowware plus lids and go-withs.

How does this compare to the rest of you who don’t sell your CI? My SO of 28 years thinks I am a collector as she does the cleaning up after I cook and gets to know them all rather well. Last night she even suggested that I might want to reseason my barbecue tongs as they were showing a little rust. My thought is that if I was a collector, I would surely need to acquire more than 1 piece a year.

I have no need for a title, but how should I think of myself in the CI world compared to you?

Hilditch
 
Sir, I have been using and collecting cast iron for over fifty years. Like you, I have some that I love and use every week and some that get used not so frequently, but I love them all. So it sounds as if you are just one of us. Wife puts up with my hobbies and enjoys it all. So she calls me "Old Fart" and as you are one of us that would be proper for your title. David
 
Thanks John. It appears there may be a whole lot of dealers here. If you consider yourself a collector or a cook please step up and let us know how your collection compares to my hoard.

Hilditch
 
My wife and I had a few pieces for years, corn bread, camp oven ect. We decided earlier this year that we wanted to start using only CI to cook with and get ride of almost everything else. We needed to pick up a few skillets, and some sauce pans. We bought a few pieces not really knowing anything about the collectible aspect. After we started researching our purchases we have been drawn into the collecting hobby. The history and quality of the old stuff drew me in. We really enjoy going out and hunting iron together. I do more of the restoration and my wife does more of the cooking. Most of the pieces we have picked up would be considered good users. Some are very nice, near perfect. By shear numbers I guess we are now on the collector side, 40 pieces in last 5 months. Maybe just enthusiast. We have sold a half dozen pieces that we just didn't want or were duplicates. I have considered buying, restoring and reselling just to keep the hobby going and keeping the cost down some.(so we can buy more). Meal discussions are no longer what to eat, but now what to cook it in.
 
Hi, all. I just counted my "usable" pieces, and came up with 60. Believe the term for me would be "Mad Collector"--emphasis on mad!
 
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