Seasoned Gem Pan - identity unknown

We were also given a couple gem pans by the same lady who gave us the griddle/skillet from my previous post. Anyway, they were in pretty grimy shape. I cleaned one of them up and seasoned it. Here it is!

No markings of any kind - so probably will never know who made it - but then I am a novice to the CI world.

I recognize the handles but can't remember who made them. Doug, do you know?

I had the same feeling I'd seen them on a marked piece or in one of the books, but no luck. Nice pan, anyway. I don't think I've seen that "EE"-like configuration before on whomever's pan those handles are like.

Edit: I've figured it out: Although there is no example shown in the BB, these handles are consistent with Favorite. I think I do have a marked one (somewhere around here :roll: ). Still have never seen a 22-stick version marked, though. eBay Favorite

Could be a copy from a Favorite pan?

I don't see the usual recast artifacts. Unless the photos aren't revealing of them. Seems about as well-made as an original.

I have this exact same 22 stick pan, although not in quite as good of shape.

Thanks for the info Doug and Steve.

This may not be the right forum place, but...what kind of "usual recast artifacts" may give it away as a recast? I'll give it a closer look. If it is a true Favorite, did they produce any unmarked pieces? (Sorry if these are total rookie questions.)

PGRush said:

what kind of "usual recast artifacts"

Click to expand...

Typically, gate marks on the bottoms of pieces that would not otherwise have been bottom gated. And rough casting or casting flaws that one would expect not to have passed quality control.

Favorite produced an economy line marked Miami. There are also pieces with a number in a diamond at 6 o'clock which are attributed either to Favorite near its end or to Chicago Hardware Foundry, who bought Favorite's tooling and patterns when they went bankrupt. We can only guess when we see pieces such as yours which in all other respects look like Favorite if it was actually they who produced unmarked versions.

A copy from a piece of actual cookware can probably be as nice as the talents of the molder and/or pattern maker. I once had two Favorite (marked) No.4 popovers which were copied from a Griswold No.10 popover pan. The Favorites were about 1/8" shorter than the Griswold pans and of perfect quality. One of the Favorites showed clear ghost marks of a slanted GRISWOLD name on the center cup plus the other markings including a p/n 948. The other Favorite pans was every bit as well cast and matched exactly to the ghost pan but had no ghosts. I think it was made earlier and before the pattern (which was probably made using an original pan) had the filling in the original Griswold writing starting to wear.

It was probably more of the smaller foundries that made copies that may have been bottom gated. Many pans copied from another pan will have poor casting quality and many small defects. Others will be as good as the original pan. Marion and Wagner both used ERIE skillets or modified patterns to cast their own skillets and both are superb in quality but, here, we are talking about major makers.

Thanks!

Well there aren't any gate marks on the bottom and I don't see any ghost marks. It seems to be of good quality. Kudos to whomever made it.

I will tell you that the pan works great! I made a batch of "Nanna Moorehouse’s Ginger Gems" for Sunday breakfast this past weekend. They were a hit - the gems fell out of the pan when I flipped it over and cleanup was a breeze!