Search Ideas

Can I ask for ideas on where you guys/gals find CI? I've hit most of the goodwills around me and antique shops as well. Won't be long and the snow will be flying. Wanna go out looking this weekend but just looking for ideas. Thx... I hit 3 estate sales yesterday and found 5 skillets.

Mike
 
Goodwill, thrift stores, antique malls (multiple vendors), antique stores, garage sales, friends/relatives, online. I have never been to an estate sale yet.

I have had close to 125 pieces cleaned, about 2 dozen have been given away to family and friends.

Goodwill is a crap shootin finding CI. Just keep going back regularly, at least in Atlanta area. The same goes for thrift stores. Most of mine have come from antique malls.
 
Yard Sales, Thrift Shops, Flea Markets, Antique Shops, Facebook market place, Craigslist, auctions, Local Newspaper online-classifieds, let family, co-workers, friends know that you collect. And EBay.
 
My experience with Goodwill, at least in my area, is that pretty much everything there is total garbage. I'll mostly see modern-day dirty used Lodge skillets for close to the asking price for new on Amazon or at Walmart or Target. Or, occasionally made in China or Korea pieces such as Benjamin & Medwin, or some enameled piece (almost always not Le Creuset) that looks like it's been though WW3. They usually put the good stuff up for auction online and/or employees grab it for themselves to keep or resell. YMMV and this definitely depends on where you live.

I did recently see a Finex at a Goodwill. Looked totally destroyed, the cooking surface was all pitted up and I'm not even sure how someone managed to do that to a new $200 skillet. The price tag was over $120, no thanks.

Most of what I'm able to find that is worthwhile is via yard or estate sales, and occasionally in thrift shops. Antique malls every once in a while, but these days they are generally onto the value of the marked pieces (especially the larger logo Griswolds) and so the prices will be comparable to what one would find on eBay.

Occasionally, I can find a great deal locally on unmarked or pieces where they don't understand the markings to know what they have. I personally love when I manage to find crudded up pieces, because most local sellers tend to not understand what they have or perceive the crud and/or a bit of surface rust makes the piece not worthwhile. Got a nice single notch Lodge this way semi-recently.

Btw, you can do searches online for local estate sales and get alerts sent to you.

Happy hunting.
 
Last edited:
Thanks All Gonna spend the day looking at some of your ideas :p I did find a #8 Wagner with a 3/16" crud covered the whole bottom for $2 at an estate sale. Still cleaning it up wish I would have taken a before photo ;)
 
Goodwill isnt the best for CI, but they are great for glass lids.....almost any size, and for under $2.00.....I buy them quite a bit.I found a kinda hammered aluminum lid for .99.
 
Around here the places that take scrap metal - especially the larger places - have a "good stuff" spot. Usually inside near the wire/copper scrap. There's often a stack of cast iron among the pile of misc metal odds and ends. I also have found several local small online auction houses - think Everything But The House but much smaller - that I check frequently.
 
Around here the places that take scrap metal - especially the larger places - have a "good stuff" spot. Usually inside near the wire/copper scrap. There's often a stack of cast iron among the pile of misc metal odds and ends. I also have found several local small online auction houses - think Everything But The House but much smaller - that I check frequently.

I will have to look for a spot like that around here!! Thanks for the TIP....
 
Back
Top