Great find! How did you find it?

Not asking for specifics, of course, but I love to hear how people found great items. Yard/estate sale, antique store, fleamarket, Goodwill, etc.
 
Seemed a better question for a new topic, rather than change the subject of the other thread.
 
Dumb reply, but it brings you back to the top...
I just stumble on CI at random garbage sales, and swap meets. I don't pay much so if I make a mistake, oh well, but that leaves me with pieces I don't want and don't know quite how to get rid of.
 
I generally go to antique stores and thrift stores. Most that I buy are from antique stores though. I have gotten great pricing from most of them. Most thrift stores in Atlanta don't have much in CI. There are many antique stores in the metro area. I have only found one at Goodwill that was worth getting. It ended up being a 3 notch Lodge #3 skillet.
 
Here and there,

Best find so far that I payed for was a Griswold slant Erie #8 with a Wagner corn stick pan for $25 from a phone app like Craig’s list. The roommate wanted the Wagner and I got the skillet for $12
 
I find it in lots of different places, yard sales, estate sales, online adds, local auctions, and sometimes people just bring it to me (usually to help them clean lol). I have noticed that venues like auctions and estate sales tend to have a higher price on better pieces. I have also gotten a lot more damaged skillets via live auctions as you do not always have time to examine items before the bid.
 
Got a Wagner #12 on ebay. The listing said 12" and I looked and thought, "that's not right, is it?". The number on the handle was caked over so I couldn't tell for sure, but I had a good feeling about it. I had been looking for a #12, took a chance and pulled the trigger -- and it's a beauty. Sits flat, great cooking surface. I think it was about $25.
 
Okay. I found my "Great Find" on craigslist. Posted were four CI items for sale, and after viewing the photos and seeing they were in great shape, I called and arranged to make the purchase. I bought a recent Lodge 14 skillet, an older Lodge no 8 DO w/lid, an unmarked Wagner w/outer heat ring (about a 5), and a Griswold Slant 8 EPU - $12.50ea. We've cooked in all but the Wagner. I've had no problems with pizza and stuffing in the Lodge 14 - easy peasy clean up. The DO's made bread and the Griswold cooked Bambi and Happy Cow burgers:glutton: Yum!
 
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I get most of my good stuff from antique malls, or small shops during my travels.
I do have a neighbor who buy's truck loads of junk from god knows where that accounts for a growing pile of useless iron, but on occasion yields a decent find.
 
Where do I find "it"? It is the hunt that I enjoy and the joy of finding a good piece at a great price. I hit estate sales and garage sales. I look for country sales outside of the city and I look at Goodwill from time to time and have scored some good pieces at a good price. The secret to finding good cast iron is to be constant in your search. I go to Goodwill and 94% of the time there is Nothing but that other 6% makes it all worth while. Knowledge is power and checking a skillet for flatness and cracks is key and knowing the unmarked cast iron is also key. I am amazed at the amount that Antique Stores charge for their cast iron. But If I want it and it is a good price I will pick it up. That is my two cents worth.
 
Most of my finds are from Antique malls and Flea markets. I don't look as much as I used to because I was buying everything I saw. Last week I was out looking around and saw a couple of large pans so I stopped to check them out. One was a BSR #12 and the other was a 3 notch Lodge #14 with (US). Both were flat with no cracks for $10 each. Couple of weeks ago I found a #6 Griswold LBL for $5. This morning I had my best find in awile, I found a BSR #9, flat and no cracks for $15.
 
75% of my finds are at the local flea market. The rest are Estate sales, auctions and Goodwill/thrift stores. I tend to find that antique stores are too high, mighty proud of their CI, lol.
 
Most all of my CI has come from the local Peddlers Mall and a few pieces from Good Will. Today I picked up 2 #8 Gate marked Griddles for $25 each and a Griswold #3 Skillet with small logo for $9.95. I have an odd piece of CI cookware that came from Iraq. It is 8 3/4 inches wide and the handle is 23 3/4 inches long. My son found this in the Desert and he brought it home.

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This is my first Griddle I found at the Peddlers Mall a few months ago, I paid $10 for it. I use it to cook Pancakes.

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This is my Skillet from Iraq. The Skillet and the first section of the handle is CI and the rest of the handle is steel. I seasoned it in my gas grill.
 
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