Chicago Hardware Foundry Question

[BLJonson]

I have a couple of hammered-style CI skillets (and 8 inch and a 10 inch) that I am almost positive are unmarked Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. skillets. Does anyone have any idea what age they might be? I think they started producing CI in about 1900, but have no idea when they went out of business. Do they have collectible value? They are great cookers for sure

I don't have a pic of my exact pieces, but the look just like the couple of photos of CHF skillets on the 'Identifying No-Name Iron' page here:

http://www.castironcollector.com/unmarked.php

[Doug D.]

Among hammered pieces, the CHF are distinctive for their relatively large, sometimes deep dimpling, and recognizable by their minimalist markings, usually the numeral 8 or 9 followed by another numeral denoting the size, and a pattern letter. Dating them precisely is difficult, but hammered ware was popular in the 1940s, a timeframe which would generally coincide with CHF getting more into the hollowware business by acquiring the defunct Favorite Piqua (1935). There are no collector guides covering them, but they certainly qualify as collectible.

Some are pictured here: http://www.castironcollector.com/hammered.php