Passed on #4 Slant Griswold

My wife and I went hunting today, 170 miles, 6 stops. Our first stop was a flea market (65 miles for home)that has several cast iron vendors. We picked up a Sportsman 3052 fish fryer pan for $20 from a "yard seller". What we didn't get was a Slant Griswold #4 for 50. We are trying to build a large block set, not a slant set. I've bought stuff from this guy before and he wont come off the price of anything. We discussed the pan while walking the rest of the market and decided to leave it on the table. I forgot to bring the blue book and had no way to check online. I looked in the blue book and checked sold ebay auctions when we got home. Im now steadily kicking myself for not getting it. The pan had some built up crust but looked flat, not cracked or pitted. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to take a chance and make a 130 mile round trip tomorrow to see if he still has it.

Cast Iron hunting 101
Have cash................check
Have flashlight..........check
Have straightedge.....check
Bring a friend.............check
Bring the blue or red book......FAILED

Stick with your first instinct Shawn. I used to feel compelled to buy good pieces for more than I really wanted to pay, thinking that I wouldn't get another opportunity. I've learned to be more patient and regularly pass things up hoping for a better deal. Now getting a good deal has become part of the "fun" of hunting for me. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you have to pay a little more to get something highly unusual, but in general, I wait for "good" deals.

My first thought was BUY. But my voice of reason(wife) asked if I would actually use it. A #4 is a bit small for me. Her next comment was, get it if you want to try to clean it up and sell it. I just didn't know I could make anything if I paid $50. Then I read that the Blue book values it at $100 to $150. I think I would have come out to the good.

On the flip side, I picked up a #11 slant last weekend for 40. I didn't have my voice of reason with me. I didn't need the BB for that one, I knew it was a winner.

4's are a rarer size, from what I know. I had a volrath 4 in my hand once for $45, and I passed it up. It's also on the list of things I wish I had pulled the trigger on.

Is it worth the 130 mile round trip to see if it's still there? I've been to that (outside) flea market 3 times and that vendor has been their every time. I'm pretty sure he will be there, just don't know about the skillet.

Shawn R
Dont live a life of regrets. OK, go back & see if its there. If its not, continue the hunt. I have passed on many things I subsequently regretted (like a #10 Erie 11 cup muffin pan for $25 TODAY). All but one were subsequently found at the same or better price. It is the hunt that is the most fun.

PS: I may have to go back and check on that pan

Well before I went to bed last night, I decided to make the trip. Figured that when I got up, I would leave and go see if was there. I woke at 5 and couldn't go back to sleep. I was on the road by 5:30am. The seller wasn't there. There wasn't many people at all, 7am. His stuff was on the table, covered with tarps and rugs. I talked to the person at the next table. She happened to be the sellers friend, she called him and agreed to make the transaction for him.


Yesterday we went south from this flea market to make the loop home. Doing so, we missed a small parking lot flea market 30 minutes to the north. I figured I would go check it out this morning since I was close. Only had 2 sellers in the lot, lucky for me one had iron.

All's well that ends well. And a nice hammered piece in the trip doesn't hurt

That worked out well. Nice looking pans.

You were lucky,nice pans all 4 now what you have to do is play lottery with those numbers,4333

Thanks everyone.
To add to the lucky part, the guy I bought the 3 pans from didn't even have his stuff out yet. He was talking with the only seller that was set up. It was early on a Sunday morning with thick fog and clouds. I started talking to them and told them I was looking for cast iron. After talking a bit more, he took me over to his little shed and pulled out 2 big totes full of pans. He had some other pieces I would have liked to get but my wallet was too thin by this point of the weekend. I will get back up that way on our next hunting trip.

Coming in a bit late on this thread, thanks to a link to it, but I do want to say

1) Wow!! A #4 Griswold of any sort seems to be rare, much less a slant logo, much much less such a nice slant logo!!

2) Wow!! An Iron Mountain, a hammered piece, and a small Favorite (I have a fondness for Favorites... I think they are very under-rated)

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 PM ----------

Edit to my #1: Maybe not such a nice #4 slant, apparently. :-|