Christy T.
Member
Is it possible to identify or date gate marked cast iron pieces, other than just pre-1890? I have a gate marked piece that I use all the time, and a gate marked pot. I think it's called a bean pot. Thanks.
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Gate Marked Cast Iron
- Thread starter Christy T.
- Start date
There's some pretty good explanatory info in the last paragraphs in the article titled "Identifying Unmarked Iron" under the Cast Iron Collecting menu header on the home page of this site. While most of the article provides details from the 1900's forward, there is a bit of info about earlier methods, i.e. bottom gating.
"While unmarked pieces produced by the major name brand manufacturers can often be identified, those made by the myriad small foundries of the 19th century and earlier usually cannot. Knowing exactly who made these early pieces and when is more often than not impossible.
Typically, the only characteristics which distinguish these older pans are confined to molder's marks (usually the foundryman's initials), a decorative handle design, or the shape and style of the bail handle attachment ears. Sometimes, certain designs can be narrowed down to a particular century or part thereof, or to a geographical region. Or, if there are marked counterparts of identical design and dimensions, they may provide a clue.
Gate marked bottoms are often an indication of late 18th or 19th century production, however, use of the technology continued into the 20th century on large format pieces like sugar kettles long after the majority of cookware manufacture had moved to side gating."
So one answer to your question (without photos or any other info) is...maybe? Any additional info you can provide might provide clues, but also be ready to accept that there's a lot of iron out there that can no longer be identified without knowing the exact provenance of the pieces.
"While unmarked pieces produced by the major name brand manufacturers can often be identified, those made by the myriad small foundries of the 19th century and earlier usually cannot. Knowing exactly who made these early pieces and when is more often than not impossible.
Typically, the only characteristics which distinguish these older pans are confined to molder's marks (usually the foundryman's initials), a decorative handle design, or the shape and style of the bail handle attachment ears. Sometimes, certain designs can be narrowed down to a particular century or part thereof, or to a geographical region. Or, if there are marked counterparts of identical design and dimensions, they may provide a clue.
Gate marked bottoms are often an indication of late 18th or 19th century production, however, use of the technology continued into the 20th century on large format pieces like sugar kettles long after the majority of cookware manufacture had moved to side gating."
So one answer to your question (without photos or any other info) is...maybe? Any additional info you can provide might provide clues, but also be ready to accept that there's a lot of iron out there that can no longer be identified without knowing the exact provenance of the pieces.
Christy T.
Member
Thanks for the reply. They are both bottom gate marked, but the skillet has a decorative handle. Guess I need to take some pictures. 