Wagner Ware "1053T" and "1053H"

DougC

New member
I just received my first vintage type cast iron this week after some lurking on eBay. I got a few nice Wagner Ware pieces, plus a no name. A couple of them need some clean up, well, some significant clean up. And a couple others are actually pretty darn good looking, remarkable smooth cooking surfaces!

Anyway, here's my real question. What's the difference between a "1053T" and a "1053H"? I did just review the post regard "Numbers and Letters" so it sounds like the letter just differentiate the mold that was used. Is that correct?

Thanks!
 
That is indeed correct. Although it is possible that the pattern lettered H was created before the one lettered T, it is more likely that, all other characteristics being equal, they were made at the same time, from the same master pattern, and then the letters were added to the working patterns to differentiate them.

Wagner smooth bottom skillet patterns are seen with variations in the weight of the markings (bolder = older), with differences in the font used for the catalog number (sans serif = older), and, occasionally, with variation in the placement of the pattern letter (below the number instead of after). The older, more boldly marked pieces appear to have been made using fewer patterns than the later, and ghost marks show us that some "pie logo" skillet patterns were modified to remove the border and "CAST IRON SKILLET" markings. The older appearing ones tend to be finer, lighter castings as well.
 
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