Determining Value???

K

KHarris

New member
I’ve been cooking on CI for years but newish Lodge pieces. Recently acquired 3 griddles which were my step fathers grandmothers and the identification of those (I’ll post pics separately) has got me interested in collecting. Looked at many websites, read all I could, then picked up the Red book: the book of Wagner and Griswold And am waiting for delivery of the Blue Book.

Question: How do you go about determining value? Or even an estimate. The blue and red books are old, eBay asking prices are ridiculous and their sold info isn’t great unless you have a common piece. Even then I already question some of the IDs. Etsy seems to be worse and I’ve not found anything else online. I‘m curious about the value of what I have and then I found a Favorite Puritan DO 9 with lid at a local thrift shop. Seems to be in good condition but IDK if it’s worth the $30 she’s asking.
 
That pretty much summarizes the frustrations of many collectors, new, old, casual or obsessive. Published values that are out of date, and current selling prices which seem far out of line, even if adjusted for inflation. Even results of in-person auctions can't necessarily be relied upon due to the fact that emotions in the heat of live bidding also tend to inflate final values. I will say this, however, if I found a marked Puritan by Favorite #9 DO that was not warped, cracked or pitted for $30, I probably couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.
 
Check the resourses available on this website to evaluate the quality of a piece. They won't assign $ value but will point out good points and bad points. Of course value is what someone will pay. Look for pitting and warps. Put the pan on a flat surface and check for spinning. Minor spinning may be OK for a gas stove but maybe not for a glass top or induction stove. What is your capability to clean it up? Are griddles round like a skillet or a rectangular plate?
 
Doug D. said:
That pretty much summarizes the frustrations of many collectors, new, old, casual or obsessive. Published values that are out of date, and current selling prices which seem far out of line, even if adjusted for inflation. Even results of in-person auctions can't necessarily be relied upon due to the fact that emotions in the heat of live bidding also tend to inflate final values. I will say this, however, if I found a marked Puritan by Favorite #9 DO that was not warped, cracked or pitted for $30, I probably couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.
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Thanks! I kind of thought it was a good deal but wanted to do some research first. Unlikely to go anywhere as it’s a hole in the wall, thrift store in my tiny town which doesn’t get a lot of traffic. I’ll stop tomorrow and pick it up.
 
Scott J. said:
Check the resourses available on this website to evaluate the quality of a piece. They won't assign $ value but will point out good points and bad points. Of course value is what someone will pay. Look for pitting and warps. Put the pan on a flat surface and check for spinning. Minor spinning may be OK for a gas stove but maybe not for a glass top or induction stove. What is your capability to clean it up? Are griddles round like a skillet or a rectangular plate?
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Yes I’ve read a LOT. That’s my thing - I love research. Think I’ve read all pages on the website related to Lodge and Wagner (what I have) and the Puritan/Favorite plus all of the general info pages. Good info. I can easily build anything needed to clean them. My griddles are round. Made a post with pics in one of the other forums. Believe a Lodge, Wagner (both unmarked) and a Wagner Sidney O c. 1897-1903.
 
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Scott J. said:
Just curious on the griddles. I have a few that I inherited and a couple that I bought. One that I grew up with is a small logo Griswold Skillet Griddle. It's a bit larger than my Lodge and Favorite griddles. It's also more like a skillet with very low sides.

Pictures here: https://www.castironcollector.com/forum/threads/griswold-109-cast-iron-skillet-griddle.8785/

I found your pictures. My Griswold is about the size of your Picture #3.
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Nice! I know very little. But I did find a reference in the red book: pattern #202 says “No. 109 skillet griddle” which is consistent with the 109 printed on it. My #1 and 2 are more skillet shaped and the #3 Sidney is more griddle.
 
I added pictures of my large logo Griswold Skillet Griddle to the link above. It shows slightly different configurations of the same 109 number and 202 pattern.
 
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