Help Identifying old(?) pan

[Tony Digneo]

I'd like to know if anyone can help me identfy what I believe may be a very old pan. It has a gatemark, and four very short nubs, presumably to keep it from wobbling due to the gatemark? It has a very crude 9 on the bottom, along with an X on a little raised blob. The casting on the cooking surface is pretty smooth, but also has creases from the sand mold I believe. Everything points to it be pretty old I think, but there is otherwise no identfying markings. Not sure if this can be identified, but curious to hear any thoughts from those more knowledgable than I. Couple of pics are included. Thanks in advance!

 

[Doug D.]

Older (pre-20th century) unmarked, bottom-gated pans are rarely if ever identifiable as to maker. Also much copying going on back then, so even if a marked, apparently identical counterpart is found, it won't necessarily mean that foundry made the unmarked one. Sloppy casting would make me assume a recast.

 

[Tony Digneo]

Doug - thanks for the info! Do you think that mine is truly 19th Century or do you think it is a much later recast? I was not aware that recasts happened at later dates. I am still learning so greatly appreciate any feedback.

 

[Doug D.]

Difficult to say, as a recast could be made at any time after the pan it was copied from was made. One might assume it to be more likely that a copy made right around the same time as the original pan would exhibit characteristics of casting methods of the era, e.g. finer sand for the mold, the use of blacking carbon to improve as-cast smoothness, etc. In other words, a copy made by a competent contemporary of the maker of the original pan.