Help needed with Identifying and usability

M

MikeM

New member
Hi all,

I’ve got a handful of skillets, but picked up my first bowl last weekend and am at a bit of a loss as to its’ production era and whether it’s a Scotch or Yankee bowl (and if it’s useable at all with the amount of pitting it has.)

The bottom has the block “ERIE” and ring size (3, in this case) like the 3rd series (1892-1905-ish, if memory serves) BUT it also as ‘PAT MAR’ and ‘1091’ - so I’m at a complete loss as to when it’s actually from.

It has a handle and a hanging ring on it, and the interior at the top is 9 7/8” across and the lip is 4 1/4” high. Would that size make it a Yankee bowl?

With regards to the pitting, the majority of the bowl interior has pitting that looks as though someone took a ball point pen to it. Would that render it useless aside from deep frying? If it would, could I take a pneumatic die grinder to it and smooth the interior out enough to make it usable to cook other things?

I tried to upload some pics, but apparently the default iPhone pic size is too big for the forum server.

Thanks for your help in advance!
 
We'll have to assume the patent date is Mar 10 1891. A Griswold patent of that date exists and pertains to the design of a kettle ear. See: https://patents.google.com/patent/US447821

The notion of relative "series" dating really only applies to Erie skillets. Illustrations in this article, https://www.castironcollector.com/shapes.php show Scotch and Yankee bowls and the difference between them. Both shapes were primarily used for things requiring constant stirring to prevent burning like porridge, or for deep frying. Even though already damaged, I would not use power tools or anything else to alter the surface.
 
Doug,

Thanks for the reply and info. Now knowing that 1891 is trademark date makes more sense as there’s a marking between the “Pat” and “Mar” that looks like an underlined “D”.

Since there’s no real series with bowls the same way there are with skillets; I guess the only way to get a rough date would be with when the styling of “ERIE” changed, or does that not even hold true?

Based on the link you included, I’ve definitely got a Yankee Bowl as the handle is a simple bent piece of metal.

Thanks also for the suggestion against any sort of power tools. Letting the bowl spend the better part of the day at the vinegar spa allowed it to clean up nicely. There’s still pitting, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue once it’s seasoned.
 
Perhaps a poor choice on my part to show a Scotch bowl with an air-cooled bail handle vs. a Yankee bowl without. The primary difference between the two is the depth. "Pat underlined D" = "Patented".
 
No worries on using an image of a bowl with an air-cooled bail (I never knew that's what they're called). If the main difference between the two is (in very rough terms); that the Yankee bowl is just a Scotch bowl with a cylinder stuck on the top of it to make it deeper, then the Scotch is what I've got.
 
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