After a fire destroyed the foundry in 1885 a reorganization took place and the company was renamed to Griswold Manufacturing Co. The Griswold family retained ownership until 1947 when the firm was sold to an investment group. In 1957 the Griswold Mfg. Co. was sold twice resulting in Griswold's main competitor, Wagner Manufacturing, taking ownership of the name and trademarks.
Production of cast iron cookware began around 1880 under the ERIE brand.
In 1905 the brand name was changed to Griswold's ERIE and in 1906 the famous Griswold cross logo appeared.
This logo design is known as the Slant/ERIE and it dates from 1906 to 1912.
FYI - Any Griswold piece lacking the word Erie was produced in Wagner's Sidney Ohio plant.
This logo design is known as the Slant/Erie PA U.S.A. (or EPU for short) and it dates from 1909-1929. These are my personal favorites.
This #8 is the pan that got me interested in old cast iron. I was happily using modern Lodge iron and then I bought this #8 and was immediately impressed. I have been collecting old iron ever since.
Some handle detail showing the difference between the generations.
This quick and dirty blast through Griswold history leaves out a lot of information. If you are interested in learning more I highly recommend you visit http://www.panman.com
This is David G. Smith's website and you can purchase his invaluable books (co-written with Chuck Wafford) directly from the author. David also sells fine old cast iron at very reasonable prices from this site.
Posts
16 comments:
I've been lucky throughout the years, most all of my cast iron has been given to me. I do have a few newish pieces and the lack of craftpersonship shows easily when compared.
I do have a question though. My brother inlaw has some old Gris (got the cross on the back, but they're enamel coated and nearly unused. Bright red on the outside and white on the inside. Pretty darned cool, but am not a personal fan of the enameled fry pans of any ilk. Know anything about such items?
Biggles
The red exterior with white or cream interior pieces were mostly (entirely?) made in the 1950s.
I'm not a fan of the enameled skillets either but they did made some red/white baking pieces in this time period that look just like modern Le Creuset.
I'd like to find a couple of those.
That's what I figgered, just "felt" like the 1950's to me. Yeah, now baking pieces, that's what I'm talkin' about. I have some old descoware, only 1 good sized dutch though. I could use 1 more though ...
Greg,
the slant Griswolds are your favorites but is there any difference in quality between the the ones that have just "ERIE" and the ones with the EPU?
How about the even older ones that only have the Erie mark with no Griswold cross at all? I've seen a few lately and since I'm just starting out I want to get the best quality pans. Bobbi
Hi Bobbi - That is a tough question. We would have to find a supply of mint conditioned versions of the ERIE, Griswold Erie and Griswold EPU (all with heat rings) to know for sure.
I have one ERIE #7 that is really rough with grinder marks. I've never seen a latter Griswold in that kind of condition. The thing should have been melted down and redone. That being said there are some really nice Eries.
ALL cast iron cookware made in this time period was largely handmade so there can be a great deal of variance. I suspect that the Slant EPUs are a little more consistent but I'll never own enough pieces to do more than guess.
IF you are interested in collecting these and occasionally cooking in them I can say I like the Griswolds better than the Eries I've handled.
Eries are light! Pick one up and you'll know what I mean. I find the Griswolds like the slant EPUs and the block EPUs to have the ideal heft. They are between the lightweights (like Eries and non Indian head Wapaks) and todays clunky doorstops.
I like them all. I was bidding on some Eries last weekend but somebody else wanted them more.
Curses, Black Iron Dude! Thanks to you, I never can return to the heavy, cheap "modern" (well...30 years old is modern by comparison) skillets I was (mostly not) using my entire life...
Although I did know that my mother's Favorite chicken fryer, and my Piqua Ware dutch oven, were something special, I hadn't looked at my frying pans with a critical eye, until I found your blog.
Now, those pans are banished to the basement, and I've been haunting junk stores and Ebay for a month. Suddenly, every surface of my kitchen is covered with Griswolds and Eries and Wapaks and Wagners in various stages of restoration, and I fear checking my bank account online.
Okay, I'm not really ranting. :-)
I love this stuff. As a culinary historian (in my earlier life) I can not help but appreciate the history and craftsmanship of this early cast iron, and I thank you for opening my eyes to it. And cooking in it is a joy.
I do, however, suddenly have Storage Issues.
Becky -
The workbench in my garage has quite a pile of cast iron waiting to hit the electrolysis tank.
The workmanship of the old iron really is something else. Sounds like you've got the dreaded "castironitis".
I have enough iron that it is difficult to use them all on a regular basis so I see myself cutting way back on the acquisitions. I still have 4-5 pieces that are on my list but I can take my time about finding them.
You should check out the Wagner and Griswold society. The link is on the main page and you'll meet some real experts over there.
{I consider myself an enthusiast, WAGS has the experts.}
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Greta Article Greg! Any idea what ebay item 150338641668 is? Is it woth the money?
Zank
If 150338641668 is the deep skillet with lid I'd say 80 was a good price. The lid alone books for $35.00 and that set is super clean.
chicodaisman is a great seller! I've bought from him before and would do so again.
If you bought it spring the extra money for insurance. ($1.70 usually)
Great blog. I have recently been smitten by the love of vintage cast iron. I just picked up Wagner 6 1/2 and an unmarked (at least I think it is unmarked since there is quite a lot of caked up gunk on the bottom) Two questions what is the best way to remove the gunk from the pan and get back to a smooth surface and are there any resources for information on unmarked pieces of cast iron?
Hi Brian,
See http://blackirondude.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-cast-iron-skillet-reconditioning.html for an easy method.
I recommend the books "The Book of Griswold & Wagner" and "The Book of Wagner & Griswold" They also cover Favorite, Wapak, Lodge, Martin, Sidney etc etc. In these books you also see the store brands (Merit, Puritan, National) as well as unmarked pieces and the characteristics that help ID the maker.
Look at the link at the bottom of the Griswold article to buy these from one of the authors.
Great post....its very important for cast iron with high quality...thanks for some tips and information share. we will come back often.
i bought my first griswold skillets the other day. one was a #3 with small logo in middle and erie pa and 709 I also i found a #9 with epu slant logo with heat ring and 710 b markings was $ 65 for both skillets a good price?
Bosch - thanks!
C - it depends on the condition of the pans. A slant logo #9 is a beauty when it is in good shape.
Does anyone have name or contact information for the large Griswold dealer in Kentucky, who visits the Hillsville VA Flea Market every Labor Day weekend?
I picked up a Gris Dutch Oven about 10 yrs ago at a yard sale for $1. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I found it in a box and asked what they wanted for the piece of Cast Iron. They said they wanted $1 for the whole box of cookware. I told them I didnt want the whole box, just the Cast Iron. We settled on $1 and she could sell the rest of the box to someone else. It wasn't until now that I decided to see exactly what I have, and maybe get a ballpark figure as to its worth. It isn't for sale, but I'd like to know what I have.
This piece of Griswold is in mint condition. I dont think it was ever seasoned, although there is a light coat of what appears to be black oil or some other form of protector in spots around the inner and outer surfaces. I am guessing that the coating is from the factory. I am positive that this piece ever had contact with a stove top or oven. Having worked in a foundry and machine shop in my younger years, I know that metal products are almost always coated before shipping to prevent rust.
After reading your comments about Griswold in general, I was wondering if you can give me an idea as to what I have.
The Dutch Oven is marked as such:
CAST IRON
8
TOP-TITE DUTCH OVEN
ERIE PA., U. S. A.
PATENT 1,333,917
1278
GRISWOLD appears to be Block. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks,
j
Post a Comment