Dating Cast Iron Skillets: Marks, Notches & Gate Scars

Cast iron is Wisconsin estate-sale bedrock, and the difference between a $15 skillet and a $150 one is entirely in the casting details. Flip it over — everything that matters is on the bottom.

The maker marks worth money

Griswold (Erie, PA) is the blue chip: the big “cross-in-circle” block logo runs roughly 1920–1940 and prices highest; the small block logo (1939 onward) is later and cheaper; “ERIE” script without the cross is earlier still (1880s–1907) and collectible. Wagner Ware (Sidney, O.) is the strong second — smooth castings, huge production, honest prices. Wapak and its Indian-head medallion is the sleeper that outprices both.

Unmarked doesn’t mean worthless

Most unmarked American iron has a maker, you just have to read the shape. Three notches in the heat ring plus a size number: early Lodge. “Made in USA” with a size number in a diamond: Birmingham Stove & Range. Unmarked Wagner still says Wagner in its machining. The pan to skip is the modern import: pebbly rough interior, thick walls, dead heavy for its size.

The age tells cast into the iron

A gate mark — a raised or ground scar line across the bottom center — means bottom-gate casting, generally pre-1890s, older than any logo. A machined-smooth interior (you can see faint circular tool marks) is the vintage standard; modern iron skips that step. Heat rings, inset lids, and raised size numbers on the handle all lean old.

Condition math

Collectors pay for flat and smooth. Set the pan on glass and press the corners — a spinner (warped base) loses half its value regardless of logo. Cracks kill it dead: check the handle junction and sidewalls in raking light. A reddish-pink blush in the metal means fire damage. Rust, meanwhile, is nearly free to fix — crusty-but-flat beats shiny-but-warped every time.