This is what the skillet looks like bare after all the old seasoning was stripped away. Collectors often want to see before and after pictures, but in reality they want to see what the piece looks like without any seasoning.
This is what it looks like after five seasoning trips to the oven. In reality not as black as it looks, but coming along nicely. After a couple more trips in the oven at temperatures around 350° to 375° fahrenheit the skillet has darkened to black without the seasoning flaking off.
The shape of the handle is a signifier for a Wagner skillet. Any mold defects could be more easily determined at the foundry when each mold has a unique mark as seen here as a dot.
Notice how the handle is smooth. This is a sign of a good quality piece of cast iron. No polishing or milling marks are present. This skillet came from a high quality mold.
This is a closeup shot of the bare interior of the skillet. Very smooth and glassy to the touch. Very high quality.
This is a side view of the skillet stripped of most of its seasoning. The last bits are very stubborn and decided to leave them. Notice how smooth the side of the skillet looks.
After several passes in the oven the skillet is not quite black yet, but getting very close. At this point, the skillet is ready for use.
This is a size 9 skillet and its size has to do with what oven size hole the skillet would fit into and not the actual size of the skillet. This naming convention continues today. As it turns out, Wagner size 9 skillets are somewhat difficult to come by. That makes this particular one desireable to collectors.
Sometimes the inside of the handle has bits of jagged metal leftover from the casting process. This happens when the mold isn't an exact fit and a little molten iron seeps out. Does not affect the value in any way.
This is a bare skillet with no oil or seasoning on it. The surface is very smooth with little imperfection. This is about as good as it gets.
One of the finest skillets seen. The walls are a little higher than most and operate well to contain splatters from cooking. It is a little lighter than most and easier to handle. It is completely flat with no wobble. Hard to find a Wagner without any wobble or spin to it. It's nicely polished and seasoned. Passes the "Fried Egg Test" by the ability to fry an egg without any sticking using only a half tablespoon of butter. It is a pleasure to use and it really doesn't get any better than this.
1933 Unmarked Wagner Size 9
Weight : 5 lbs. 4.1 oz.
A collection of images from a vintage cast iron skillet made somewhere between 1924 and 1935. Hard to tell exactly what year it was made, but believe this one was made in the early 1930's based on information given to me by the original seller. This is the last of the heat ring Wagners before they discontinued them due to the changing nature of kitchen stoves at the time. Wagner made marked skillets with their logo and placed them in high end department stores and the unmarked ones ended up in hardware and lower end department stores. In this way they were able to reach a larger audience and sell more cast iron. The difference between the marked and unmarked ones are the incised logo on the bottom of the skillet. Other than that they are the same quality and size.
The flash from the camera makes the skillet look brighter than it normally does. You can zoom in on the images if you mouse over them. During autoplay zoom is disabled. Shrinking the browser window will shrink its contents possibly making it easier to view the gallery.
Valued in the range of $50 - $70.
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