This skillet has been clean up and seasoned once. It has not been cleaned down to the bare metal because it is not really a collectors item, it is rather small, and it is machine made. The bottom reads NO. 5 and below that it reads 8 1/8 IN. It is a little heavier, a little thicker and not quite as smooth as its hand poured counterpart from the 1940's and earlier.
The skillet is so black that the camera needed the full flash during bright daylight hours in order to get a photograph where the surface could be seen more readily.
There are lots of utensil marks that have scratched the seasoning, but no harm to the cast iron itself.
Looks like there is an upside down letter "T" inscribed on the inside of the scalloped handle. Could be a molder's mark to identify which mold a particular piece came from. Used for identification of a particular mold for quality control. BS&R skillets have a scalloped tear drop shaped loops with ridges that don't flatten out when it reaches the side of the skillet. Lodge skillets have a tear drop shape, but are not scalloped. Wagner skillets are scalloped, but not are tear drop shaped.
This is what a skillet that is used regularly looks like. So, if you go into someone's home and see a bunch of really nice looking pristine cast iron cookware, just remember they are not being used. They are just for show.
1962 Birmingham Stove and Range Size 5 Cast Iron Skillet
Weight : 2 lbs. 14.4 oz.
A collection of images from an old size 5 skillet. Typically, the Birmingham Stove and Range (BS&R) skillets are easy to identify. The underside of the handle has a ridge that is sharp and reaches all the way to the side of the skillet wall. The underside of the handle is scalloped all the way around the teardrop shape that makes the loop. This is unique to most BS&R skillets. This particular skillet was machine made and has the designation of "Century" series made after the early 1950's automation era.
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 $8 - $14.