Scott M. of Medford, Maryland wrote to me via the contact form on the site and asked:
I knew from the “1786” on the griddle that the pan was not made by Griswold; Griswold did not use this type of marking on their griddles. I can see that the pattern number is very faint on the bottom of the pan, which could also point to the pan being a recast. Also, the casting on the bottom of the pan is not as fine as I would expect to see on a Griswold. Here is a nice discussion about reproductions, and another about recasts.
A “recast” of a Griswold pan is a pan that was made using an authentic Griswold as a pattern for the recast pan. A Twitter follower of mine told me a story about how his family made ends meet during the Great Depression by making cast aluminum pans using authentic Wagner pans as the pattern. Take a look at the blog post about that story for a bit more information.
This pan appears to me to be a recast of an old Griswold “ERIE” no. 8 griddle. Here is a photo of the bottom of a Griswold “ERIE” no, 8 griddle, pattern no, 738.
As you can see in Scott’s photos, the ERIE marking, along with the number 8, is on the bottom of the griddle. The original 738 pattern number is just faintly visible on Scott’s pan (the 7 is clear but the 3 and the 8 are not). The 1786 on Scott’s griddle appears to have been some sort of tag that was placed on the Griswold griddle before the sand was tamped around it. That would result in the raised tag and numbers as you see in Scott’s photos. I bet if you measured Scott’s griddle, too, it would be just a hair smaller than the authentic ERIE griddle; recasts are necessarily smaller than the original.
Scott, despite your griddle not being an authentic Griswold, it looks to have a nice cooking surface and it certainly would be a serviceable piece. Just get it cleaned up and put it into rotation in your kitchen!
Thanks for the question, Scott, and thanks for your patience in waiting for my reply on the blog!
As far back as the late 19th century, foundries like Griswold and Wagner were casting cookware not only out of iron, but from aluminum as well.
This is not to imply, however, that every pan marked Griswold or Wagner, etc, encountered should be treated as suspect. Just because a pans markings are missing quotation marks or it has a numeral positioned slightly differently from others of its kind should not necessarily cause one to infer it is a fake.
Wagner Toy Waffle Iron Reproduction Wagner Toy Waffle Iron Original Fake has stubby handles and larger bail without fully-looped ends. Occasionally seen are fakes with cast handles. Bottoms of “22” in patent date curved on original, straight on fake. Bottom of “G” in Wagner T-shaped on original.
Wagner Toy Tea Kettle Reproduction Wagner Toy Tea Kettle Original Fakes have one or more of: poor casting, bail attachment not fully looped, crude Wagner small block lettering, skewed letters in stylized logo, no knob on lid, knob secured with screw instead of rivet, sprue mark on bottom. Originals may have coil or wood handle, and are made in bare iron, nickel plated, or aluminum.
Griswold #0 Toy Tea Kettle Reproduction Griswold #0 Toy Tea Kettle Original Fakes not fully marked, only have block logo, no writing, shaped much like the Wagner fakes. Original iron #0 tea kettles are of “colonial” design with faceted sides.
Fortunately, the majority of these “reproductions” are confined to small, novelty-sized items such as miniature skillets and waffle irons, which were originally made as toys (often seen described as salesmens samples). “Tea size” cornbread stick pans were also widely reproduced. The counterfeiters obviously knew they could realize maximum profit on these small items whose genuine counterparts are among the more valuable as collectibles. The poor casting quality exhibited by all, however, makes them easy to spot, once you are familiar with the superiority of that of the originals.
I knew from the “1786” on the griddle that the pan was not made by Griswold; Griswold did not use this type of marking on their griddles. I can see that the pattern number is very faint on the bottom of the pan, which could also point to the pan being a recast. Also, the casting on the bottom of the pan is not as fine as I would expect to see on a Griswold. Here is a nice discussion about reproductions, and another about recasts.
Thanks for the question, Scott, and thanks for your patience in waiting for my reply on the blog!
As you can see in Scott’s photos, the ERIE marking, along with the number 8, is on the bottom of the griddle. The original 738 pattern number is just faintly visible on Scott’s pan (the 7 is clear but the 3 and the 8 are not). The 1786 on Scott’s griddle appears to have been some sort of tag that was placed on the Griswold griddle before the sand was tamped around it. That would result in the raised tag and numbers as you see in Scott’s photos. I bet if you measured Scott’s griddle, too, it would be just a hair smaller than the authentic ERIE griddle; recasts are necessarily smaller than the original.
This pan appears to me to be a recast of an old Griswold “ERIE” no. 8 griddle. Here is a photo of the bottom of a Griswold “ERIE” no, 8 griddle, pattern no, 738.
A “recast” of a Griswold pan is a pan that was made using an authentic Griswold as a pattern for the recast pan. A Twitter follower of mine told me a story about how his family made ends meet during the Great Depression by making cast aluminum pans using authentic Wagner pans as the pattern. Take a look at the blog post about that story for a bit more information.
Griswold Logos and Dates
FAQ
Is it safe to use vintage aluminum pans?
Why are there no aluminum pans?
What is the difference between aluminum and cast aluminum cookware?
How can you tell a fake Griswold?