Don't Show, Just Tell

I thought it would be interesting to know how forum members became CI collectors or avid users. I came up with a short list of questions. Feel free to add to this thread with your answers (but no photos). Please keep replies in this thread confined to responses to the original post questionnaire.:

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

1. A 1970s Lodge 10SK skillet I grabbed from my parents' garage sale to equip my own kitchen.

2. I don't use every piece I own, but I do use CI to cook in nearly every day, so both.

3. A Wagner Ware (no Sidney -O-) Made In USA #3 skillet at a flea market.

4. A Griswold #7 SBL grooved handle skillet at a flea market.

5. I'll go with sentimental over rare or useful, and say my grandmother's Griswold #8 LBL smooth bottom skillet.

6. Hard to narrow to three, but among them would be a Griswold #14 turk's head pan, any Wagner pie logo skillet I don't already have, or a Favorite Piqua waffle iron with the sunrise logo and the original blue enameled base.

1. Lodge logic 12" preseasoned, circa 2004.
2. More user; I don't intend to buy any piece if it's not something I'd use.
3. Iron Mountain #3.
4. Iron mountain #3? If that's not considered "collectible" I'd have to say the third series Erie I got recently.
5. Erie.
6. 1: Erie second series 10 with circle triangle star makers mark. 2. Not one item, but I'd love to have the entire Iron Mountain line of cast. That would be cool.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
--A Lodge 12" pre-preseasoning era skillet that I found under the counter of my second apartment.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
--User who likes old and unique cookware.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
--I collect pieces to use...first piece I had to have was a Lodge Pineapple Pan.
4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
--First ever, Griswold #8 Skillet with Lid from my Grandmother. First I bought,Griswold Crispy Corn Stick Pan.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be? The unmarked Lodge DO, unmarked Lodge Deep Skillet and Griswold #8 Skillet with Lid....all my Grandmothers.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
Bundt pan, Griswold #14 Large Block TM, Lodge Deep Fish Fryer 3060 with 3093 Lid or Sportsman Duck lid.

First, let me say this. I remember being in my grandmothers' kitchens--'50s,
'60s and watching them cook and clean cast iron. Ask one, why do you have that stack of newspapers? Answer, "To clean the pans." Before paper towels.
1. Wagner #10 skillet(70s brand new)--that's what mom used, only hers was a Griswold.
2. I'm a user. We have 6 pieces we use regularly at the house. I have 5 pieces at the camp--use them when I'm up there. Have about 15 pieces at my storage that I use infrequently.
3. As a user, never looked for collectibles--"usefulness". Have some nice old pieces. One of our favorites is one made in Taiwan--#8--just right for a good pone of cornbread.
4. Martin Stove & Range #12 pot with lid--destined for the scrap yard, resurrected it. Cleaned up nicely, used it a couple of times. Sold it recently on Ebay. Close to collecting as I'll get, I figure.
5. Mom's #10 Griswold--too many memories.
6. No clue. I'll run across something sometime, always do. Something that is a dream to someone. I'm just lucky in that regard--seem to stumble on things from time to time that are just insane.
7. I joined this site to learn about those things I love--one such is cast iron. I'm here, not to collect valuables, but to learn of those things our ancestors used in the trivial (to some meaningless) activities they did in day to day life. I'm of a historical mindset--not the big stuff--but the day to day little things they did back then.

I was on a mission to find the best way to cook a steak, A friend of a friend suggested getting a cast iron skillet hot on the stove top and searing both sides then transferring in the same skillet to a hot oven to cook until medium. Found a #10 3 notch lodge at a thrift store, looked up my find and started my obsession.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
#10 Lodge 3 notch.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
I have about 10 pieces I use for different purposes, A Griswold #9 lbl for burgers, Favorite Piqua round griddle for heating tortillas and pancakes, #8 BSR for sauteing, and a Wagner Ware chicken fryer for deep frying, are among my most used. So to answer the question I use them daily and of my 120 or so pieces I have tried at least 75 of them. User and Collector here.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
A #7 "Wagner" which I overpaid for at an antique store.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
Not sure what is meant by "truly collectible" if any thing pre 1960 qualifies I guess it would be the # 7 "Wagner" mentioned above. But I remember being very happy finding my first Griswold LBL.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
I can narrow it down to two, my first series #9 Erie Skillet or my #3 Griswold MBL with the BSA decal.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
A Griswold spider logo would be awesome, I collect a lot of #3 just to have examples of different logos so I am also looking of wapak #3 indian and a #3 cliff cornell. probably not the rarest of items but certainly ones I always look for.

7. What do your friends and family think of your obsession?
Mine are very supportive and look for items for me, many of my nicer pieces my dad has picked up at yard sales, but this also means I end up paying for the occasional paper weight out of obligation. Please call me before you buy it!

I have been collecting for about one year. Never thought I would ever have have an interest in cast iron. I really enjoy the transformation from rust and crud to a like new finish.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
A 1940-1960 Lodge #3. Cost me $2.00.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
Collector, although I use my corn stick pans from time to time.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
The Lodge #3, my "experimental" piece.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
Although all CI is collectible to me, I guess my first "better" piece was a either a small logo Griswold #10 or a Wagner #8 chicken fryer.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
My Lodge single notch hammered #3. Really fine finish, extra smooth cooking surface. A very nice little skillet.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
I would love to have any brand name, nickel plated, hammered skillet with the original label still on it.

7. What do your friends and family think of your obsession?
I'm the only one who "gets it."

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?

a Lodge skillet I bought from the local hardware store.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?

hmmm...I collect nice pans to use. about a dozen skillets, a couple DOs and a waffle iron. use them all, some of them daily.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?

a WWSO - can't remember the size.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?

found a #6 Good Health Skillet at our local Habitat for Humanity store for $2. figured it was some 70s hippie pan when I looked at the bottom, y'know? it hid in the closet for a while until someone gave me an Erie scotch bowl and I started doing research on CI.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?

tough question - guess it would be my late 1800's gate-marked unnamed #7 skillet. cost me $7 at a junk shop. that's the one I use everyday.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

i sure would like to find one of those Griswold loaf pans, with the cover. the one with the handle coming off the long side - I think its a #877. maybe one of those late 18oo pans that is nicely cast - like those 3 that SteveStephens posted pics of several months back. can't remember the name at the moment.

7. What do friends and family think of your obsession

as long as I keep cooking with them, my family is happy. my friends and colleagues are ok too, since I've helped several of them resurrect their old skillets.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
Griswold # 16 muffin pan. Found it in a 13 bedroom home clean out, free.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
Both, I started collecting only iron that I would use, that did not last long now a horder.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
Griswold # 16 muffin pan.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
Griswold # 16 muffin pan.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
1800's gate-marked unnamed #7 skillet, single pour spout with fancy handle.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

The earlier the better. I have not seen it yet, when I do the chase is over. Will not let that happen.

7. What do friends and family think of your obsession?
If they have a problem with my cast iron hording, they just might have a problem with everything else I collect

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?

I bought a Martha Stewart (MSE) skillet from K-Mart probably 10 years ago. It was terrible. It sat unused, buried in my cabinet for years. Eventually I got it back out for something, and got so frustrated that it started me on the path to vintage iron. I remember as a kid helping my mother and grandmother cook, and how amazing their skillets were. I came to learn that my mother's are WWSO and my grandmother's are Favorite. With that knowledge and google, I ended up here.

Oh, that MSE? It's now the sacrificial anode in my e-tank

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?

First and foremost a user. I don't think of myself so much as a collector. I enjoy the restoration process, and I think more than anything I love to be able to look at a completely caked over piece and have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to find underneath the crud. Being able to pick the one good piece out of the pile of 20 that are selling for $5 each is great.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?

I told my mother I was hunting for some skillets, and she bought me a Griswold SBL #5 before I could find anything.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?

Griswold SBL #5

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?

Probably my #9 3rd series ERIE. It is garbage as a collectible because someone ground the heat ring off of it. However, it sits dead flat on my ceramic cooktop, heats evenly, and has a perfect cooking surface. I use it almost every day.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

There's nothing really specific that I'd like to have. I don't collect anything in particular. I don't try to build sets. I just know when I run across something nice at a good price, I pick it up, clean it up, and give it a good home.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

==================

1.) Lodge 3-notch No. 6. Given to me by my Mother about 2 years ago now. 1/8" thick seasoning inside & out. Mother told me that she got this skillet shortly after her and my Father were married. 1969, and she's cooked in it ever since. Too small for me to use daily as I like a lot of room to move around, but this is one I'll never sell or clean up.

2.) Collector first, user second. BUT. I've spent most of my life eating crappy food. Fast food, frozen dinners, anything I could heat up in a microwave. Bachelor Chow.
Since starting to collect, I've been experimenting and making more meals at home than I ever have in my entire life. The microwave rarely gets used anymore. Cooking is now more fun to me if I can use a 100+ year old pot or piece that most normal people would rather scrap than having to clean up and make it a real user again.
I find a lot of fun in taking my rarest pieces and making a grilled cheese sandwich, browning up some meat & heating up tortillas for tacos, etc.. The more rare the item, the more I want to cook in it. I'll dig out a pan I haven't used in a while just to brown some toast. I can't say that I've cooked in ALL of my pieces, bit in time I'll get to them all.
I won't say that cast iron collecting has lead to me eating healthier, but it has led me to eating tastier food that I'm prouder of because I made it.

3.) Griswold No.8 704 skillet. (Before my fascination with other brands took hold.)

4.) Hmm.... Probably my No. 7 Wagner Ware pie logo skillet. It was probably the first skillet I bought with the thought in my head that "This is different, and it seems rarer than all of the usual stuff I see." For every 300 Griswold pieces I see, I might see one Pie Logo, and usually it's a No. 3. Any other size is harder to find. Waiting to find a 13 or 14 for $20 at a yard sale.

5.) It's far from my most expensive or rare piece, but for day to day usefulness, my No. 10 1270A Wagner round roaster / Drip Drop Lid. It could be used for bacon / eggs / pancakes if need be, but I like to cook chili, stews & beans, I don't think I could do without it. There's just something about a big iron pot that says "Cook something good in me, and share it with your friends." I'm all about cooking big and sharing.

6.) Hmm.. This is a hard one. 1.) Hunter Mfg Co. Sifter pot with lid (C.1875). I've only seen one without a lid, and was fascinated by it. Should have bought it when I had the chance. 2.) ERIE spider logo skillet. While I'm not really a Griswold collector, I'm an amateur entomologist, and the spider logo is cool. Plus the rarity thing. 3.) Perhaps I'm more of a Griswold man than I let on, but No. 3 is another Griswold. The Griswold Up To Time clock. Perhaps one of the rarest of rare Griswold items, plus it would look great in my office. I'm sure all three of these answers will change in the next week when I see something really cool.


Where did this question come from???
7.) What do your friends and family think of your obsession?
A.) Family got me started when I expressed interest. Mother gave me a No. 6 3-notch Lodge skillet first, then a National / Wagner No. 9 1359E skillet (My daily user), and then a No. 8 slant Griswold 834 D.O. with lid. They frequent thrift stores, yard sales, etc. They frequently call me and ask if I'm interested in pieces that they come across. So, very supportive.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
A 12 inch Lodge skillet purchased at Walmart. I always enjoyed breaking it
out occasionally for weekend breakfast. When I discovered the vintage stuff
and the restoration process I've become fascinated with CI.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
A user. I'm new to the hobby and use everything I've acquired.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
A Vollrath #8 deep skillet with lid. The lid has big raised letters "Vollrath
Ware U.S.A". It matches my Vollrath #8 skillet with the same sideways 8
on the underside.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
I have a #7 Blacklock-ish skillet. While maybe not truly collectable I just
like everything about the look of it. Raised #7 on the handle, inset heat
ring, raised "&" on the underside at six o'clock, raised rib under the
handle and super glassy smooth surface.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what
would it be.
See #4. Cornbread turns out great in that skillet

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare
or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
Skillets with the Erie spider logo, Wapak chicken foot and indian head logos.

7. What do friends and family think of your obsession?
They think it's pretty interesting. My wife is always on the lookout when she
browses thrift stores.

Question 7 was not part of the OP. I just posted a #7 to explain my mindset about cast iron. Others picked it up and inserted the "What do your family and friends think of your obsession?"

New member here... and I kinda thought answering these questions would be as good an introduction as any. Glad to be here!

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
A size 5, late '80s, Lodge "Wildlife Series" skillet with the Mallard duck on the bottom of it. My sister got it as a wedding gift, and passed it on to me when she got some more "sophisticated" cookware. I only wish the accompanying Largemouth Bass skillet had found its way to me (I'm a pretty devoted bass angler)... but it apparently vanished long ago. If anyone has the Bass skillet, I want one!

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
Both... cast iron was meant to be used... even if you collect more than you really need.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
A Griswold #6 small logo inherited from my fiance's grandmother who passed away.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
Apparently that duck skillet (all of the Lodge "Wildlife Series") has become a collector's piece and has become pretty scarce from what I understand, but either that one or the aforementioned Griswold.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
Early Birmingham Stove & Range (BSR) "Red Mountain" #5

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
A) The Lodge "Wildlife Series" bass skillet
B) A really nice example of a Martin #7 skillet
C) TBD... like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade... I'll know it when I see it. Hopefully it will be a really amazing deal at a flea market that doesn't hurt the wallet.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
A 3 piece set of Taiwanese skillets from the local KMart. I still use the largest one as it's so well seasoned. (Un-numbered but probably corresponding to a #6, 5, and #4)
2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
A hoarder, and a user.
3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
A Griswold #4 Scotch Bowl, purchased at an Estate Sale, and labeled as a Hibachi Grill.
4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
If that Scotch Bowl mentioned in #3 is "Truly Collectible," than that one.
5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be? My #9 Griswold Skillet (It cooks like magic.)
6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
I'd really like to find a reasonable #14 Skillet.
(For when you're doing a batch of fried chicken.)

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
A Griswold #746 rectangular griddle. Any time I use it now, I recall a fishing trip when we would cook breakfasts of brook trout, bacon, eggs and home fries, all at once, on top of an old wood burning cookstove.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
A buyer, trying to become a seller, and a collector. My passion is pre-1900s pieces.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
A double-header. A Sidney Hollow Ware #8 skillet and an "Erie" #8 skillet at a yard sale for $8.00 each, both coming out of an old-timer's kitchen.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
My hopes are that the above two would fill that bill.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
An unmarked odorless skillet with a bail handle and metal cover, which work in unison, gate-marked, marked with patent dates of 1891 and 1898.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
Dreaming, any #13 Griswold piece. Possibly more attainable, a top grate #876 for a Gris double boiler and a cover for a McClary Drip-Top Spider skillet.

7. Friends and family thoughts?
A couple of supportive friends who've added C/I to their look-for lists at yard sales. Family is understanding and tolerant as long as I stay in control, realizing my leanings as a sometimes obsessive collector and preservationist.

I will join in too!

What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?

The first piece of CI was my mother’s BSR #8 skillet, It still has the crud from when I learned to cook.

Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?

I consider myself more of a user but will not pass up a good collectable if the price is right.

What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?

A two quart sauce pan with a lid that was a BSR


What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?

I was able to get a #8 Griswold #8 LBL smooth bottom skillet for 15 dollars.

If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?

I love cooking on my BSR sportsman grill, no question about it!

Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".

I want a Lodge Wok, Lodge biscuit pan, Lodge muffin pan.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
Actually it was two. A BSR fish fryer and a Lodge DO. Inherited from my Dad. He bought them sometime in the 70s.

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
A user, but most of my stuff folks would consider collectible, I think.

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
Griswold chicken fryer with correct lid. Paid about $20 for it.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
What I consider truly collectible is my Sidney O (script) #10 griddle.

5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
Wagner block logo #10 skillet.

6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
About the only thing I'd like to run across is a Griswold mortar and pestle.

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned?
Modern Lodge #8
2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both?
Definitely collector, but only cook with cast iron.
3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting?
Griswold Erie griddle #8
4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired?
Wagner straight logo #11 for $8 at a flea market
5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be?
Today it would be my Griswold #130 Turks head gem pan, but that's subject to change.
6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list".
Erie Spider, Griswold #13 and a #961 single loaf Griswold bread pan.

Hello Everybody- Happy Friday!

1. What is the first piece of cast iron cookware you actually owned? My dad had a bunch of pieces that we used to use in Boy Scouts (dutch oven cobbler yum yum!), when I left to move to Colorado- he gave me a 3 legged DO to take-- I realized that I couldn't easily use this indoors, so I had by friend cut the legs off of it :frown: I think it is a lodge.... still my go-to camp DO!

2. Do you consider yourself more a collector, a user, or both? Started out as a user, moved to a collector, and hopefully eventually a re-seller! I grew up as a picker and a junker with my dad, and it's still in my blood

3. What is the first piece you acquired with an eye toward collecting? This was a Wagner Ware 1218 Square Skillet- $18.50 rusty and crusty- but cleaned up beautifully- still love the lines of that pan.

4. What is the first truly collectible piece you acquired? I've got about 25-30 pieces at this point, several Wagners and a Griswold (all in the wild finds), probably my rarest is the Chicago Hardware Foundry hammered dome lid (fits 8-10 dual spouts) it's a beautiful piece and got it at a great price as well.


5. If you were forced to give up your collection except for one piece, what would that piece be? Several years ago my wife gave me a lodge combo cooker (deep skillet with a shallow skillet that makes a lid) I use it more than any other pan, and sentimentally, it's my favorite.


6. Knowing it's hard to name a single favorite, name up to three CI items, rare or not, on your "holy grail" or "bucket list". Although I am learning a lot at this time- I don't have a "Must Have" yet- Every piece I find, I learn more, so, most likely the next CI I find will be the one

Thanks all for your help- I really appreciate all that you do!

-J

JD speaks for all of us.

Thank you Doug