Cleaning, Restoring, Identifying Questions

[KFSchmidt]

For my first post, I have a question about a bit of everything. I was at a flea market today and saw an old skillet. I think it said it was a #8 or #9 on the top of the handle. The bottom looked like it may have been pitted in the center and the cooking area seemed to have some rust. On the bottom, the only identification I could see was the word "National." I researched and saw that National was a Wagner logo from the 30s-40 but not much else.
Questions:
1. How can I tell if it is pitted and unrepairable vs just crud build up.
2. Is their any way to tell what the age of it is?
3. At what price would it be worth a bit of a gamble?

 

[Doug D.]

1. Sometimes you never know until it's cleaned.
2. If it has a c/n, that will at least tell you before or after 1924.
3. To each their own, but I no longer pay for pitted pieces.

 

[RickC]

A lot of this depends on what your end goal is for the piece.

If you just want to cook in it, a warped, pitted piece will work as well as any other. If you want to start down the collection path, it's best to avoid any piece with damage that will affect it's value. I've cooked with great results in a skillet that looked like it had been buried for the last 40 years. Bottom pitting won't much effect how it cooks, just how it looks and what it's worth.

I cook almost daily in a National/Wagner No. 9 skillet that was handed down to me. It has a slight dip in the middle, but it's great to cook in.

I've bought pieces that were beyond bad, just because they were cheap and I thought they were neat. It's all about what you want to spend your money on, and what you, at that moment think it's worth.

 

[RobM]

A lot of this depends on what your end goal is for the piece.

If you just want to cook in it, a warped, pitted piece will work as well as any other. If you want to start down the collection path, it's best to avoid any piece with damage that will affect it's value. I've cooked with great results in a skillet that looked like it had been buried for the last 40 years. Bottom pitting won't much effect how it cooks, just how it looks and what it's worth.

I cook almost daily in a National/Wagner No. 9 skillet that was handed down to me. It has a slight dip in the middle, but it's great to cook in.

I've bought pieces that were beyond bad, just because they were cheap and I thought they were neat. It's all about what you want to spend your money on, and what you, at that moment think it's worth.

Pretty much sums it up for me. have a couple of wagner nationals here, paid a few bucks each for them. Love them as user pans. GF's mom is eyeballing them as they are lighter than the average pan, might have to give them up

Are you looking for collector pieces or a frying pan.

 

[RickC]

If you just want to cook in it, a warped, pitted piece will work as well as any other.

I probably should have worded that a little differently. A little wobble, a little warp would cook just fine. Bottoms that are either bowed up or down can cause oil to pool in the center or around the edges. This can be a problem, but it's not the end of the world.