Great Find! (I Think)

[S.Montreuil]

I found another Indian head today. #5 I've never seen one before. I compared the logo to my confirmed Indian head #9. I don't see any differences. I'm open to everyone's opinion. I'm confident it legit.

 

[KevinE]

Very nice! Certainly looks legit to me.

 

[S.Montreuil]

I promised my wife I was done for a while....then I spotted this! I hate to see her go!!!! lol

 

[M.Trainor]

Holy crap ! That's a find for sure! I've never seen one at any price in the wild .

Congrats .

 

[Doug D.]

While I haven't seen every size of Wapak Indian up close in person, I've looked at hundreds of photos of them in all sizes and variants. The irregular circumference of the logo on this one would give me pause. Wapak was not known for the finest castings, and even though the Indian heads are among their nicest, they still have their issues, especially in flat areas not being flat. I also wonder about the "GRADE" not being as well defined as the rest of the markings, and the sort of "runny" area just outside the heat ring. Typically, the fakes are obvious: really bad casting, big nosed Indian, illegible wording, wrong handle for an Indian head, but there are some that are pretty good that do get by the experienced eye.

 

[S.Montreuil]

Thanks Doug, I will clean it when I get a chance. I also had some concerns about the logo but the "grade" is visible with a good photo. my investment was minimal. do you know of any other indications that could help us decide. I have compared it to my other wapak and it appears the same. do the logo's change in size with the size of the pan?

 

[Doug D.]

While most Indian head logos are in bas relief ("recessed"), some are more flush with the surrounding surface but bounded by a slightly raised ring. On the size 8 skillets, there are two distinct handles, one being hollow bottomed; the other not. The hollow bottomed one has the size number in bas relief; the other simply inscribed.

 

[S.Montreuil]

I do find it fascinating that someone would forge a pan....I collected guns for years, and although there were some reproductions. No oone ever went through the trouble of casting a complete weapon. More were made with a combination of miss matched parts, but the gain coulda been thousands. But going through the trouble of making a casting for one pan seems Ridiculous. The gain would be minimal. Getting back to the Indian, it is "spot on", slightly recessed. The frying surface is excellent but thhe bottom has some obvious wear indications. I am gonna try and contact the seller to see where it came from. It was an estate sale.

 

[Doug D.]

Consider that one skillet pattern can make dozens, hundreds, or more pans. Counterfeiters generally don't do what they do to make just one of something. Typically, in the realm of CI cookware reproduction, they're usually opportunistic in that they pick items requiring the least material that will realize the most revenue. That's why you see so many toy skillet and tea size cornstick pan fakes. Or, alternatively, those high ticket items most attractive to collectors, like Santa Claus molds.

 

[Todd A]

While a quick look at the pan, minus the Indian head logo, looks like an original, what is really bothering me is the logo. I love these Wapak Indian logo pans but unless the logos are clear and crisp, I stay away from them. I know their castings were not always perfect. But for collecting I want a well defined Indian head logo like this one. I see pans like the one in your first post often and always wonder if they are a reproduction or real. If I have any doubts, then I pass it up.