Help with Dutch Oven ID

B

BDufrene

New member
Hi All,

I recently picked up this DO. The pic of the cleaned up DO is from Etsy and matches the piece that I picked up. The Etsy seller indicated that he believes that the piece was made by Columbus Iron Works from GA. I've posted to Reddit and some users thought that it was a Sears and Roebuck piece. I have located a 1936 Jubilee catalogue and their is a drawing of a BestMade DO that matches this one. I know that Griswold made BestMade pieces for Sears and Roebuck. One Reddit user indicated that he believed this was a BestMade manufactured by Chicago Hardware Foundry. I've never read anything that suggests that CHF made BestMade pieces for Sears and Roebuck. I've only read about Griswold manufacturing for Sears and Roebuck.

This is one of the most ornate DOs I've come across. The helper handle and lid handle are unlike any other I've seen. Hoping to get more info on possible manufacturer.

So, is this a Columbus Iron Works, Griswold BestMade, or CHF BestMade?

Thanks,
Brad
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I am only aware of Griswold making Sears store brands Best Made, Merit and Puritan; Favorite Piqua also making Puritan; and Lodge unmarked pieces with Sears Maid of Honor paper labels. Nothing indicating CHF did. The catalog confirms sold as 1930s Sears Best Made, but made by whom is still the question.

We can eliminate Griswold, as their pieces, store brands included, always had a pattern number on them. The underside of the lid is very late Wagner-like, but the top, seen in the listing, is not. A pour lip on a DO is unusual, BSR's did, but this one has no other characteristics I'd call BSR.

I'd call $1400 wishful thinking, particularly when the seller doesn't even know who made it. I see the other Etsy listing calling it CIW only wants $189; that seller claims it's mid to late 19th century.
 
Thanks for the insights! Yes, $1400 is certainly wishful thinking, especially when maker is unknown. I'm not terribly interested in value. I paid $25 for it and a #3 Wagner Sydney-O that cleaned nicely. I like this one too much to part with it. I just finished the first round of seasoning this evening. Will pop it back in the oven tomorrow for another round.

I'm going to weigh it and compare to a Wagner #8 DO that I have. It's about 10 3/4 inches from top edge to edge and 11 inches from pour lip to opposite edge. It's a little more than 4 inches tall.

Would be nice to unravel the mystery behind this one. I did zoom in and read the Sears and Roebuck ad. It appears that this Best Made was designed specifically for their 1936 Jubilee event. Not sure if that had an impact on Griswold, or whoever, coming up with a special one-time only design. The only pattern mark is a neatly incised S-9 on the underside of lid in center and on the bottom, pour lip side.

I took a look at the The Book of Griswold and Wagner (2003) and couldn't find a match. At least there is the Sears and Roebuck 1936 Jubilee catalogue that provides a year and Best Made designation.

After a 50/50 vinegar bath, a few rounds of Yellow Cap Easy Off, and lots of scrubbing, it cleaned up pretty well given the amount of rust that was present. There was only a tiny bit of minor pitting on the cooking surface. I'm excited to use this one.

Again, thanks for the insights and walking me through your thought process.
 
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