Looking for Answers about a found pot

[TeresaHorn]

Have a cast iron pan that has numbers and a letter on the bottom and I can not find any information on it. It had baked on char and did not see them till it was cleaned up. The numbers are a 7 and 8 then a capital D. If any one might know about it please let me know. Thank you

 

[RickC]

I've not seen one with a rounded offset bottom, have only seen ones with a flat offset bottom. The bottom (although I don't know why it was offset) was designed to fit down into the hole(s) in a wood burning stove. Older, un-marked stuff like this is often hard to identify. There are however people here with WAY more knowledge about cast iron than me.

Offset is possibly so you could rotate it and not have it interfere with other pans on the stove? My best guess. Doug???

 

[TeresaHorn]

Okay and thank you. Hopefully we can find out this mystery. Have seen many cast iron pots but nothing like this one.

 

[Doug D.]

That would be called an eccentric footed kettle. And I would agree that it is unusual, the flat bottomed version being the more typical. The eccentricity is indeed to allow the larger diameter kettle to be placed in a smaller stove eye and then rotated to give clearance to other pans on an undoubtedly crowded stovetop.

 

[TeresaHorn]

Thank you for the answer about the pot. By any chance is there a way to maybe date it and find out what the numbers mean. Have tried to research it but come up empty handed. When I found it definitely thought the bottom was a bit interesting cause have never seen one like it before.

 

[Doug D.]

The 7 and 8 mean indicate it was suitable for use on either a #7 or #8 stove eye. The D is most likely to identify the molder, who was paid by the piece. The maker on these types of pieces is usually impossible to ascertain.

 

[MikeZ]

Curious as to why the round bottom design. Possibly to conduct more heat to the kettle, with slightly more surface area?

I've been told that the eccentric design was to allow the kettle to sit as far to the back of the stove as possible, where it could simmer away and free up the front of the stovetop. On a six lid (eye) stove top, the back lid over the firebox can be a blast furnace, the center back one where smoke and heat exit to the stovepipe is somewhat cooler and the right lid runs luke warm. Hence the term "put on the back burner…?" I wonder if they were also used to keep a supply of hot water on hand, for stoves with no attached water tank.

Here's what it looks like in operation. Mine is unmarked except for a small "L" on the bottom.