New Griswold collector with questions - looking for advise.

T

TAspin

New member
Hello all,

I am a new Griswold collector just starting out. I have no pans other than newer Lodge pans. I have definitely been bitten by the dreaded Griswold CI bug! I like the Lodge pans but believe the cooking experience on a smooth bottom “glassy pan” will be more ideal. I cook in these regularly and plan on teaching my kids how to cook in CI as well. Someday I will be handing them down to them - so I am looking for pans that are great examples, collectible, and fantastic cookers . I am just unsure what series I should target. I am hoping some of the experts here can provide me some advice that ticks all those boxes and provides me some direction.

Here is what I think I know…. Please correct me where I am wrong.

IMPORTANT NOTES
• I am narrowing this discussion to skillets only.
• I fancy the slant logos a bit more – but not a must have.
• I am targeting pre ‘40s pans for numerous reasons. (I think – see question #3 below)
• I am asking this question regardless of the cost of odd sizes… and their scarcity, real or otherwise. I am really asking about the series and type of pan overall. I should also say that I will have little need for anything larger than a 10.

TIMELINE BY SERIES
  • 1906–1912: Slant “ERIE” with heat ring (note: some contain quotes and some do not…)
  • 1909-1929: Slant “ERIE PA. U.S.A. with heat ring
  • 1920-1930: Block “ERIE PA. U.S.A. with heat ring
  • 1930-1939: Block “ERIE PA. U.S.A smooth bottom
  • 1939-1944: Slant “ERIE PA. U.S.A. smooth bottom

QUESTIONS
To be clear – I would like feedback based on the fact that I want skillets that will be great cookers and will ultimately be very collectible. I fully realize some pans will be far more expensive (#4 for example) but I am in this for the long haul and I will be patient and plan my purchases carefully. I do not intend to hang these on the wall for decoration or the like. (I admit it might be neat to have one up….)

  1. Heat Ring Help – This topic is particularly troubling for me and the number one thing that prohibits me from making a decision. I really wonder if the heat rings will cause problems with stoves as others have claimed. If yes, that really limits (or simplifies) my options. It seems to me that smooth bottom pans would “likely” be more compatible with whatever new stove technology is likely to come down the line. I realize this is a reach. Perhaps I am making more of this than is needed.

  2. What Series Should I Collect - If you were me, based on the above, what series would recommend to me?

  3. The 1939-1944 Conundrum – These are perhaps a hens tooth, but it appears these pans have all the boxes checked – Slant large cross logo with smooth bottom. BUT I have read these were made at the beginning of the Griswold’s decline as company. Some suggest that the iron used after 1940 was sub-par in comparison to the pre 1940s pans. This makes the pans significantly heavier and not as high quality. Can someone tell me what is true regarding this matter?

Sorry to have written an epistle about my quest for information. I just want to make sure I get started down the right path before making this important investment.

A sincere and heartfelt, THANK YOU, in advance to any/all who constructively reply. I hope some of the experts here can enlighten me!
Best,
Tom
 
Heat ring or no heat ring: If you have a gas cook top, there is no problem. Others have reported HR pans on a glass cook top not to be a problem. Smooth bottom pans on glass would need to be dead flat, though.

What series: The earlier Griswolds, like the Erie before them, were thinner and lighter than the later. Not to say that later were boat anchors, but they were slightly heavier. Thin pans have their place in a cook's arsenal, but so do heavy ones. The smooth bottom LBL might be your best bet for availability, price, and performance.

Smooth bottom large slant logo: I don't think there's enough concrete evidence as to where to place these pans in Griswold history. I would go with them being older, and an experiment with moving to smooth bottom skillets. There are quite scarce, and, having held one in my hand, find them on par with the LBL smooth bottoms.

I'm not sure who proliferates the notion that Griswold quality declined after some point. I don't see it in the hundreds of pans I own. Did the family lose interest in owning the company as time went on? Yes, but I don't see it reflected in the product.
 
Welcome to the forum. I think it's great that you have at least narrowed your quest down to one manufacturer and limited the discussion to skillets only. I'll try to address at least some of your questions from my perspective. Understand that most of what I say is just personal preference.

Heat ring or no heat ring? For me, it's heat ring. I just find heat ring skillets more aesthetically pleasing. Do they cook any better? Probably not. I just like them better. I don't know what problems people have had cooking with them compared to non heat ring skillets. I cook on a gas cooktop. Maybe some folks have trouble with them on an induction cooktop or a smooth glass electric, but I don't know.

Which era you should collect is a tough one. You said you like the slants. I suspect the 1909-1929 would be the easiest to come by so if I were limiting myself to a specific era of slants, that's the one I would go with.

I don't know the answer to your last question, but I know there are people that love heavier skillets. I'm not one of them and see no advantage, perceived or real, to them.

---------- Post added at 10:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 AM ----------
CJ Lucas said:
I thought "U S A" was only added during the 60's. Am I wrong?
Click to expand...

I think you may be confusing "Erie, PA, USA" with "Made in USA."
 
I'm no expert but I have built and sold a few "sets". The first time I completed a 3-10 LBL I was so happy, then I sat on the floor and turned them over and realized that I had part of two sets. The collectible value of a "set" increases if all the pieces are matching logo/matching handle and I had two different handle shapes.
 
For cooking I’m pro heat rings. Better chance of maintaining flatness with a little warpage. May be a pain down the road for cooktops that require 100% contact, but all cast iron plays hell on smooth top surfaces as well as the cook when they slide around. Also pro weight. Heaver means less hot spots, better heat distribution with time and more residual heat when trying to maintain consistent heat when adding food. Also better radiant heat from the sides.

I choose BSR & Lodge. “Highly collectable” can be at odds with cooking. Few collectors want to fry their fish in a pristine multi-hundred dollar skillet. Good luck.

Hilditch
 
I cook every week in a #10 three notch Lodge, #9 small logo Griswold, #8 Wagner Sydney 0, #6 Wagner Sydney 0, a small logo #3 Griswold and a #9 Lodge round griddle. All of these makers are great in their own right.
If you want to cook and you want to stick with Griswold I would go with small logo. The cooking surface is smooth as glass and they are usually cheaper and a bit easier to find.
My real suggestion however is to buy a pan from each maker, no later than the 50's, cheap and cook in it. Keep the collection separate because then you might worry about damaging a pan you are also looking to collect. My Slant logos hang on my wall, but my favorite pans sit on my stove top. Enjoy the ride!!!
Kyle
 
Thank you very much for your responses. @ Doug you advice as pointed and very appreciated.

Keep em coming :-)
 
I second Kyle's advice. You can also keep an eye out for less than perfect Griswolds for your daily users. I have a LBL #8 with a flawless cooking surface, sits perfectly flat, has no cracks, but lots of sulfur pitting on and around the Griswold logo. I paid 6 bucks for it, and it's one of my favorite users.
 
Keep in mind...I am a novice. However, I have fallen in love with Griswold. I have a couple "smooth bottom" skillets. I love that they are light weight and heat to the desired temperature quickly. I find that the heat transfers to the entire skillet vs the heavier duty competitors. And the glass cook surface cant be beat!
I have my eye on a No 10 "Tite Top" Dutch Oven and 2 No 8 "slant logo" No 8 skillets for my next purchases.
 
When it comes to Griswold I find that patience is best. I paid 18 dollars for a perfect #8 Slant logo, 40 for a LBL heat ring #10, and 30 for a smooth bottom #8 LBL. They are out there but they have to be found, otherwise you will be bidding online for a skillet that you know nothing about. Most eBay buys, unless they are cleaned and very expensive, are risky because you don't know what you are getting. You are liking Griswold for the right reasons, but the fact that they were light make them prone to warping and that fact that they are really old makes them prone to pitting on the cook surface. The large block logo smooth bottom skillets will always be collectable because they are well built and the look awesome. If you are looking for a set to collect and cook in, that is what I would go for. Slant logos are hard to come by. Be careful though because you could way overpay for LBL skillets. I like to take my time and find deals. That way I know they will always be worth more than what I paid for them and they come with a great story to pass on to my kids as well. My six year old and four year old help me find them and restore them. I want them to have memories of my CI that will prompt them to keep them and give them to their kids. Have a blast.
Kyle
 
Kyle S. said:
You are liking Griswold for the right reasons, but the fact that they were light make them prone to warping and that fact that they are really old makes them prone to pitting on the cook surface.
Kyle
Click to expand...

I respectfully disagree with that statement. I have a few Wagners that are over 100 years old and they are not warped, bowed, or pitted. Misuse and abuse are what causes warping and pitting. Many, many old lightweight skillets are out there with pitting on the bottoms due to the high sulfur coal and gas that they were used to cook over, but the cooking surface is still like glass and they are not warped.
 
KevinE said:
I respectfully disagree with that statement. I have a few Wagners that are over 100 years old and they are not warped, bowed, or pitted. Misuse and abuse are what causes warping and pitting. Many, many old lightweight skillets are out there with pitting on the bottoms due to the high sulfur coal and gas that they were used to cook over, but the cooking surface is still like glass and they are not warped.
Click to expand...

I also have perfect condition cast from that period. I was more speaking to the dangers or buying online, sight unseen. Because these pans are old and thin there are many things that pictures on the internet don't indicate. Thats all I meant. When I first started collecting I bought a few pieces that I now regret because I was impatient and didn't think I would find anything in my home town.
 
Sorry, I wasn't making the connection between ebay buying and the statement I disagreed with. I would agree that buying on ebay or anywhere that you can't physically inspect the piece carries risks.
 
Thank you again for all you answers!

There seems to be little information about the 1939-1944 slant with no heat ring pans. I am really curious to know if these were inferior to those prior. Maybe there are just not that many out there.
 
I am curious as the the source of the 1939-1944 dating of what are more commonly called "Slant EPU smooth bottom" skillets. Is that from the BB or RB? I don't recall.

Edit: Never Mind. That's where it's from. Been a while since I visited the subject.
 
I too have a soft spot for the HR Griswold and have been leaning toward that direction.

Ty, are you sure you're not using my slant when I'm not home? Yours sounds a awful lot like mine, sulfur pitting and all:) I think mine was $12 but nice cooking surface and flat.

Steve
 
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