Smart Brockville Skillet

M

Mona_C

New member
I picked this up a couple of days ago, and have been stumped since.

What do I know? That it was made by the Smart Foundry, from Brockville, Ontario. I know that aside from the makers stamp, it's identical to the round breakfast skillet produced by Griswold. Going by that, it's likely that it was made in the 1930's.

I also know that after searching for hours online, I cannot find another Smart skillet that matches this one. Many square ones, but not a round one.

So I'm trying to find more information beyond what I already have, including possible value as I'll likely sell this piece at some point. I bought it as a curiousity..not to use.
 

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The Smart square breakfast skillets, marked the same as your round one, also appear to be direct copies of Griswold's Colonial Breakfast Skillet, which was produced in the 1940s. Griswold's round breakfast skillets are seen dated 1930s and marked Patent Applied For, but there doesn't seem to be a patent awarded to verify that. Valuation will be difficult as there are no published guides covering Smart, and eBay has no recent completed, sold listings for any. Of the square ones seen offered for sale online, I wouldn't put too much credence in the exorbitant prices they're asking.
 
Hi Doug!
From a different person, I was told that Smart acquired some of their designs from Griswold, which would explain the duplications.

As for valuation...to put it bluntly, I've spent hours scouring the internet in every way I can possibly think of to find another of these made by Smart. I have found exactly none. lol But I am seeing some of the Griswold ones.

When I'm ready to sell it (it's still in the midst of being cleaned), I was planning on just putting it on eBay and letting it go as high as it's going to go. I doubt I'll find anything telling me what it is worth, so it makes sense to simply let those who want it decide that for me.
 
I've never heard or seen any info regarding any maker legitimately acquiring designs from another major manufacturer save for Chicago Hardware Foundry buying Favorite Piqua Ware tooling when they went under. But, you know how the internet is-- conjecture repeated often enough morphs into statements of fact. I'd say a starting bid of $50 would certainly not be out of line, and, if it goes higher, I would not be surprised; a lot higher would probably require an extraordinary set of circumstances, though.
 
What, you mean that not being able to find another one online isn't a unique enough set of circumstances?! :chuckle:

No worries..I'm just joking with that.

Smart did take buy out another company, which resulted in the diamond G mark being stamped on some of their wares. But although I am finding that Smart copied Griswolds designs (both breakfast skillets, for example), I haven't been able to confirm that they purchased or otherwise acquired those designs from Griswold.
 
It would seem that, if/where Smart copied designs of other makers, they did it with enough diligence not to let ghost marks of those other makers show through on their pieces. The "diamond G" I attribute to the Gill brothers early takeover of controlling interest in Smart.

http://www.castironcollector.com/canadian.php
 
Hi Mona, I just came across this old post and I was wondering if you ever sold the round breakfast skillet. If you still have it and are still thinking about putting it up for sale, I would be interested in talking to you about it.
Thanks...Reagh
reaghstewart_at_yahoo.com
 
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