Thrift Store purchase

[Ray Mroch]

My first cast iron; purchased from a Thrift Store. Its' only markings are "8", which I assume is the size.

Although no maker mark, I would really appreciate any thoughts on who might have made this, and possibly the time period.

 

[Doug D.]

It's an unmarked Vollrath. The red book dates them 1950s-60s. That might be a ghost of the Vollrath logo above the -8- on the bottom.

http://www.castironcollector.com/vollrath.php
http://www.castironcollector.com/unmarked.php#vollrath

 

[Ray Mroch]

Thank you very much for your reply and the weblinks. It's nice to have some background on my new cast iron.

 

[Steve Stephens]

Doug, what do you think of the date given for those unmarked Vollraths? I don't have any concrete information to date Vollrath but 50-60 seems very late. I would think pre-WW-II.

 

[Doug D.]

Pinpointing a Vollrath skillet's period of production is difficult, as it appears they made no significant design changes whatsoever. In looking at the red book more closely, the impression I take away is that, like Lodge, Vollrath went to a completely unmarked scheme, relying instead on paper labels. Of the few skillets depicted, it would seem the authors place marked pans 1920s-1940s, and the unmarked in that later date range. But I do agree that, if this pan was produced in the 1960s, Vollrath's design folks were stuck in the 1930s.

 

[Steve Stephens]

I don't think I have seen anything on Vollrath skillets; catalogs, ads, etc. Were they even making iron cookware after WW-II? As the popularity of aluminum and stainless steel increased the production of cast iron cookware took a slide. I'm sure some of the smaller makers ceased production of iron cookware. I just don't know about Vollrath.

 

[TyHiggins]

I had never heard of Vollrath until I found a #10, with the name, about six months ago.

 

[Steve Stephens]

Vollrath is a very old company going back into the 1800s.