Wagner Ware Smooth Bottom (1935-1959) Questions

J

JasonP

New member
Apologies up front for the long post but trying to get a complete understanding on something and hoping this forum can help. I inherited #8 Wagner Ware smooth bottom skillet from my grandmother and have been interesting in collecting a full set ever since. My #8 is clearly 1935-1959 as it has the Sidney, O and catalog number with no heat ring. Discussing with the family, we would guess early 1950's as my grandmother got married in 1951.

So now my actual questions as I don't seem to have a full understanding of the full set regarding the beginning (#2) and ending (#13/#14) of the set.

My current understanding is #2 and #3's never had heat rings so could go back as early as 1924 (when they introduced catalog numbers) vs 1935 like most of the smooth bottom Wagner Ware's. I have also read somewhere that no #2's were made with a catalog number. However, I have seen one up for auction recently (https://www.proxibid.com/lotinformation/89984320/wagner-no-2-cast-iron-skillet) and curious if that was a fake or if these are just extra rare?

Also regarding #13/#14, were they ever made without heat rings? I have investigated this via the blue book on archive.org (https://archive.org/details/bookofgriswoldwa0000smit/) and it seems to indicate that there are smooth bottom skillets from #2 through #14. This is an older edition however and may not be up to date. I don't have access to the Red book to verify and curious if anyone could clue me in if there were ever smooth bottom #13/#14's. I have found one potential example but the pictures are not great (https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/antique-13-wagner-ware-sidney-1063-1802776096).

I am enjoying this journey so far and am an avid cast iron cooker so get to put these to good use.

Appreciate any insight anyone has on this.
 
#2 and #3 WWSO smooth bottom only, and with catalog number in the pie logo and regular WWSO versions. The pattern for the #2 pictured probably started out as a pie logo. The Wagner skillet (and other) sections of the RB and BB can be vague and sometimes misleading. The WWSO heat ring, center logo illustration in the RB, for example, lists sizes 2-14, when clearly the 2 and 3 did not exist, and I would challenge anyone to come up with one outside sizes 4-8. The #13 smooth bottom is a curiosity; it's shame it's not cleaned and the photos clear enough to determine if it's been altered. If there are any legitimate #13 or #14 smooth bottoms out there, I doubt you'll ever find one.
 
Thanks for the reply. You confirmed my suspicions on the #13/#14 never having a smooth bottom out there. That one potential example was keeping me from completely believing that. I haven't been collecting that long but I hadn't seen any come up so I appreciate the insight there.

So I have a couple of questions on the #2 I mentioned above. Are you suggesting that could be a modified pie logo pattern and really then part of that line (1915-1920)? Were #2's continued beyond 1924 when catalog numbers were introduced?

So am I correct in my understanding that in 1935 WW removed the heat rings from the regular line for 4-12 and 2(if it was still being made),3,13,14 stayed the same and were continued as they were through 1959?
 
I don't think 1915-1920 can be correct for pie logo pieces as all of them have catalog numbers inscribed, a characteristic considered to be 1924 and after. Sizes 2-14 continued to at least the early 1940s. By the 1950s the range had been pared down to 3,5,6,8,10,12.
 
I appreciate you posting the knowledge here as this makes the most sense of anything I have come across so far. Your pie logo dates make more sense and I see that is what is listed in most places. It also makes sense why the sizes you list as continuing through the 50's are the most easily found. I found your post on the serif vs sans serif on the catalog number/mold letter helpful also even if it doesn't help date anything with any specific certainty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top