Griswold cast iron: logo eras, numbers and how to spot fakes

Genuine Griswold was made in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the underside tells you most of what you need: the logo style dates it (slant logo, then large block, then small block, roughly 1906 to 1957), the large number is the size, and the smaller number with a letter is the pattern number. A gate mark in the center of the bottom, rough casting or blurry lettering point to a recast.

By the Antique ID team · Updated 2026-10-13

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A short history, and a date conflict

The Hagen History Center, the Erie County Historical Society's museum, which holds a large Griswold collection, says the company was founded in Erie in 1868. Many other references give 1865. The Cast Iron Collector reconciles the two: Matthew Griswold moved to Erie in 1865, and by 1868 he and his cousins, the Selden brothers, were running a hardware factory. The firm became Selden & Griswold in 1873; Griswold bought out the Seldens in 1884; and after an 1885 fire it was reorganized as the Griswold Manufacturing Co. in 1887. The family sold the business in 1946-47. In 1957 McGraw-Edison bought it and within a year sold the brand to Wagner Manufacturing, then part of the Randall company. Griswold-marked ware was later made at Wagner's plant in Sidney, Ohio, and the Griswold trademark was discontinued after 1973.

Reading the bottom of a skillet

The diagram follows the marks on a No. 8 Griswold skillet in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: the logo with "GRISWOLD" in block letters at the center, "CAST IRON SKILLET" arched above with the size 8, and "ERIE PA., U.S.A." curved below with the pattern number "704 / N", plus an inset heat ring. Logo wording is shown in plain type; the actual trademark also has a cross-and-circle design.

• Size number. The Cast Iron Collector explains that size numbers descend from the openings ("eyes") of wood-burning stoves and do not equal the diameter in inches; exact sizes differed between makers.
• Pattern number and letter. The smaller number is the pattern or catalog number. A letter after it identifies one of several working patterns used to make molds, so two skillets marked 704 with different letters are the same model cast from different working patterns.
• Heat ring. A raised rim around the bottom helped seat the pan in a stove eye. Early skillets had an inset ring; it was dropped from most sizes as stoves changed, but sizes 12 and above always kept it.

Logo eras

The dates come from two tables published by The Cast Iron Collector, which do not fully agree: its trademark history starts the slant logo about 1906 and the large block about 1920, while its skillet table gives 1909 and 1924. The site also records smooth-bottom slant skillets that different guides date either 1916-1924 or 1939-1944. Treat every boundary as approximate and use the logo together with lettering, handle shape and heat ring.

Wagner and later Griswold

Wagner Manufacturing of Sidney, Ohio, made similar cast iron cookware and later acquired the Griswold brand. Wagner pieces carry WAGNER, Wagner Ware (from about 1914) or the stylized "Wagner Ware Sidney -O-" logo (from about 1922). The Cast Iron Collector notes that post-1957 Griswold-marked pieces used modified Wagner patterns. Collectors therefore separate Erie-made Griswold from later Griswold-marked ware made in Ohio.

Recasts, fakes and reproductions

A recast is made by pressing an existing pan into sand and pouring iron into the impression, a copy of a copy. The Cast Iron Collector lists the tells:

• Gate mark on the bottom. No original Erie or Griswold skillets were cast with bottom gating, so a ground-off round sprue mark in the middle of the bottom is a red flag.
• Soft, blurred lettering and casting flaws. Voids, pits and lumps that would not have passed Griswold's quality control.
• Items Griswold never made, such as a "leftover batter pan" or a toy heart-and-star waffle iron.
• Misspellings that are not genuine. A fake Square-Fry reads "Square-Ery". But some genuine pieces have real errors, such as "SQUAR EGG", so one oddity alone is not proof.

Counterfeiters have mainly targeted small, valuable items such as toy pieces and tea-size cornstick pans.

Condition: what lowers value

Values quoted in books assume excellent condition. The Cast Iron Collector lists the main defects: chips (usually on the rim or heat ring), cracks, warping and pitting.

• Cracks are often hairlines in the sidewall. Strip heavy seasoning, hold the pan at an angle to bright light, and see if a "scratch" continues over the rim. The ring-when-tapped test is subjective.
• Warping often comes from heating an empty pan on high heat; check whether it sits flat or spins on a flat surface.
• Pitting is chemical erosion from rust and remains after cleaning.

What drives value

Rarity of the size and form (unusual sizes, toy pieces, specialty pans), logo era, condition, and originality of finish. A common size in a common logo is plentiful; a damaged rare piece can be worth far less than a perfect common one. To research completed sales, see how to find the value of antiques.

Next steps

Photograph the bottom in raking light so the lettering shows, then scan it with Antique ID for a likely maker, era and estimated value range. An estimate is not an appraisal; for a rare piece, ask a cast iron specialist to check for recasting and hidden cracks before you buy or sell.

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