5 Vintage Cast Iron Foundries Every Collector Should Know
Griswold, Wagner, and Lodge get most of the attention in the vintage cast iron world. They deserve it. But there are plenty of other old American foundries that made excellent cookware, beautiful skillets, and pieces that deserve a place in any serious kitchen.
These are five vintage cast iron foundries and makers worth knowing. We are not getting lost in dates and factory history here. We want to talk about what makes their pans great and why you should not walk past one when you find it.
Vollrath Cast Iron
Vollrath made some really nice cookware out of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Their cast iron has a look all its own. Many pieces have a sideways size number and a reinforced rib under the handle that makes them easy to recognize once you know what you are looking at.
Vollrath skillets are slightly heavier than the Griswold and Wagner lines. They are balanced, smooth, and comfortable to cook with. Some are marked Vollrath Ware and others are unmarked, but either way, a good Vollrath is a great old skillet. Vollrath is still making quality cookware for commercial kitchens so this line is great for the consummate chef
Excelsior Cast Iron
Excelsior (also known as G.F. Filley, is a name that deserves more attention from vintage cast iron collectors. These are old, honest pieces with the kind of shape and weight that make you want to bring them home and put them on the stove. Many of the most prevalent pieces are the bakeware and waffle irons with cool patented hinge designs that Excelsior made and are highly collectible.
They are not always as easy to identify as the big name brands (with the exception of the waffle irons), but that is part of the fun. Excelsior cookware has real presence. But the bakeware is some of the most curious and different styles that were of that time. The other foundries copied similar patterns but Filley was out there with some cool looks to theirs.
R and C Foundry and Marietta Skillets
Marietta, Pennsylvania made some beautiful old iron produced in the mid to late 1800's, and R and C Foundry is one of the names collectors recognize most often. Marietta skillet attribution can get complicated, so we always prefer to focus on the piece in front of us. Just because it is marked Marietta doesn't mean it came from one particular foundry. It makes our brain dizzy.
A good R and C or Marietta skillet has a wonderful early look and a solid feel that you simply do not get from modern cookware. They are the kind of pans that make a collection interesting because they have real age, real character, and a story still being sorted out. The Marietta logo can be anywhere on the skillet but its more commonly at the 12 Oclock position. This is our favorite of the more branded bottom gate marked styles.
PPS (Philo Penfield Stewart) Skillets
PPS, commonly connected with Philop Penfield Stewart patterns, made some of the most recognizable early skillet patterns around. These pans were so well designed that the patterns were copied by other makers. That tells you something.
They have a wide lip, a broad handle, and they often show up in larger sizes. Some have PPS on the handle and some do not. There are also many copies, so take your time and enjoy the hunt. A real PPS skillet is a beautiful piece of early American cast iron and an awesome pan if you can get hold of one.
Stover Cast Iron
Stover is another name every vintage cast iron collector should know. Based in Illinois, Stover was known mostly for waffle irons and they are rumored to have developed other lines of waffle irons with the same style handle and paddle that are synonymous with Stover.
Stover skillets and waffle irons are sturdy, useful, and full of character. They come in short and tall bases, have a simple, clean line look to them, and are most notably identified by the "square" pattern style (as opposed to diamonds, traditional modern designs, fleur de Lis etc... We have a tall base 7 and 8 Stover waffle iron and love the unique pattern of waffle that they make. Great conversation starter!
There Is More Out There Than the Big Three
Vintage cast iron collecting gets a lot more interesting once you look beyond the usual names. Vollrath, Excelsior, R and C, PPS, and Stover all made cookware worth finding, restoring, and using.
That is the best part of this hobby. There is always another maker to learn, another old skillet to identify, and another piece of American iron waiting for somebody to give it a second life.
