What is a “Sad” Iron? The sad iron got its name from its weight and heft. It played an important role in households of the past, similar to the electric irons we use today. These old irons were heated on wood or coal stoves, a testament to the era they belong to, and were then…

Southerner Grady Britt is a long-time vintage Lodge cast iron collector. While he also has pieces by many other manufacturers – notably Griswold – the focus of his study and collection is vintage and antique Lodge cast iron. Grady and Jean Britt Linda and I had a lovely visit with Grady and Jean Britt, to…

I made twelve videos of the O’Neil collection. The first three showcased the O’Neil home’s kitchen and dining room. Now, we’re moving on to the basement, which is jam-packed with treasures! The O’Neil Basement Collection Coming up next: the Museum! You can also see all of the videos (12!) on my youtube channel.

Cast iron collectors Eric McAllister and Clayton Mitchell provided the iron for a two-day vintage cast iron cookware auction at Dinky’s Auction House in Montgomery Indiana. I’ve been to a cast iron auction at Dinky’s before and had the chance to write about it for Antique Trader and the blog. The auction was held on…

I usually love thinking about the history of the old pieces of iron that I run across – where they have been, how they have been used, and who used them. The history of this particular piece, however, was not quite as charming for me to ponder. I ran across a pretty little cast iron…

How can you tell whether a pup marked “Griswold” is authentic or a reproduction? Griswold pups have been widely reproduced. With just a little knowledge and education, you can quickly determine whether a pup marked “Griswold” is authentic or a reproduction. I spent time with Joe and Nancy Zawadowski of Durham, North Carolina, in September…

I had the chance to visit with my cast iron collecting friend, Harold R. Henry of Hamilton Missouri, in late December 2023. When digging through some of his massive collection, I ran across an auction catalog from 2002. Harold had written the selling price for the various pieces next to the auction listing. It was…

Update: Facebook reader Michael Cumminskey identified your pan, Steve. It is a “Takoyaki” pan. Do a little google search and you’ll learn all about it. **** Steve Z. of Newell New Jersey wrote to me via the contact form and said: I picked up a large round Gem pan with 28 spots for muffins. The…