About the vintage Lodge 3-pour-spout cast iron skillet…read to the end for – as Paul Harvey would say – “the rest of the story!”
Richard’s Question
Richard R. from Collierville, Tennessee, wrote to me via the contact form and said:
Hello. I have attached two pictures of a three pour spout skillet I found at an estate sale. One picture is as found and the other after cleaning in lye tank. I have been hunting for cast iron 2-3 years and lurking on the internet sites and have purchased the red book and blue book for reference books. One of the books made reference to the [L]
odge 3spout . Do you think this is one? I am sorry I did not take [a] picture of the bottom, any info you can advise would be appreciated. I love hunting for cast iron and learning each facet about its history, etc. Thanks, Richard R.
Richard attached two photographs to his email. The first showed the skillet pre-cleaning, and the second showed the skillet after Richard had cleaned it in a lye bath.
From the photos, I knew right away that Richard had a Lodge 3-pour-spout skillet. It looked to be in beautiful condition.
Richard told me he paid $10 for the skillet at a Memphis, Tennessee, estate sale a few years back. Well, that was a lucky buy!
No-Notch Heat Ring
I asked Richard to send me a photograph of the bottom of the skillet. Here are three of the additional photos he sent:
I gave a little presentation at the Lodge Collector’s tent at the 2019 Cornbread
Richard’s skillet is a “no-notch” skillet made by the Lodge Mfg. Co. in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, between 1910 and 1930.2
2019 – Lodge Collector John Clough’s Opinion as to the Value
I contacted Lodge historian and collector John Clough about Richard’s skillet. I had talked before to John about the 3-pour-spout skillets, and I knew that he would have a reasonable estimate of the monetary value of the pan.3
Richard, John told me (in late 2018 or early 2019—the value may have changed since then) that your 3-spout no-notch Lodge skillet would sell for at least $1,000. That’s quite a return on your $10 investment!
Congratulations, Richard! That’s a lovely and precious pan that you have there. Continue to enjoy your cast iron hunting!
(originally posted 2019).
2024 – The Rest of the Story
In early 2024, I was on the GCICA Facebook page, showing off some of Harold R. Henry’s collection. I was asked to post photos of Harold’s 3-notch skillets. I knew Harold had one or more, but I didn’t have a picture. I did, however, have a photo of Mark Goldschmidt’s three 3-notch 3-pour-spout skillets. I posted that photo, as did collector Matt Morris.
Matt relayed a story – he said that Mark had purchased the number 6 three-spout skillet at an online Facebook auction for $1,626, from a person who had bought the skillet for $10 at an estate sale.
Small world! Two very valuable 3-notch Lodge skillets, both found at estate sales for $10.
The moral of the story? Keep your eyes open when you are on the cast iron hunt!
- You can see more about dating Lodge cast iron skillets in my blog post about Lodge collector John Clough.
- The “notch” refers to a break (“notch”) in the heat ring on the bottom of some old Lodge skillets. In Mark Goldschmidt’s 3-pour-spout Lodge skillets, the two at the top of the photo each have one notch. “Lodge made 1-notch” pans circa ~1930-40. Lodge also made “3-notch” skillets from ~1940 – 1922 with different variations throughout.
