Griswold Cast Iron Santa Molds: Real or Reproduction?

ByMary
Decorated Santa cake made by Brenda Bernstein using a Griswold cast iron cake mold.
Santa cake made from a vintage Griswold cast iron cake mold by collector and master cake-maker Brenda Bernstein. Photo by and courtesy of Brenda Bernstein.

You are at a flea market and come across a vintage cast iron Santa cake mold. The mold features Santa holding a bag and is marked with “Griswold Mfg. Co. Erie, PA 897 and 898.” Additionally, it has “HELLO KIDDIES” printed at the base. The seller is asking $100.

Should you buy it? Well, before you get to the answer to that question, you need to determine whether the Santa is authentic. The Griswold Santa cake mold was widely reproduced.

1938 advertisement for Griswold Santa cake molds, priced at .49 in dark iron and .79 in silver finish.
The Santa mold came in both black iron and a silver-plated finish. It is far more common to come across the black iron Santa than the plated Santa.
Griswold Santa cake molds displayed together in Larry and Marg O’Neil’s collection.
Griswold Santa molds, all different, from the collection of Larry and Marg O’Neil of Tacoma Washington. The O’Neils have a massive collection of vintage and antique cast iron and aluminum cookware. Each piece in their collection is different from all of the others. Photo by and courtesy of S.Lamb Photography.

“Tells” for an Authentic and Reproduction Vintage Cast Iron Griswold Cake Mold

There are a few “tells” to determine whether a vintage cast iron Santa cake mold marked “Griswold” is authentic or a reproduction.1

Casting Quality

The casting quality is most obvious. Griswold castings are typically smooth as satin, while reproductions are not; they have a rougher, more “pebbly” texture.

Front views of two authentic Griswold Santa molds on the left and a rougher reproduction on the right.
Two authentic Griswold Santa molds on the left. Reproduction Santa on the right. Note the difference in the casting quality. Santas and photo courtesy collector Doug Madden. Additional text added by the author.
Interior views of two authentic Griswold Santa molds on the left and a rougher reproduction on the right.
Photo and Santas courtesy collector Doug Madden. Additional text added by the author.
Reproduction Santa cake mold with no visible tongue, from an August 2025 auction listing.
This reproduction Santa mold was advertised and presented as a reproduction, yet brought a price of $95 at an online auction in August, 2025. It is unknown whether a buyer’s premium or S&H was added to that price.

Lettering

An authentic Griswold Santa has clear letters and pattern numbers. On one side you will see the pattern number 897 on one handle, and on the other handle will be the text “GRISWOLD MFG. CO. ERIE, PA.” On the other side, the smaller handle will be marked with the pattern number 898.

The reproduction Santa’s typeface is larger and runs to the edge. The pattern number is also larger.

Comparison of handle lettering and spacing on two authentic Griswold Santa molds and one reproduction.
Two authentic and one reproduction vintage Griswold cast iron Santa molds showing differences in text and spacing. Photo courtesy Doug Madden; text and markups by author.
Reproduction Santa mold handle with large lettering extending to the edge.
Reproduction Santa mold. Photo from eBay. Note the larger text that runs to the edge of the handle.
Authentic Griswold Santa mold handle with smaller, clearly spaced lettering.
Authentic Griswold cast iron vintage Santa cake mold. Photo from eBay. Note the clear, smaller font and positioning.

In updating this post at the end of 2024, I ran across a reproduction Santa that was sold on eBay for a “Best Offer,” so it sold for something less than the seller’s asking price of $200. You can see from the photos below that the casting is rough, the text is larger than on an authentic Santa, and runs to the edge of the handle.

Close-up of rough casting and large handle lettering on a reproduction Santa sold in November 2024.
Reproduction Santa sold on eBay on November 29, 2024. Note the typeface.

Tongue

On an authentic Griswold Santa, the tongue is outlines and visible in Santa’s open mouth. On a reproduction, the open mouth is smooth.

Mouth comparison: the authentic Santa at left has a visible tongue; the reproduction at right has a smooth mouth.

The Line on (some) of Santa’s bags

Several Griswold Santa cake molds from Larry and Marg O’Neil’s collection showing variations in the toy bags.
Some of Larry and Marg O’Neils collection of Griswold Santa cake molds, all different. The lines on Santa’s toy bag in the O’Neil collection range from long and on both sides, to non-existent. Photo by and courtesy of S.Lamb Photography.

A common misconception is that all authentic Santas have a casting flaw – a jagged line – running vertically on Santa’s bag. This is incorrect. Authentic Santas can have no line, a small line, a long line, or even two lines!

Collector Larry O’Neil believes that Griswold used a wooden master pattern to make their Santa production patterns.2 As the wood aged, it dried out and began to crack. As a result, Larry believes later Santas have a line that reflects the location of the crack in the wood on the master pattern.

If the Santa has a line, it may vary in length. Earlier Santas may have a short or non-existent line; later Santas have a longer line. The latest Santas may have lines on both sides of the bag.

Annotated comparison showing bag lines on two authentic Santa molds and no line on the reproduction.
The two authentic Griswold vintage cast iron Santa cake molds on the left show a “line” on Santa’s gift bag.The reproduction Santa on the right does not have the line. Photo by and courtesy of Doug Madden. Editing and text added by the author to show detail.
Annotated views of an authentic Griswold Santa mold with lines on both sides of the toy bag.
Photo of authentic Griswold cast iron Santa cake mold showing lines on both sides of Santa’s bag. Photo by and courtesy of Rigo Grajeda. Editing and text by the author to show detail.

Larry O’Neil wrote an article in 2011 for the Griswold & Cast Iron quarterly newsletter about the differences in the Santa castings. It is reproduced below with the permission of Larry O’Neil and the Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association.

Page 1 of Larry O’Neil’s 2011 newsletter article about Griswold Santa mold casting variations.
Page 2 of Larry O’Neil’s 2011 newsletter article about Griswold Santa mold casting variations.
Page 3 of Larry O’Neil’s 2011 newsletter article about Griswold Santa mold casting variations.
  1. If you are interested in learning more about authenticity of Griswold-marked pieces, check out the “reproductions” section of the site, which includes vintage cast iron pups marked “Griswold” and skillet racks marked “Griswold.”
  2. The “master pattern” is the original “official” pattern from which all other patterns for the same item are made. The “production pattern” are patterns made from the master pattern; used to make the finished product.