The Vintage Cast Iron Collector’s Auction

…and some handy-dandy tips!

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you arrive at a large cast iron auction. Yards and yards, tables and tables, of all that gorgeous iron! And many people – some very experienced – who are just as determined as you are to snag a collectible piece at a great price.

I’m not talking about an auction that happens to have a few odds and ends of cast iron; I’m talking about an extensive collection that is being auctioned off by an auction house. This often seems to be when a person or family decides that the collecting days have stopped or a collector(s) is auctioning off duplicates.¹

My First Cast Iron Auction Experiences

An alternative heading of this section could be, “Learn from my Mistakes.”

Northern Minnesota Farm Auction – My First In-Person Experience

The first large cast iron auction I attended in person was fantastic – many bids, many pieces, many people, two auctioneers working in two different areas (called “rings”) at the same time. It was held at a farm in Northern Minnesota.

I found out about the auction when I saw a flyer somewhere. It just said “cast iron cookware” would be offered at the auction. I called the number on the flyer, and the auctioneer told me that several hundred pieces of iron, in addition to all sorts of other things, would be offered.

I drove north. I was by myself, didn’t know a soul, and didn’t know much about auctions; I had only bid at online auctions. There was no preview of pieces; the auctioneers just got right to work.

What am I doing with 60+ pieces of crusty old iron pots?

I got caught up in the excitement of things and ended up buying 60+ crusty rusty dirty old cast iron pans that needed an enormous amount of refurbishing. I don’t recall what I paid, but I do recall that there were only two of us intent on buying the iron pieces. We took turns bidding each other up. At the end of the auction, the other bidder said to me, “There are no friends at auctions.”

Hauling the items home tested the limits of my car’s suspension, I’m sure.

While that purchase helped me learn how to restore vintage and antique cast iron cookware, it was a months-long, arduous process. Some pieces didn’t amount to much once cleaned – flaws had been buried under layers of crud. I learned that I should factor in the time it would take to clean a piece when deciding how high to bid and how many pieces to buy.

Online Multi-Day Cast Iron Collector Auction

Next, I “attended” a sizeable live cast iron auction online via Proxibid.² I could watch the auction live on my computer and place bids remotely. This worked great for me, as the auction was several states away.

Once again, I found myself getting carried away at the auction and ended up purchasing more items than I had planned. The prices seemed too good to pass up, and I wanted to take advantage of the deals.

I had looked at the auction listing online before the auction began and made a list of what I was interested in, and how much I was willing to pay. I factored in the auction house’s “buyer’s premium.”³ I thought I was prepared.

Yikes – Shipping Charges add hundreds of dollars to the price!

At the end of the auction, I paid the invoice for the goods. I had to wait to learn the shipping cost and pay for that before receiving my goods. The items would be picked up by the local UPS Store, packaged, and delivered by them.

Oh my goodness! I needed to ship my pieces, but the cost was going to be hundreds of dollars. I asked the auctioneer to hold the pieces for me for a short time, and thankfully, he agreed. When a friend was driving near where the pieces were stored, he kindly picked them up for me.

I learned that when bidding in online live auctions, it’s important to consider the potential for high shipping costs when determining what and whether to bid. The auction listing usually specifies how shipping charges will be calculated. Many auction houses use external companies for shipping, which typically charge for pickup, packaging, time, and labor. In-house shipping is often less expensive than using an outside vendor, but shipping is always costly, especially for large and heavy items like cast iron.

First Multi-Day In-Person Out-of-State Cast Iron Auction

I next drove to an auction house located about 11 hours from my home for a multi-day auction of vintage and antique cast iron cookware. The iron offerings took my breath away – it was spectacular. Again, I was by myself and didn’t know a soul. This time, however, I was savvier about what I was looking for. At the time, I was selling a bit more⁴ and had established a presence with my e-commerce business. I knew my customer base and what I could easily sell.

Back then, there were fewer vintage cast iron sellers than there are now, which meant there was less competition at the auction. From what I could tell, there were only a few sellers and lots of collectors in the crowd. Of course, there were likely some people who just wanted to buy a piece or two for cooking or were there to experience an auction.

I was seated behind Harold Henry – who I didn’t then know – and he was bidding on and winning a lot of iron. The auctioneer called Harold by name. I could see that if Harold wanted a piece, he was going to get it.

I had checked out all of the pieces I was interested in at the preview of this auction.⁵

At this auction, the pieces were clean, so I knew that they would require less work on my part.⁶ As it would take less of my time before a piece was ready for resale, I was willing to pay a higher price.

I don’t remember exactly how many pieces I bought, but I know I bought more than enough. ⁷

At the end of the “official” auction – which also had online bidders via Proxibid – those of us who were left gathered around a few tables where the auctioneer had placed many pieces that were “singles” (i.e. a waffle iron without a base) or considered to be less than optimal for one reason or another. We checked out the pieces on the tables, and the bidding began. The winning bidder could pick up as many pieces as they wanted for that winning price – i.e. if the high bid was $20, you could take as many pieces as you wanted for $20 each (e.g. 5 skillets for $100).

I remember stopping my high bid at $25; someone overbid me for less than $30. That person snagged all of the decent Griswold large block logo skillets. I was kicking myself that I didn’t go to $30.⁸

Where do all of the pieces come from?

The very large vintage cast iron cookware auction usually consists of pieces from long-time collectors who are selling off their collections or downsizing. The auctions typically span several days. The pieces offered are generally in very good to excellent condition, being collector’s items.

Inspecting the items before purchasing is essential as they are sold “as is where is.” The pieces may need some cleaning and re-seasoning but are usually in better condition than those found at flea markets, estate sales, or garage sales. This is because the previous owners have collected, cared for, and valued them.

Vintage Cast Iron Cookware Auction Tips

What expenses will you incur in addition to a winning bid price?

You need to know all of the expenses you will incur in addition to your bid price before you start bidding. It is very important to know the actual price you will end up paying; not just the successful bid price.

Even if you win a piece at a low bid, it might end up being much more expensive than the bid price, as with my first big online auction purchase. It will almost always be more expensive to bid online and have items shipped than to bid in person and haul your winnings home.

Read the Auction’s Terms and Conditions!

You are responsible for reading the auction house’s terms and conditions before you bid. If you don’t like the terms and conditions, don’t bid.

I have heard people complain about shipping, handling, or other charges tacked on to a “winning” bid price. If you read the terms and conditions, you will know those costs in advance, or at least have a good idea. If you need help understanding, call the auction house.

The photo to the right shows an example of an auction house’s terms and conditions from a multi-day auction in February 2024 that contained many pieces of vintage and antique cast iron collectibles. Notice its length. Please read it carefully.

Know the Buyer’s Premium

At most auctions, the auction house charges a “buyer’s premium” on items that you purchase. The buyer’s premium is added to your winning bid amount. You will find that the premium if you bid online is often higher than if you bid in person, presumably because the auction house has to pay a premium to have the auction online. You can find the buyer’s premium outlined in the auction terms and conditions.

When I started buying iron, the buyer’s premiums were usually 10-15%. Today it’s not uncommon to see buyer’s premiums of 20% or more. If the buyer’s premium is 20% and you win at $100, you will pay $120. Consider this cost when deciding how much to bid for an item.

If you do not have a sales tax exemption, you may also pay sales tax on the piece. Oddly enough, this is not always the case. Be sure to check the auction terms and conditions to see whether this will be an added expense. If you still don’t know after reading the terms and conditions, call the auction house.

Know the Credit/Debit Card Premium

If you pay with a credit or debit card, you may see an additional amount (often 3.5%) tacked on to the winning bid price, presumably because the auction house has to pay a percentage to the credit card company when a credit card is used for purchase.

Some auction houses will ask for a credit card number up front; some won’t. Some auction houses allow you to pay at an in-person auction by credit or debit card; some don’t. Some auction houses require a bank check for purchases over a set amount.

Read the auction terms and conditions to find the terms.

Factor in Storage and Shipping Charges

If you are bidding online, you will have to pay shipping charges. Cast iron is heavy and often large, of course, and it is always expensive to ship. If you need the auction house to hold a piece for pickup for some time, you may be required to pay a storage fee.

Shipping expenses can get into the hundreds of dollars. You almost always won’t have a precise shipping quote before you bid; you just have to pay what is charged to pack and ship. It is usually part of the terms and conditions of an online auction that by bidding, you are agreeing to pay shipping.

Some auction houses have an independent company such as UPS come in to pack the items and ship them off, and other auction houses ship in-house; charging actual shipping costs plus a handling fee.

If the auction house uses an off-site shipping company (some will “recommend” packing/shipping companies and some will use a particular company), it will always be more expensive than if the shipping is done on-site. Read and understand the terms and conditions of the auction before you bid; it will tell you how shipping will be handled. If you don’t understand, call the auction house and ask.

You need to know all of these things before you start bidding – you want to know the actual price you are paying; not just the successful bid price. Something that you purchased at a decent “base” price might turn out to be much more expensive than originally thought.

Preview pieces

There is no substitute for in-person inspection.

The condition of a piece is a huge factor in the value of any piece, and it should be a huge factor in what you are willing to pay. All pieces are sold “as is, where is.” That means that once you’ve won, there is no going back. If you missed a flaw in your inspection, you can’t return it; you bought it. The burden is on you as the bidder to know what you are buying; it is not the auctioneer’s responsibility.

A preview is usually offered a day or two before the auction opens or an hour or two before the auction begins. If the auction listing doesn’t say, call the auction house and ask.

During the preview look for flaws, recasts, and reproductions

When significant defects are discovered during an inspection at a large multi-day cast iron auction, it is good practice for the person who found the imperfection to inform the auctioneer so that the auctioneer can inform potential bidders.

During the preview at any auction, it is not uncommon to find hidden flaws. Hairline cracks may be discovered, or pitting or warpage noted that isn’t visible in the listing photos. ⁹ Sometimes, during the preview, people may notice a defect not listed in the auction catalog. Sometimes, there is no auction catalog at all, just a flyer that says “cast iron cookware” will be offered at a sale.

While it may be “good practice,” that doesn’t mean it always happens. Again, you as the bidder are responsible for knowing the condition of the piece before you bid.

At a July 2019 auction I attended, auctioneer Bob Simmons made note of all flaws and concerns that were discovered by potential bidders during the inspection. The Simmons team passed out a sheet of paper noting the concerns before the auction, and they were also noted online as the auction took place.

Bear in mind that some auctioneers know vintage cast iron cookware and some don’t. Some auction houses might note in an auction listing whether a piece is warped and some might not. Sometimes fire damage or light pitting is visible only in person; not in the catalog’s black-and-white photos. It is not uncommon for hairline cracks to go unnoticed.

Ultimately, you are responsible for knowing what you are bidding on – auction houses do not take returns.

If you are bidding online, examine all photos carefully. If you have questions about a particular piece, call and ask before the auction starts. Remember, you as the bidder are assuming the risk.

The Auction

Register before the auction begins.

You are required to register before bidding, whether the auction is online or in-person. At a live auction, there will be an area where people take down your information. They will typically photocopy your driver’s license. They may take your payment information. You will be given a “paddle” – often a piece of card stock – with your bidder number prominently marked. That is how your bidding will be matched to your auction wins.

If you are bidding online, you will need to register online and provide your payment information for the auction before it begins. Sometimes an auction house may put a dollar maximum on how much you can bid if you haven’t bid with them before.

While you can usually register during the auction (both in-person and online), it makes it much easier for the auction house if you do it before the auction begins. For an online auction, it can take some time before you are approved to bid.

You don’t want to miss out on your selected pieces!

Where to sit?

It seems like such a small thing, but…

Harold Henry usually sits in the front. He will sometimes look around to see who is bidding against him, but I think he doesn’t care much; if he sets out to get a piece, he will. Russ Howser is usually near the front but not in the front. Eric and Freda McAllister usually sit in the back, as does Vincent Warren, though sometimes Vincent stands and sometimes he sits. And sometimes, he disappears for a while. Brenda Bernstein and Doyle Pregler usually sit toward the back but not in the back. Chris Kendall is generally lurking around the back or darting around. I don’t think Chris sits much.

When I first started going to auctions I sat in the back so I could see who was bidding on what. That stopped when collector Sonny McCarter – who was helping with this particular auction by carrying pieces back to the winning bidders – pointed out that given the number of pieces I was buying, it would have been considerate of me to sit in a more accessible place rather than make him walk back and forth over and over again carrying heavy iron to me that I had won.¹⁰

It’s a strategic dance, and people have their favorite spots. Sometimes people “reserve” a spot pre-auction by putting a piece of paper on a chair with their name on it. Since Sonny chided me, if I plan to buy much, I usually am somewhere in the middle, near or on an aisle. If Linda is with me, we often sit apart so there is more room to place the iron we purchase. If a person buys many pieces, the auction house sometimes sets up a separate table for that person.

Know or have an idea of bid increments

The auctioneer opens bidding on a particular piece by calling out a number that the auctioneer hopes will result in a starting bid, e.g. $50. If no one bids at $50, the auctioneer may drop the price in hopes that someone will bid on the lower amount.¹¹ Occasionally, a person in the audience will yell out a price they are willing to pay. This can happen when a piece is particularly desirable and the auctioneer is starting very low. The bidder wants to get things moving, so yells out a higher number. This can also happen when no one is bidding on the auctioneer’s opening number – a person might yell out a lower price they are willing to pay and the auctioneer may start from there.

The auctioneer usually follows a schedule of bid increments when chanting the dollar amounts. For example, bid increments might be $5 up to $100, and then $25 to $200, etc. You will pick this up very quickly once bidding starts.

If you’ve never bid before, start by watching the auction a little bit so you can see how the particular auctioneer is setting bid increments. Know, too, that the bid increments are not set in stone. I have seen this happen most often when two bidders are fiercely bidding against each other. For example, using the bidding increment chart, above if the bid is $550 and the competing bidder is hesitating to go to $600, the auctioneer might drop the bid increment to $25 and look for a $575 bid.

Set your limit before bidding begins.

This is easier said than done; trust me, I know. It is very easy to get carried away at an auction and bid and/or buy more than you intended. I do it all the time.

Consider writing the maximum amount you are willing to bid for each item next to the item in the auction catalog. Be sure to factor in the additional costs noted above when you set your maximum price.

Though I prefer to not do so, I have placed bids for friends when they want something but are not able to attend the auction. I always have them give me the maximum they are willing to pay, and I carefully inspect the piece before bidding. If I miss a flaw, it’s my friend who pays the price.

Only once have I had a friend say “buy it,” meaning “I don’t care how much it costs, I want it.” I bought it.

Do not bid first or in advance of the auction start

At an in-person auction, I never bid first. I don’t want to drive the price up. I wait to see how bidding is going. I will have a price in mind that I am willing to pay for an item. As bidding slows, I will jump in if the bid has not gone over my maximum.

When an auction house wants wide coverage of their auction, they may run it both in-person and online via a service such as Live Auctioneers or Proxibid. When the auction will run online simultaneously, the full auction catalog–including photos–is uploaded in advance of the actual live auction. Once the catalog is uploaded, bidding opens online.

I am dumbfounded when I see bids placed online before an auction begins. Peeps – all you are doing is driving the price up! It’s like bidding on a valuable eBay item well in advance of an auction end; you should know that the serious bidders are going to come in at the last minute. People pay for sniping services on eBay for a reason – they want to jump in at the last second with their best price instead of bidding early and waiting for someone to outbid them.

If you watch an eBay auction for a highly collectible piece, you will often see that the price jumps in the last 10 seconds or so of the auction end. That is because seasoned buyers are waiting until the end of the auction so as to not drive the price up.

Please refrain from starting bidding before the auction begins or placing small bids on every item “just in case” no one else bids. If you bid on sought-after, highly collectible items, other collectors will likely notice. Online auctions have a large audience, so driving up the bid before the auction starts will result in a higher final price than if you had waited.

Absentee bids

If you really want an item but can’t be present at the auction or follow along online as it takes place, you can consider placing an absentee bid. Auction houses have different ways to place and enter an absentee bid. If you want to place one and the information is not in the terms and conditions of the auction, call and ask the auction house how you can place an absentee bid and how they handle absentee bids.

There are at least three ways that absentee bids are handled. One way is where a person associated with the auction house is seated in the audience and acts as the “absentee bidder,” and places bids for you. It is treated just as any other bid by another bidder. For example, if I placed an absentee bid with a maximum of $50, the person sitting in the audience would bid just as any other bidder up to my maximum of $50, and would then drop out. If I was lucky, the person bidding for me might snag the piece for less than my maximum.

You’ve probably seen scenes like this at high-dollar art auctions, where a person present is on the phone with the bidder, who is not present. The bidder approves or disapproves a bid and the person who is physically present places the bid for them.

Another way absentee bids can be handled is that the auctioneer starts the bidding where he or she normally would, e.g. $25. A person who works for the auction house is at the computer, watching online bids and handling online bids. Once bidding slows, that person yells out bids for the absentee bidder, up to the absentee bidder’s maximum. Like the first scenario, as an absentee bidder, I would have a chance of winning the item short of my high bid.

A third way I have seen absentee bids handled, which I dislike, is where the auctioneer starts the bidding at the maximum of an absentee bid. For example, if my maximum bid was $50, the auctioneer starts the bidding at $50. Or if my absentee bid is $50 but another absentee bidder’s maximum bid is $100, the auctioneer starts at $100. As far as I’m concerned, that’s no bargain.

It is in the auction house’s best interest to get the highest price possible – both for their profit margin and for the benefit of the person who consigned the pieces to the auction house. ¹²

Random Considerations for In-Person Auctions

If you are bidding, don’t make any sudden movements!

I’m only half-kidding. During bidding, the auctioneer is doing the auction chant, and ringmen and ringwomen standing in the front are helping the auctioneer to find the people in the audience who are bidding.

Hold your paddle high when you bid so the auctioneer can see it. Otherwise, your bid could be missed.

Once you have begun bidding, the auctioneer will look back to you to see if you want to continue to bid when a competing bid comes in. So if you are talking and you nod at a friend, the auctioneer may take that as a “yes I want to bid” and the bid will be placed for you. If I am doing intense bidding on an item, I usually raise my paddle high for my first bid, and then when the auctioneer looks at me for subsequent bids I meet his or her eyes and shake my head “yes” or “no.”

If you are taking items you have won out to your car before the auction ends, let the auction staff know that you are coming back.

During a long auction, Auctioneers typically switch off from each other and don’t take much of a break. Bidders, however, might take breaks when there is a bit of time before something they want comes up for bid. Food is often offered for sale during auctions; people take breaks to have a cup of coffee or have something to eat while the auction continues.

If you start taking iron out to your car to pack it, it’s considerate to let the auction staff know you are coming back; you’re not planning to step out without paying. I’ve never seen people fail to pay at an in-person cast iron auction, but I suppose it could happen.

Best prices are usually at the very beginning and very end of the auction.

From my observations, pricing seems best at the very start and end of an auction. At the beginning, I think people are waiting to see what kind of prices pieces will bring, and are kind of getting into the “flow” of the auction. Sometimes people simply arrive late.

Similarly, collectors may be there for a particular item. Once that piece has sold, they leave.

With long all-day multi-day auctions, I’ve seen the crowd of bidders dramatically thin toward the end. Fewer bidders = better prices for you.

Karma is real.

I was at an auction once and knew that a friend intended to bid on a Griswold large block logo EPU number 5 skillet with a heat ring. He wanted it for his collection. It would have been a piece I would have loved to have to resell. They are scarce, especially in great condition.

There were two offered at this particular auction; one with a lid and one without. My friend bid but did not win the first one. The second one – with lid – came up for auction and my friend was nowhere in sight. I bid on the set and won it for a reasonable wholesale price. I knew I could sell the set for much much more than I had paid for it.

Some time later my friend came back from wherever he had gone, and I gave him the piece for what I had paid for it. I would have been buying it to resell; he wanted it for his collection. My relationship with him – as well as with others in the cast iron community – was more important to me than the money.

In the grand scheme of things, the cast iron collecting community is small and your behavior is remembered.

Bring boxes and packing materials.

How are you going to get your precious pieces home? The auction house will probably have some boxes available, and sometimes some newspapers and such to wrap pieces, but they won’t have enough for everyone. It is smart to bring your own boxes and packing materials for the items you purchase.

Going to the produce section of a local grocery store in advance of the auction can be a good bet, as banana boxes are often available at no cost for the asking. You might not be the only person who has thought of this, however; the grocery store might not have any available.

You will see bidders at an auction hauling around big heavy-duty tote boxes—the ones you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot with the black containers and yellow lids. Sometimes, people (like me) will have a folding wagon that they use to transport purchased pieces to their cars.

Once in a while a strapping young person might offer to help you pack your iron or help to carry boxes to your car. If you take advantage of this service, a generous tip is always appreciated. Be nice. Nice goes a long way.

Be sure you pack your pieces carefully. Cast iron cookware is not indestructible. It is brittle and it can break if not carefully packed. It would be a shame to break a valuable piece on the ride home because of poor packing!

Have fun!

All this said, have fun!

I have been to many vintage and antique cast iron cookware auctions all around the country. They are an amazing sight to behold. If you have an opportunity, go! You will meet many other friendly cast iron enthusiasts. You may see faces you’ve seen before on cast iron hunts, but there are typically some who are new to cast iron. Their excitement is contagious.

Sometimes people get caught up in the excitement and buy much more than they intended, or pieces they didn’t even know before bidding started that they needed or wanted.

I’ve been there; I know how that goes. For me, the thrill of the hunt is half the fun!

 

1. Another sizeable vintage cast iron auction is held at the Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association (GCICA) annual convention. You can see many serious enthusiasts get down to business to snag some highly collectible pieces there.
2. Besides eBay, several sites allow you to search for cast iron coming up for online auction.
3. The buyer’s premium is a charge tacked on to the winning bid price by the auction house. I have seen buyer’s premiums exceeding 25% of the purchase price. Bidding in person usually has a lesser buyer’s premium than bidding online.
4. . I started an e-commerce business restoring and selling fine vintage cast iron cookware
5. One issue with bidding online is that you can only personally look at the pieces after you bid; you are relying on photos and video and what the auctioneer says. There are no returns at live auctions; items are bought “as is, where is.” Sometimes, the auctioneer knows about vintage cast iron, and sometimes, the auctioneer does not. Sometimes flaws are pointed out, and sometimes they are not. There is no substitute for you previewing a piece you intend to bid on.
6. Regardless of condition I always stripped and re-seasoned before selling a piece. I wanted to be able to accurately tell buyers what had been used to season a piece.
7. I wrote a blog post about the prices I paid in 2012 for old cast iron cookware. It’s interesting to compare those prices to today’s pricing.
8. This was when you could get a decent clean number 8 Griswold large block logo with a heat ring for around $25.  It’s hard to imagine now, I know.
9. For example, at a July 2018 vintage cast iron auction, several of us concluded that two pieces offered (a “Griswold” Vienna pan and a “Griswold” Turk’s head pan) were most likely recasts. A few pieces were also noted to have small hairline cracks.
10. You often take your winning pieces home on the same day.
11. If you are following an auction online, sometimes a lot will be “passed” if no one bids at the opening price.
12. Auctioneers typically receive a commission, though the amount (and what is included) varies from company to company. For example, a company might charge 15-20% of total sales plus actual expenses for advertising, room rental, auctioneer services, ring men/women, cashiers, brochures, etc. Other auction houses might charge a higher percentage i.e. 25%, but include those additional expenses in that commission percentage.