Reddit reviews The Book of Griswold & Wagner: Favorite * Wapak * Sidney Hollow Ware: Revised & Expanded 5th Edition
We found 12 Reddit comments about The Book of Griswold & Wagner: Favorite * Wapak * Sidney Hollow Ware: Revised & Expanded 5th Edition. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Castironcollector.com is the site most people link to and their data is mostly accurate but not 100%
The Red and Blue books have even more information and serious collectors probably have both of them.
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Sidney/dp/0764337297
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wagner-Griswold-Excelsior-Collectors/dp/0764311913
EstateSales.net
That's where most of my iron has come from over the years. I set up an alert on the site to go off whenever a sale is listed with the phrase "cast iron". In the meantime, I'll browse the open listings from time to time, as many times they won't have it listed that way (it'll be something like "cookware").
You may not turn over anything right away, but within a month or two you'll find something good. You have to be careful, though. You're buying stuff "as-is", and there's a LOT of crap out there. Also, some estate sale companies know iron-hunters are out there and will try to take advantage of the newcomers by pricing shitty Chinese iron at prices which are absurd for top-quality American stuff. I've seen 30-year-old Chinese pieces selling for 50 bucks. I've seen a half of a Wagner chicken fryer made post-1960, covered in rust and still priced at 35 dollars (the complete piece in tip-top shape is worth MAYBE 20 bucks).
You'll also find a lot of reasonably priced stuff that isn't in the best condition. You want iron that isn't warped or cracked, but sometimes it's hard to tell if something is slightly warped or has a hairline crack. You sometimes just have to take a chance, and to that end...you want to avoid spending too much money.
Another thing to avoid: Antique malls. Go to one if you don't believe me. They will probably have some pretty nice iron there. And it'll be priced literally 3-4 times what it's worth. Typical 9-inch Griswold pans sell at 150 dollars. Wagners clock in at around a hundred. You'll even see unmarked iron (which is typically the cheapest) going at over 50 bucks. Avoid antique malls like the plague.
Ebay can sometimes yield a good deal, but you're taking a risk. Everything there is typically priced according to the Cast Iron "Blue book", which means that anything priced at a cut-rate is 100% certain to be warped. Most are up-front about it, at least.
The blue book says they made #2-#14. Are you saying you have a #14 or did I just add one more to the list you're missing?!
So here are a few resources to nerd out to:
www.castironcollector.com
The Red Book
The Blue Book
The Yellow Book
Cast Iron Chaos - BSR Info
Wagner and Griswold Society
Best of luck and welcome to collecting cast iron!
This is the one I have. Its got everything you need.
Here's to decades of pizza and pancakes on your gorgeous, antique griddle! You should make some huge tortillas on that thing too.
The blue book is actually titled "The Book of Griswold and Wagner: Favorite, Wapak, Sidney Hollow Ware".
Hi and welcome :) I just wanted to let you know you did everything correct and your post was successful.
I did a quick Google search for "books about cast iron cookware" and this result looked promising. Maybe if you repeat the search you'll find exactly what you're after. eBay didn't seem to have anything and I haven't tried Amazon.
/r/castiron is a helpful subreddit and I'm sure others will chime in, too.
Good luck!
Promising Amazon result
red book
blue book
yellow book (griswold gem pans)
grey book (early gate marked stuff)
these are about the best we have at the moment... the red book and blue book cover a lot, but obviously not everything.. and they are a bit dated as far as their pricing goes... but good sources of info.. .lots of pictures.
The two books you want are The Book of Griswold and Wagner and The Book of Wagner and Griswold. Both books cover all the major brands and have price guides.
I'm not aware of any book on cast iron restoring, but all the resources you'll need are online, such as at the Cast Iron Collector page.
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Sidney/dp/0764337297
$280 for 6 pans. I hate to be that guy but that's 2-3x what they are worth. The small logo Griswold is generally not regarded as collectible.
Blue book lists the small logo at
The Erie is a nice skillet but still only $40 to $60.
So $280 is $100 more than the top end of the blue book value; not sure how to say that without sounding like a jack-ass.
These can be worth a lot, IF they're complete and in good condition with all original pieces. They're just very, very rare in that condition. I would borrow or buy a copy of "Griswold Wagner Favorite Expanded..." (also called the Blue Book) by Smith and Wafford. I think they discuss these types of stoves. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Griswold-Wagner-Favorite-Expanded/dp/0764337297?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0764337297
Worth the investment. I used an interlibrary loan to get a copy and learned a lot from it. First time posting a link, I tested it, so let me know if it works.