Vintage Cast Iron Revival

[Alan]

I'm poking around to see what people think about Cast Iron these days and I'll post a series of threads about the current trend.

Cast Iron Trend #1 is Vintage Cast Iron Revival

More people are hunting down old Griswold, Wagner, and Favorite Piqua pieces at flea markets or auctions. General feedback is it has smoother cooking surfaces, really great craftsmanship, and fun history behind each piece. A good story in the kitchen. But because of the trend and people hyping cast iron, the prices unfortunately have gone up, and restoring rusted pans takes real elbow grease.

 

[checkm8]

I noticed it has started to become more and more expensive. Thanks to online influencers.

 

[baileyking]

My wife still hates it coz it's too heavy for her. So it's end up I using all cast iron and her using her own pots and pans. Very good indeed.

 

[iconic matz]

Griswold is a favorite but yes, I the price has increased so I go for pre-owned and just clean it up real good.

 

[trigger02]

I'm poking around to see what people think about Cast Iron these days and I'll post a series of threads about the current trend.

Cast Iron Trend #1 is Vintage Cast Iron Revival

More people are hunting down old Griswold, Wagner, and Favorite Piqua pieces at flea markets or auctions. General feedback is it has smoother cooking surfaces, really great craftsmanship, and fun history behind each piece. A good story in the kitchen. But because of the trend and people hyping cast iron, the prices unfortunately have gone up, and restoring rusted pans takes real elbow grease.

I think it is. I see cast iron more often in social media these days. Or maybe it's the algorithm coz it knows I have interest in cast iron. Would be nice if can have videos here. People are too lazy to read nowadays.

 

[Alan]

I think it is. I see cast iron more often in social media these days. Or maybe it's the algorithm coz it knows I have interest in cast iron. Would be nice if can have videos here. People are too lazy to read nowadays.

I followed one page and next thing I know, I got flooded with other pages showing all Cast Iron. Not that I'm complaining.

 

[MaisonF]

Cast iron is definitely becoming more popular post covid. There was a big revival in cooking and indoor activities. In the last 3 years or so I've seen the average price increase as cast iron becomes more main stream. Back in the 2010's I could find skillets from $5-$20 pretty regularly in various conditions. Now that was certainly a steal for anything of good quality, but in general the deals are fewer and farther between.

Anything with a recognizable maker's mark is probably 50%+ higher than it was 3-4 years ago. Unmarked pieces are still generally affordable, even if you have to spend an extra $10-$20 for something in good condition, it's more than worth it.

 

[MaisonF]

Though as I say all that I did recently pick up a Wagner smooth bottom #6 and #8 (with logo) just this year for $15 and $20 respectively, so the deals are still out there. Generally at the flea markets where people just happen to have a few pieces of cast iron and don't know exactly what they have, and generally need some restoration to show their true potential. Both needed cleaning and re-seasoning, but both turned out to be flat and turned out to be great finds. That is the risk you take though. The more crust and rust on a piece that is pretty cheap, the higher the risk it has something hidden underneath that really harms the value and/or usability. I've donated probably a dozen or more cracked or pitted pieces that looked good at first inspection and after clean up had hidden problems you couldn't see before. It is part of the game in hunting that rusty gold.

Anything with any large name recognition like Griswold I generally have to find at the Antique mall for a premium, but I've still found fair prices here and there. I have not found any Piqua Ware that was less than market value though. They are just extremely rare here in TX.