#8 Favorite??

[Mike Shonfield]

I recently got a fry pan with the words “FAVORITE” and “WARE” and a diamond with the letter “C” in it.  Note too what I call a molding flaw where there is excess metal on a part of the fire ring. The alignment of the words and placing of the 8 is not quite accurate either. There is nothing on the cooking side and but it is smoothly finished and relatively thin and light.

The “Blue Book” says that Favorite made cast iron cookware in Cincinnati until1888 then moved to Piqua Ohio to cast from 1889 to plant closure in 1935.  It makes no mention of anyone buying Favorite after that.  The Blue Book only shows Piqua Ware.

Could this fry pan be from Cincinnati and thus prior to 1888?   Or did someone buy the molds after 1935?  I have looked at the pan in all lights and try to see a “PIQUA”  or ghost “PIQUA” between “FAVORITE” and “WARE” but I cannot confirm it is there.

Is it a repo or fake?

I would appreciate thoughts or comments to help me determine what it is and a date.

Picture is after cleaning and first seasoning.

[C. Perry Rapier]

Hello Mike, if I do this right your picture should show up in a smaller size here below.

[Mike Shonfield]

Thanks Perry but I was kind of looking for your expertise on iron pans not photography! :)

[C. Perry Rapier]

Mike, it does look kind of "off". Probably somebody used a Skillet for a pattern, just guessing, don't really know but it looks to me that it did not come from the manufacturer that way. Also, Favorites patterns were purchased by the "Chicago Hardware Foundry" which used the patterns to make their own products. I believe some of them have the Favorite mark on them plus the CHF. Somebody can come on and straighten me out about this point.

[Mike Shonfield]

Thanks Perry...and the picture does look better...must learn to do that.

It doesn't appear that anyone messed with the pan after manufacture but Chicago might be the reason for the "C"  and maybe although I cannot quite see it PIQUA was erased from the mold.

I had thought the slight imperfections might mean the pan was very old.

[C. Perry Rapier]

Mike, all the patterns from Favorite were modified. So "Favorite" was continued to be made in Chicago at the CHF. BUT, the "Piqua Favorite" was not, so, it very well could be here that you have a ghost skillet, one where the "Piqua" came through in the pattern in spite of the modification. Ghosting is interesting because it shows that other manufacturers used other manufacturers patterns, acquired them. Patterns were, and are expensive, so they were valuable. So if one company wanted to change, it might sell its patterns to another foundry and this clearly happened from what I have seen, such as Wapak, it looks like they used a whole bunch of patterns, from Wagner and Griswold especially.

[Mike Shonfield]

Perry,

What about the miss-casting?  Have you seen many errors in the pans you have or have seen?  Does it happen more frequently before the 1900's or after?

I know you have a lot of pans!  My compass now points to west Ohio instead of magnetic north!

Mike

[C. Perry Rapier]

Perry,

What about the miss-casting?  Have you seen many errors in the pans you have or have seen?  Does it happen more frequently before the 1900's or after?

I know you have a lot of pans!  My compass now points to west Ohio instead of magnetic north!

Mike

Mike, I have seen a fair number of "miss-castings". Bear in mind there was a quality control and if the mistakes "miss-castings" were too great, the piece was scrapped and melted and done again.