"ERIE" #5 & Griswold ERIE #5... "TWINS"!

[babyface]

Hi all. Today I acquired a very early produced, slant logo Griswold #5 ERIE skillet. I've examined other #5 Griswold ERIEs, but somehow this one is different. It exhibts very thin walled, lightweight bowl construction with a somewhat "squared-off" radius configuration, an extremely inset; narrow heat ring, and a very flat; almost inverted bottom. Handle is hollowed out underneath, and pouring lips are very wide and pronounced. Then it hit me. This pan is absolutely identical, in all respects, to my "ERIE" #5 pan, which I refered to in an earlier post in the "GUEST QUESTIONS" section. With the obvious exception of the different cast logos, this slant Griswold ERIE #5 even shares the same exact p/n, i.e. "724" with its earlier "ERIE" #5 counterpart. My other, later-produced Griswold slant ERIE #5 has much thicker bowl construction,with a noticably more rounded-radius configuration; a wider, more-outset heat ring and bears the p/n "724L".  If, indeed, the onset of slant logo Griswold ERIE production was approximately 1908, as has been alluded to in previous posts, it may be safe to assume that the very rarely encountered "ERIE" #5 pan was manufactured just prior to this timeframe; insted of the 1870 - 1900 era to which most "ERIE"s are attributed. Only "fly in the ointment" would be if there was a #5 Griswold's ERIE, of similar configuration and p/n produced in the timeframe between these two pans. I really dont know if this thread is of interest to anyone here, but just thought I'd provide the comparison information; in case it is. Any furher input is welcome and invited. As always, best regards and good iron hunting!

[Greg Stahl]

Donald,
Can you post some pix for us?  tx!!

[babyface]

Hi Greg: Myself being fairly computer illiterate, if you can walk me through the posting procedure, I'll be glad to snap some pix of both pans and share them with the forum.  Thanks very much. Best regards!

[Roger Barfield]

Donald, when you hit reply you will see the window you type your response into.  Underneath that will  be Attach  and a small bar with a button that says browse.  You need to click the browse button and locate the photo file on your computer, then click attach.   Then save.   If you preview your post it looses the attachment and it must be reattached.  If you get a message that says file size too big then shrink the photo to less than 250kb.  Let us know if you have any problems.

[babyface]

Hi Roger: Thank you for your picture posting information. While I have to work all day today, I will endeavor to snap some pictures of the #5 "ERIE" & #5 slant logo Griswold ERIE a.s.a.p. and attempt to post them. Wish me luck. Best regards!

[Steve_Stephens]

Good eye to notice that variation Donald.   The ERIE No.5 may have preceeded a GRISWOLD'S ERIE No. 5 skillet but I've never seen one.  The ERIE 5 came much later than the other ERIE skillet sizes.  I have a copy of Griswold Bulletin E of the General Catalog with a penciled in "1905" and, also, the No. 5 skillet so when this catalog came out there was no No.5 skillet from Griswold.  I surmise that the ERIE 5 is so rare because it was so late and just before the company changed to the slant/E markings.

I have a nickeled and a black iron early slant/E like you have and you are right about the narrower heat rim and probably the other features.  I noticed that the "5" on the bottom of the pan is fatter and lower than the later and more common slant/E's.  The early slant/E seems to have the same pouring lips as the later one (at least on my pans) but the "W" in the TM has a bend on the left leg of the letter as well as a ghost "tail" resembling part of an "S" below the first leg of the W.  The letters in GRISWOLD are all differently shaped, too.  The handles on my early and late (724L) slant/E 5's seem to be the same but there is another slant/E 5 skillet (p/n 724A) which as the "fat" handle like most slant/EPU 5's, 6's and 7's and some of the other sizes of skillets.  Don't pay much attention to the pattern letters as there is a lot of inconsistancy with them and you may find more than one variation of Griswold skillets in one size with the same pattern letter.  Generally Griswold stayed with the exact same pattern number for each size of skillets but there are some inconsistancies such as the 4 digit p/n on the early ERIE 5 skillets.  I'd like to see some photos of your pan.

Steve

[babyface]

Steve: Thank you for your very detailed and informative reply to my original post. I knew that if anyone was aware of the aforementioned late ERIE 5 and early slant logo ERIE 5 similarity, it would be you. Your discription of the markings on your early slant/E 5 is right on the money when I compared them to my example. Regarding your Griswold bulletin E, I wonder if a similar situation might exist with any other size late produced Eries and early production Griswolds. Maybe someone else will jump in to negate or substantiate that corelation. I will try to post pictures asap. As always...good hunting and best regards!

[Steve_Stephens]

It's usually very hard or impossible to tell from Griswold catalogs what markings were being sold during the time of the catalog.  Takes a combination of lots of looking at hundreds of pans, reading WAGS forum, looking at catalogs, luck, looking at other's collections, etc. to try to have a chance to figure out what Griswold was doing.  A very inexact science.  

I have almost no knowledge about when the GRISWOLD'S ERIE pieces were being produced but think it may have been for a year, more or less before the slant/Erie marking came to be.   Best I can tell the slant/E came out around 1909 or 10 and I would think the ERIE pans were made up to that point.  GRISWOLD'S ERIE only appeared on skillets and pots.  And then there are the diamond TM pieces with, also, a short production.   I know little about the late ERIE skillets and the inset heat ring pans.  My interest is with the earlier ERIEs of the first through third series when the design and quality was nicer than the later pans.   In all my years of collecting I have not owned a No.5 ERIE and that's not because I did not want one.

Steve

[babyface]

Steve: Being the ultimate cast iron novice, I am truly in awe of your vast depth of knowledge regarding the details and finer points of interest in your persuit of the hobby. I cant imagine anyone else approaching the subject of cast iron cookware with a more scholarly, detail-oriented approach than yourself. You certainly deserve the title of "forum guru"!
The only reason I now own a #5 ERIE pan is because I just lucked onto it at a very small flea market where the lady who had it didnt know anything about CI, and sold it for a few bucks. I sure wouldnt cough up the $$$ to buy one off ebay, or from a knowledgable collector. Thants the part of the hobby I like. Unless the pan is a #2 or #s 11 thru 14, most antique dealers and flea market vendors dont really know what they have. They'll price a #8 block EPU with heat ring at $50 and an identical #5 at $30 because the "8" is bigger so its just gotta be worth more...right? Go figure. As in all other pursuits, "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER", and I try to use that to my advantage whenever fate so allows. Anyway, best regards and good hunting!