From the Cast Iron Cookware News of February 1990 at http://www.castironcollector.com/CICN/cicn22.php
“I have 5 Square Egg Skillets. Two say GRISWOLD – SINCE 1865. – SQUARE EGG SKILLET and have pattern 129. Another says SQUARE EGG SKILLET- MADE IN USA and has a very faint Griswold TM. The first two also have the TM, but cast deeply, One of them has the E missing from SQUAR and reads SQUAR EGG SKILLET. From the standpoint of the casting quality they all look the same. One of the marked pans has a small number 1 on the underside of the handle while the unmarked (no Griswold) pan has a small number 4 under the handle. Are they all Griswolds? Bernard Stoltie, CT
Bernard, any that have pattern 129 are made by Griswold. There are early and late handled versions. The one with the missing E in SQUARE is genuine Griswold. I have seen a few of these mistakes. Another genuine mistake I have seen is a No9 cover for a dutch oven which had the Griswold TM inside the cover with the spelling GIRSWOLD. The skillet marked MADE IN USA was made in the Wagner foundry from the old Griswold pattern. Quite a few Square Egg Skillets with the Griswold TM are marked with pattern 53 and it is my feeling that some of these, if not all of them, were also made in the Wagner foundry after Griswold and Wagner came under the same ownership. The small numbers on the underside of the handles has no significance to a collector. It is probably to denote which pattern, out of several, that the piece was cast from. The same is true of the letter alongside or below many pattern numbers. In the case of popular items such as the No8 skillets, Griswold had many patterns for the No8 skillet and would cast many pans at a time from many individual patterns. -ed.”
From a response to my Facebook post: “Cheryl Watson — Research on these is ongoing, especially by the collector mentioned above. It is believed that the No. 53 is 1960’s which would mean after the Griswold Plant closed. I believe that may have been verified by tours through the old Wagner Plant and spotting of patterns. The 129 is listed in the BB as circa unknown…. but I believe they are Griswold made, but it is not proven.. yet. (at least not to me)”
Later Cheryl added: “Spent some time talking to the expert tracker of these Square Egg pans this evening. Griswold made 129 with teardrop handle, 129A with late handle, Wagner made 53, all late handle.”
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Cheryl Watson Okay this is top and bottomside of teardrop… unfortunately I don’t have any late but will describe as best I can…
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Cheryl Watson Bottom
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Cheryl Watson The late handle would not have the deep incised V top and bottom, and would look ’rounder’….Also… the Late handle should be marked 129A with a small 1 or 2 on the underside of the handle… at least that’s what I hear!
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Cheryl Watson AHA… I am good! here is the other, late handle
