by Lorelei Cohen

Created on: May 11, 2009

If you are a collector of cast iron than you are well aware of the Griswold name and the amazing line of cast iron products that bear it's trademark. Operating out of Erie, Pennsylvania the company was officially opened in 1865 by Selden and Griswold, two local families. The first products to emerge during the early years 1865 to 1883 proudly bore the identifying symbols Selden & Griswold on them. The Griswold Manufacturing Company was to remain in operation from 1865 to 1957 and during that time it would gain an outstanding reputation as a producer of quality cast iron products. Although they produced a number of cast iron products, it is their fine line of cast iron cookware which gained them international fame.

All skillets, dutch ovens and oval roasters manufactured by the company during their many years of operation, bear an identifying logo, as well as a number on them to indicate their size. Today it is these symbols that are used to identify this cookware for collections. Highly treasured as a collectable, the Griswold cookware is generally now collected, and valued, by the degree of rarity of it's size number. For example a collector may be searching for a number 5 or a number 10 skillet to add to his current collection.

A few of the sizing numbers on skillets are as follows: A Number 2 skillet had a 4 3/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 3 skillet had a 5 1/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 4 skillet had a 5 3/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 5 skillet had a 6 3/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 6 skillet had a 7 1/2 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 7 skillet had a 8 1/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 8 skillet had a 8 7/8 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 9 skillet had a 9 1/2 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 10 skillet had a 10 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 11 skillet had a 10 7/8 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 12 skillet had a 11 3/4 inch diameter cooking base. A Number 13 skillet had a 12 3/4 inch diameter cooking base and a A Number 20 skillet had an amazing 18 inch diameter cooking base.

The Griswold company logo changed throughout the years, and this has actually helped in the identifying, and dating of many of the pieces that now reside in collections around the world. Logos of the Griswold company are also known to overlap and pieces can have more than just one logo on them. It is important to look for pieces produced in Erie, Pennsylvania as in later years some pieces were produced

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