Favorite Piqua Ware — No. 5 Cast Iron Skillet (Smiley Logo)
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-FAVPW-SKL-5B-SMILEY-001
Favorite Piqua Ware | No. 5 Cast Iron Skillet | Piqua, Ohio
Favorite Stove & Range Company • Piqua, Miami County • Founded 1889 • Closed 1935
Bottom view showing the iconic “Smiley” logo: “FAVORITE / PIQUA / WARE” cast in raised letters with curved decorative lines beneath the text—the feature that gives this logo its collector nickname. Size “5” is cast below the logo. A raised heat ring encircles the outer edge of the bottom, indicating use on wood or coal stove eyes.
In the city of Piqua, Ohio—a small manufacturing center in Miami County, about 30 miles north of Dayton—the Favorite Stove & Range Company operated for nearly half a century as one of the community’s largest employers and most important industries. Founded by William King Boal, who relocated the business from Cincinnati to Piqua in 1889, the company grew to occupy an eight-acre factory complex along the Hydraulic Canal and employed over 300 workers at its peak. Piqua became so closely identified with the foundry that the city itself was known as the “Favorite City,” and the hillside where workers built their homes was called “Favorite Hill.” This No. 5 skillet—marked with the company’s beloved “Smiley” logo on its underside—is a product of that Piqua foundry tradition.
The Smiley logo is the most recognized of Favorite Piqua Ware’s several trademark designs. It takes its collector nickname from the curved decorative lines beneath the “FAVORITE / PIQUA / WARE” text, which give the marking the appearance of a smiling face. Collectors generally date the Smiley logo to the period between 1916 and 1935, making it the latest of the company’s known hollow ware trademarks. The presence of a heat ring on this skillet—a raised ridge around the outer edge of the bottom designed to seat the pan in a wood or coal stove eye—is consistent with production during the earlier portion of that range, when many American households still cooked on solid-fuel stoves.
This particular skillet is a No. 5, one of the smaller standard sizes in the Favorite Piqua Ware line. The “B” following the size number is a pattern letter—a foundry practice used to identify which specific mold was used to cast the piece, allowing quality control tracking back to individual patterns. The cooking surface is smooth and machined, characteristic of the hand-finished quality that makes Favorite Piqua Ware prized among collectors and users alike. For the SSC collection, this piece adds another size to the Favorite Piqua Ware Smiley holdings and reinforces the documentation of Piqua’s role in Ohio’s cast iron heritage.
Piece Details
Top view showing the smooth, machined cooking surface with light utensil marks from period use. Dual opposing pour spouts flank the rim. The long handle terminates in a teardrop-shaped hanging hole. The interior surface retains seasoning patina consistent with its age.
Manufacturer
Favorite Stove & Range Company (Piqua, Ohio)
Piece Type
Cast iron skillet
Size
No. 5 (approximately 8 inches across)
Pattern Letter
B (mold pattern identifier)
Material
Cast iron
Cooking Surface
Smooth, machined finish typical of pre-1935 production
Handle
Long handle with teardrop-shaped hanging hole
Pour Spouts
Dual opposing pour spouts
Heat Ring
Yes — raised outer ring on bottom for wood/coal stove eye seating
Bottom Marking
“FAVORITE / PIQUA / WARE” in Smiley logo with curved decorative lines beneath; size “5” cast below logo with pattern letter “B”
Date of Manufacture
Estimated c. 1916–1935 (Smiley logo period)
Place of Manufacture
Piqua, Miami County, Ohio
Condition
Very Good — Smiley logo crisp and fully legible; cooking surface smooth with light utensil marks consistent with age; heat ring intact; no cracks, chips, or structural damage; seasoning present
Acquisition Date
August 27, 2025
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: rilke3
eBay Item Number
157251744979
Order Number
18-13493-84807
Purchase Price
$36.00 item + $12.70 shipping + $4.13 tax = $52.83 total
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-FAVPW-SKL-5B-SMILEY-001
Historical Background
From Cincinnati to the Favorite City
The roots of the Favorite Stove & Range Company trace back to 1848, when William C. Davis founded W.C. Davis & Company in Cincinnati. After the Civil War, the firm became known as Great Western Stove Works. In 1872, William King Boal purchased a partial interest in the company, and by 1880 had taken full control, renaming it Favorite Stove Works. But it was Boal’s decision to leave Cincinnati that would define the company’s legacy.
In June 1886, Boal visited Piqua at the invitation of the local Board of Trade, which was actively recruiting manufacturers. The terms were extraordinary: the city offered eight acres of land, eight new two-story brick factory buildings, free natural gas for ten years, and railroad transport for 250 freight cars of equipment from Cincinnati. Boal signed the contract on June 25, 1886. Fifteen brick masons laid over half a million bricks, and on February 25, 1889, the Favorite Stove & Range Company of Piqua, Ohio officially began production with more than 250 employees.
The impact on Piqua was immediate and lasting. The company became the city’s largest manufacturer. By 1896, over 300 workers produced more than 50,000 stoves per year. Several other local businesses adopted “Favorite” as part of their names. The neighborhood west of the factory on College Street, where workers built homes on the hillside, became known as Favorite Hill. The city itself earned the nickname “The Favorite City.”
The Boal Dynasty and the Hollow Ware Years
William King Boal ran the company until his death on January 2, 1916, at the age of 84. His son William Stanhope Boal succeeded him as president and significantly expanded the production of cast iron hollow ware—the cookware line that included skillets, dutch ovens, griddles, and waffle irons. Under the younger Boal’s leadership, the company marketed its cookware under three distinct brand names: Favorite Piqua Ware (the flagship line), Miami (an economy line named for the indigenous Miami people of southwestern Ohio), and Puritan (a private-label line produced for Sears, Roebuck & Co.).
The Smiley logo appears to have been introduced during this expanded hollow ware period. Collectors recognize three main Favorite Piqua Ware logos: the block letter logo (considered the earliest), the stylized logo, and the Smiley logo (considered the latest). The Smiley design—with its distinctive curved lines beneath the text—became the most widely recognized mark of the company’s cookware line and remains the logo most closely associated with the Favorite Piqua Ware name among collectors today.
The End of an Era
The Great Depression devastated the company’s sales. William Stanhope Boal died on December 17, 1933. The firm reorganized and by 1935 had been liquidated. The Foster Stove Company of Ironton, Ohio (Lawrence County) purchased the patents, patterns, and trademarks for the Favorite Range products. The cookware line’s tooling and patterns were sold to the Chicago Hardware Foundry Company, which continued to produce some pieces using the Favorite patterns—sometimes identifiable by a diamond logo marking. William C. Katker, the company’s fourth president, continued operating a reduced version of the business as Favorite Manufacturing Company until the late 1950s, using other local Piqua foundries for molding work.
SSC Collection Context
This No. 5 Smiley skillet joins the SSC’s existing Favorite Piqua Ware No. 3 Smiley as the second piece in the collection’s Favorite Piqua Ware size range. The Favorite Stove & Range Company is one of the anchor holdings of the SSC’s Favorite Corporate Lineage grouping, which documents all four brand names produced at the Piqua foundry: Favorite Piqua Ware, Columbus Hollow Ware, Miami, and Puritan. Together, these brands tell the story of a single Ohio foundry’s strategy for reaching different market segments—from the flagship Favorite line to the Sears-exclusive Puritan.
The No. 5 is a less commonly encountered size than the ubiquitous No. 8, making it a worthwhile addition to the collection. Its small footprint made it a practical single-serving or side-dish pan in the kitchens of early twentieth-century Ohio households. The pattern letter “B” on this piece provides a small but meaningful detail—evidence of the foundry’s quality control system and a reminder that each skillet was tracked from mold to finished product.
The iron endures. The Smiley tells the story. Piqua put its name on this pan, and the pan kept the name.
Favorite Stove & Range Company — Company Timeline
1848
William C. Davis founds W.C. Davis & Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, manufacturing stoves. The firm later becomes known as Great Western Stove Works after the Civil War.
1872
William King Boal purchases partial ownership in the company. By 1880, Boal takes full control and renames it Favorite Stove Works.
1886
Boal visits Piqua, Ohio at the invitation of the Piqua Board of Trade. On June 25, he signs a contract with the city to relocate the foundry. Piqua agrees to provide eight acres of land, erect eight two-story brick factory buildings, furnish free natural gas for ten years, and pay for 250 freight car loads of equipment to be moved from Cincinnati.
1889
The Favorite Stove & Range Company begins production in Piqua on February 25 with over 250 employees. The company becomes Piqua’s largest manufacturer. The city becomes known as the “Favorite City.”
1896
The company expands to over 300 employees and produces more than 50,000 stoves per year. The factory occupies eight acres bounded by College, Young, Weber, and South Streets along the Hydraulic Canal.
1916
William King Boal dies on January 2 at age 84. His son William Stanhope Boal succeeds him as president and expands production of cast iron hollow ware, including skillets, under the Favorite Piqua Ware, Miami, and Puritan brand names.
1919
A labor strike hits the plant with demands for a 25 percent wage increase for common laborers. The strike lasts eleven days.
1923
William Stanhope Boal becomes Chairman of the Board.
1928
William C. Katker becomes the company’s fourth president.
1933
William Stanhope Boal dies on December 17. The Great Depression has devastated sales. The company reorganizes.
1935
Favorite Stove & Range Company is liquidated. Foster Stove Company of Ironton, Ohio purchases the patents, patterns, and trademarks for the Favorite Range products. The cookware line tooling and patterns are sold to Chicago Hardware Foundry Company.
2025
Steve’s Seasoned Classics acquires this Favorite Piqua Ware No. 5 Smiley skillet from eBay seller rilke3. The piece is documented as SSC-FAVPW-SKL-5B-SMILEY-001.
Why This Piece Matters
A No. 5 Favorite Piqua Ware Smiley skillet is a small pan with a large story behind it. It connects to a Cincinnati stove maker who bet his company on a small Ohio city’s promise of free land and free gas. It connects to a factory complex that employed over 300 people and made Piqua the “Favorite City.” It connects to a father-and-son dynasty that ran the operation for nearly half a century. And it connects to a foundry that produced some of the smoothest, lightest, and most beautifully cast hollow ware in American manufacturing history.
For the SSC, this skillet represents the heart of the Favorite Corporate Lineage—the flagship brand from the flagship foundry. The Smiley logo is the mark that collectors know best, and the heat ring dates the piece to a time when Ohio kitchens still burned wood and coal. The “B” pattern letter is a quiet artifact of the foundry floor itself—a record of which mold cast this particular pan, preserved in iron for more than a century.
The Smiley logo smiles because the iron is still here. The pan is still flat. The story is still worth telling.
Sources & Further Reading
Piqua Public Library Local History & Genealogy — Favorite Stove (piqualibrary.org): comprehensive company history including founding, relocation to Piqua, employment figures, the 1919 strike, and the Boal family succession.
Cast Iron Collector — Favorite Stove & Range Co. (castironcollector.com): foundry timeline, brand names, logo dating, and post-closure disposition of tooling and patents.
Boonie Hicks — Guide to Favorite Piqua Ware (booniehicks.com): logo identification guide covering block, stylized, and Smiley logos with dating estimates and collector commentary.
Wikipedia — Favorite Stove (en.wikipedia.org): overview of the company’s relocation to Piqua and its impact on the community.
Cast Iron Collector Forums — Favorite Piqua Ware Dating (castironcollector.com/forum): collector discussion on hollow ware production dating, logo chronology, and pattern letter conventions.
eBay listing and invoice documentation — Item 157251744979, Order 18-13493-84807.
About Steve’s Seasoned Classics
Steve’s Seasoned Classics is an online museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of American cast iron, with a focus on Ohio foundry pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The SSC collection features over 130 pieces with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.
