Favorite Piqua Ware No. 7 Skillet — Smiley / Miami Dual Logo
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-FPW-SKL-07-SM-001
Smiley Logo + Miami Diamond | No. 7 Size | Piqua, Ohio
Circa 1905–1930 • Favorite Stove & Range Co.
Bottom view showing the dual-logo configuration: “FAVORITE / PIQUA / WARE” in the Smiley cartouche at top, “MIAMI” in the diamond mark at center, and size numeral “7” near the handle junction. The heat ring is visible at the base perimeter.
Not every Favorite Piqua Ware skillet tells the same story. The most commonly documented configuration—the Smiley logo alone, in the arched cartouche with its characteristic curved lower bar—is what most collectors picture when they think of FPW. But Favorite Stove & Range Company operated a more complex marketing strategy than a single brand suggests, and this No. 7 skillet carries the evidence of that complexity on its base: two marks, two identities, one piece of iron.
The upper mark is the Smiley logo in its standard form—“FAVORITE” arched across the top of the cartouche, “PIQUA” and “WARE” in the body, the curved lower bar that gives the configuration its collector nickname. Below it, centered on the base, is the Miami diamond: “MIAMI” in all capitals within a double-outlined diamond frame. Two brand marks on one skillet base, one from the premium Favorite Piqua Ware line and one from the Miami trade name that Favorite Stove & Range used for a parallel distribution channel. Together they tell a story about how one Ohio foundry managed its market presence—and how that management strategy left a documentary record in iron that SSC is now capturing piece by piece.
The No. 7 is also one of the less commonly encountered sizes in the Favorite Piqua Ware line. The No. 8 was the workhorse—produced in the greatest volume, most likely to surface in collector markets, most commonly cited in reference literature. The No. 7 sits just below it: slightly smaller, slightly less common, slightly more interesting to a collector who has already documented the No. 8 and is building toward a complete size run. This specimen, acquired alongside a No. 8 from the same seller, adds a new size dimension to the SSC Favorite Piqua Ware documentation and deepens the dual-logo research thread that runs through SSC’s coverage of the Favorite Stove & Range corporate family.
Piece Details
Close-up of the base markings: the Smiley “FAVORITE PIQUA WARE” cartouche above the Miami diamond, with size numeral “7” near the handle junction. Both marks are clearly cast with strong definition. The Miami diamond shows the characteristic double-outline frame and all-capitals lettering of the standard Miami mark configuration.
Manufacturer
Favorite Stove & Range Co.
Brand
Favorite Piqua Ware
Secondary Mark
Miami (diamond frame)
Logo Configuration
Dual logo: Smiley FPW cartouche + Miami diamond — both cast on base
Piece Type
Skillet
Size Number
No. 7
Base Marking
Smiley “FAVORITE / PIQUA / WARE” cartouche at top; “MIAMI” in double-outline diamond at center; “7” near handle junction
Bottom Configuration
Heat ring present; smooth cooking base inside ring
Pour Spouts
Two opposing spouts at rim
Handle Style
Flat handle with teardrop/keyhole hanging loop
Date of Manufacture
Circa 1905–1930
Place of Manufacture
Piqua, Miami County, Ohio
Condition
Very Good — both logos crisp and fully legible; heat ring intact; sits flat; no cracks, chips, or active rust; well-seasoned interior; display ready
Acquisition Date
February 10, 2026
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: northstargoods94
eBay Item Number
287122749955
Order Number
09-14223-11396
Purchase Price
$195.00 item (2-piece lot with No. 8) + $17.93 shipping + $18.05 tax = $230.98 total; $115.49 allocated per piece
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-FPW-SKL-07-SM-001
Understanding the Dual Logo: Smiley + Miami on One Base
The dual-logo configuration on this No. 7 is the most documentary-rich feature of the piece and the primary reason it merits careful documentation in the SSC collection. To understand what two brand marks on one skillet base means, it is necessary to understand how Favorite Stove & Range Company organized its market presence in the early 20th century.
Favorite Stove & Range was a Piqua, Ohio foundry that operated under multiple commercial identities simultaneously. The flagship retail brand—Favorite Piqua Ware, identified by the Smiley cartouche—was the premium consumer identity, marketed under the foundry’s city of origin and sold through hardware and general merchandise channels that valued the Piqua connection. Miami was a parallel trade name, almost certainly named for the Miami River that runs through Piqua, used for distribution through channels or to customers who ordered under a different brand designation. Both names came from the same foundry, the same iron, the same patterns, and the same production floor.
Why cast both marks on a single piece? The most straightforward explanation is a transition or overlap period—a moment when the foundry was moving production from Miami-designated patterns to Favorite Piqua Ware patterns, or vice versa, and pieces came out of the mold carrying both identities because the pattern had been updated but existing dual-marked patterns remained in service. A second explanation is deliberate dual-marking for customers or distributors who ordered under the Miami name but received pieces that also carried the FPW premium mark—a kind of co-branding that preserved the relationship with the Miami customer while associating the piece with the premium line. A third possibility is that the foundry used dual-marked patterns for pieces destined for specific regional markets where both brand names had established recognition.
What is established in the collector literature is that dual Smiley + Miami pieces exist, that they are encountered less frequently than single-logo specimens of either brand, and that their existence documents a deliberate overlap in the Favorite Stove & Range commercial identity system. The SSC collection, which approaches the Favorite Stove & Range corporate family through its component brands—Favorite Piqua Ware, Miami, Columbus Hollow Ware, Puritan—treats dual-logo pieces as among the most significant documentary artifacts in the entire product line. They sit at the intersection of two brand narratives and provide physical evidence of how the foundry managed the boundary between them.
The Smiley Logo: Anatomy of the Favorite Piqua Ware Mark
The collector nickname “Smiley” derives from the visual profile of the Favorite Piqua Ware cartouche when viewed as a gestalt shape rather than read as text. The mark consists of “FAVORITE” arched along the upper edge of the cartouche, “PIQUA” and “WARE” in the body in stacked lines, and a curved lower bar with upturned ends that gives the overall shape its facial resemblance. In collector shorthand, a “Smiley” piece is one bearing this specific cartouche configuration—as distinguished from other Favorite Piqua Ware marking configurations that use different logo arrangements or type treatments.
On this No. 7, the Smiley cartouche is cast with strong definition: “FAVORITE” fully legible across the arc, “PIQUA” and “WARE” clearly readable in the body, and the characteristic curved lower bar intact. The cartouche borders—the rectangular outer frame of the mark—are crisp and complete. This is a well-struck impression from a pattern in good condition at the time of casting, and it provides a clean reference specimen for the Smiley configuration in the SSC documentation record.
The Miami Mark: Diamond Frame and Corporate Identity
The Miami mark on this piece consists of “MIAMI” in all capitals centered within a double-outlined diamond frame—a geometric, direct identity that contrasts visually with the more elaborate Smiley cartouche above it. The diamond shape has practical marking logic: it is visually distinct, symmetric, easy to cast cleanly, and recognizable at a glance. The double-outline treatment—two concentric diamond lines framing the text—adds visual weight without adding complexity, and the overall mark reads clearly even at the relatively small scale at which it is cast on the skillet base.
The Miami trade name connected Favorite Stove & Range’s products to the Miami River valley geography of west-central Ohio in a way that the Favorite Piqua Ware name did through its city reference. Miami was a commercially useful identity for reaching distribution channels that operated on geographic brand recognition—a retailer in the Miami River valley corridor who stocked “Miami” cast iron was selling local iron in the same way that a retailer stocking “Favorite Piqua Ware” was selling Piqua iron. The two identities served overlapping but not identical market functions, and the dual-marked pieces like this No. 7 are the physical evidence of where those functions intersected.
Profile view showing the heat ring configuration of the No. 7, the smooth cooking base inside the ring, the sidewall depth, and the flat handle with teardrop loop. Both the Smiley logo and Miami diamond are partially visible on the base at left.
The No. 7 in the Favorite Piqua Ware Size Run
Within the Favorite Piqua Ware line, the No. 7 occupies the position just below the workhorse No. 8—smaller, somewhat less common in collector markets, and occupying a functional niche that the early 20th-century American kitchen genuinely used. A No. 7 was the right size for a smaller household, for a second-burner quick-cooking pan, or for cooking tasks that the No. 8 was simply too large to handle efficiently. Eggs for two, a small piece of fish, a side dish that didn’t need a full-size pan—the No. 7 was a legitimate production size, not a novelty or an edge case.
In Favorite Piqua Ware production terms, the No. 7 was produced in lower volumes than the No. 8, meaning fewer original pieces and a smaller surviving population. For a collector building toward a complete FPW size run, the No. 7 represents a meaningful step—present enough in the market to be findable with patience, scarce enough to be a genuine acquisition when found in strong condition with clear logos. This specimen, with both the Smiley and Miami marks fully legible and the heat ring intact, is an excellent example of the size in the dual-logo configuration.
Physical Characteristics & Condition Assessment
The No. 7 is a well-proportioned mid-range skillet with a cooking surface sized for the smaller-household tasks described above. The base carries a heat ring—a raised concentric ring on the base exterior that serves as the primary contact surface with the stove eye and provides a degree of thermal management between the stove and the cooking surface—consistent with the standard Favorite Piqua Ware production configuration. The cooking surface inside the heat ring is smooth and well-finished.
Two opposing pour spouts interrupt the rim at standard positions. The handle is flat with a teardrop hanging loop at the terminus, following the same design language as the SSC’s other FPW specimens. The overall proportions are correct for the size—handle length balanced to body diameter, sidewall height appropriate to the No. 7 cooking capacity.
Condition is assessed as Very Good. Both logos are crisp and fully legible: the Smiley cartouche reads cleanly with strong letter definition, and the Miami diamond is clearly cast with the double-outline frame intact. The size numeral “7” near the handle junction is readable. The piece sits flat with no warping. No cracks, chips, cold shuts, or active rust are present. The interior cooking surface carries a well-established seasoning with the characteristic tonal depth of a genuinely used and maintained vintage pan. Display ready.
Top view showing the cooking surface of the No. 7 with its well-established seasoning, dual pour spouts at opposing rim positions, and the proportional relationship of cooking bowl to rim width characteristic of the Favorite Piqua Ware skillet line.
The Company: Favorite Stove & Range Co.
Favorite Stove & Range Company operated in Piqua, Miami County, Ohio, producing cast iron cookware under the Favorite Piqua Ware brand and several parallel trade names including Miami, Puritan, and others. The company was a significant presence in the Ohio foundry corridor during the early 20th century—a period when Piqua and its surrounding Miami County geography were home to multiple competing cast iron manufacturers, with Wagner Manufacturing being the dominant regional force and Favorite Stove & Range operating in a parallel commercial space with its own distinct brand identities.
The Favorite Stove & Range corporate family has a distinct relationship to the earlier Columbus Hollow Ware operation documented elsewhere in the SSC collection. The “Favorite” brand name connects both entities, but they are separate companies from separate Ohio cities—Columbus Hollow Ware operated in Franklin County (Columbus) from 1882 to 1902, while Favorite Stove & Range operated in Miami County (Piqua) in the early 20th century. The SSC collection documents both as part of the broader Ohio Foundry Corridor narrative while clearly maintaining the distinction between them. A Smiley FPW skillet is not a Columbus Hollow Ware piece, and a “THE FAVORITE” CHW skillet is not a Piqua piece—the shared name is a genealogical coincidence, not a corporate continuity.
Collector’s Context
Dual Smiley + Miami pieces occupy a recognized tier of interest in the Favorite Piqua Ware collector community. They are documented in the collector reference literature, sought by collectors building toward comprehensive FPW documentation, and priced accordingly when they surface in good condition. This No. 7 in Very Good condition with fully legible dual logos represents a strong example of the configuration.
The acquisition as part of a two-piece lot with a No. 8—both carrying the dual Smiley + Miami configuration—adds provenance depth. Two dual-logo pieces from the same seller and the same acquisition event, documented individually but cross-referenced in their catalog records, provide a stronger comparative foundation than either piece would provide alone. The SSC collection approach—treating acquisitions as part of documented provenance chains rather than as isolated objects—gives these two pieces a research value that exceeds their individual catalog entries.
At $115.49 allocated from the two-piece lot total of $230.98, the No. 7 was acquired at pricing that reflects both the dual-logo premium and the lot efficiency of a two-piece acquisition from a single provenance. A standalone dual-logo No. 7 in this condition would typically command comparable or higher pricing in the current collector market.
Provenance & Acquisition
This No. 7 skillet was acquired on February 10, 2026, via eBay from seller northstargoods94, under eBay item number 287122749955 (order 09-14223-11396). The listing described the piece as part of a two-skillet lot: “Vintage Favorite Piqua Ware Smiley with Miami Dual Logos #7 and #8.” The lot was purchased at $195.00 plus $17.93 USPS Ground Advantage shipping and $18.05 in sales tax, for a total of $230.98. Cost is allocated at $115.49 per piece for individual catalog records.
Physical examination on receipt confirmed the condition as represented: both logos crisp and fully legible, heat ring intact and complete, base flat with no warping, interior clean with well-established seasoning, no structural damage. The dual-logo configuration was confirmed as documented in the seller’s listing. The companion No. 8 from the same lot is cataloged separately as SSC-FPW-SKL-08-SM-001 with cross-reference to this entry.
Corporate Timeline: Favorite Stove & Range Co.
c.1880s–90s
Foundry operations in Piqua, Miami County, Ohio established under Favorite Stove & Range or predecessor operations. The Miami River valley geography provides the basis for both the Favorite Piqua Ware and Miami brand identities.
c.1905
Favorite Piqua Ware brand and Smiley logo configuration enter production. The premium consumer cast iron line is marketed under the Piqua city-of-origin identity.
c.1905–30
Dual-logo production period. Pieces bearing both the Smiley FPW cartouche and the Miami diamond mark are cast, documenting the overlap between the two commercial identities. This No. 7 is produced during this period.
c.1930s
Favorite Stove & Range operations wind down. Piqua cast iron production consolidates under Wagner Manufacturing and other surviving Ohio foundries.
2026
Steve’s Seasoned Classics acquires this No. 7 alongside a companion No. 8 from eBay seller northstargoods94. The No. 7 is documented as SSC-FPW-SKL-07-SM-001 in the SSC Favorite Piqua Ware sub-collection.
Why This Piece Matters
The Favorite Piqua Ware No. 7 with dual Smiley and Miami logos matters for three reasons that compound each other. First, it documents a size in the FPW line that is less commonly encountered than the No. 8—adding a new entry to the SSC size run documentation and building toward the comprehensive coverage that distinguishes a museum collection from an accumulation of individual pieces. Second, it carries the dual-logo configuration that is among the most significant marking variants in the FPW collector literature—physical evidence of the Favorite Stove & Range multi-brand commercial strategy, cast into the iron itself. Third, it was acquired as part of a two-piece lot with a No. 8 in the same configuration, creating a provenance-linked pair that provides comparative documentation value beyond what either piece offers individually.
The dual Smiley + Miami configuration on this No. 7 also connects the FPW sub-collection to the broader SSC Ohio Foundry Corridor narrative. The Miami trade name—from the Miami River, from Miami County, from the same west-central Ohio geography that produced the Favorite Piqua Ware premium line—is one thread in a regional industrial story that SSC documents through its collecting and research. This piece is part of that story.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Sources & Further Reading
BoonieHicks.com — “Guide to Favorite Piqua Ware”: comprehensive documentation of FPW logo configurations, size runs, and marking variants including dual-logo pieces.
CastIronCollector.com — Favorite Stove & Range Co. reference page: operational dates, location, and brand family documentation.
WorthPoint.com — Historical auction records for Favorite Piqua Ware dual-logo specimens.
CastIronCookwareCollectorsGuide.com — FPW photographic documentation and collector discussion including Miami mark variants.
SSC Internal Collection Records — Companion No. 8 dual Smiley + Miami entry, SSC-FPW-SKL-08-SM-001; SSC Ohio Foundry Corridor collection overview.
About Steve’s Seasoned Classics
Steve’s Seasoned Classics is an online museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of American cast iron cookware, with a focus on Ohio foundry pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The SSC collection features over 60 pieces with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.
