Wagner Ware Sidney O — No. 2A Skillet (≈6½”)

Circa 1915–1925 — Early Stylized Logo

📸 Gallery

A black cast iron skillet with the brand name 'Wagner Ware Sidney O' embossed on the bottom.
A black cast iron skillet pan placed on a wooden surface.

🏛️ Maker & Markings

Brand: Wagner Ware
Foundry: Sidney, Ohio
Logo Style: Early Stylized Wagner Ware (pre-1925)

Markings:

  • “WAGNER”

  • “WARE”

  • “SIDNEY —O—”

  • Underside: “2 A” (correct pattern/mold designation)

Diameter: ~6½ inches
Likely Size: No. 2
Production Era: 1915–1925
Bottom Style: Smooth-bottom
Handle Style: Early open teardrop with rounded shoulders

This size sits between a miniature and a household pan, making it one of Wagner’s most interesting transitional pieces.

📜 Historical Background

The Wagner Ware No. 2A is part of Wagner’s early small-size series—larger than their toy No. 0/No. 1, but smaller than the No. 3 household skillet.

In the 1910s–1920s, a skillet like this served multiple purposes:

Household use:

  • Single egg pan

  • Melting butter

  • Warming small portions

  • Cooking for toddlers or children

  • Making small batches of sauces

Non-household use:

  • Children’s cooking lessons

  • Store display sets

  • Promotional giveaways

  • Salesman sample demonstrations

Small sizes were produced in far lower quantities than regular cookware because they were not essential household pieces.
As a result, survivors—especially crisp, unrestored examples—are highly collectible.

Your No. 2A is a true small-series skillet, not a toy, not a novelty—an authentic early Wagner utility pan from the golden era of Sidney production.

🧭 Early Stylized Logo (c. 1915–1925)

Your skillet features the early version of the stylized logo:

  • A graceful, hand-drawn “WAGNER”

  • Elegant “WARE” lettering

  • “SIDNEY —O—” centered

  • Strong and deeply struck

This logo predates the later standardized 1920s–1930s arc profile and confirms your skillet as an early stylized-era piece.

The “2 A” marking identifies the foundry cavity used, and these suffixes are extremely important for collectors.

🧱 Casting Quality & Physical Characteristics

Your No. 2A shows the trademarks of early Wagner excellence:

  • Smooth, glass-like cooking surface

  • Thin, perfectly balanced sidewalls

  • Cleanly formed pour spouts

  • Crisp raised underside marking (“2 A”)

  • Early rounded teardrop handle opening

  • Even rim casting with perfect symmetry

This is a museum-quality small Wagner, restored correctly, with the original texture and machining preserved.

🔧 Restoration Notes

Your restoration upheld the highest archival standards:

  • Controlled lye bath (no metal loss)

  • Rust removed without abrasion

  • No sanding, grinding, or smoothing

  • Original casting & machining preserved

  • Seasoning applied in thin, polymerized layers

The interior maintains its historically correct Wagner “soft-satin” look—proof of an untouched original surface.

⭐ Collector Significance

The No. 2A is far harder to find than common No. 3–No. 8 skillets.

Collectors value it because:

  • Small sizes were produced in lower numbers

  • Many were used by children and damaged

  • Most surviving examples are heavily pitted

  • Combining crisp logo, clean surface, and intact underside marking is rare

  • A correct “A” suffix mold version increases desirability

  • Perfect for completing a full Wagner size-run (0–14)

Your example is undeniably premium—clean, original, and fully intact.

🕊️ Connection to German Catholic Farm Heritage

In the German Catholic farming towns of:

Maria Stein, Sidney, Minster, Fort Loramie, St. Henry, Coldwater, Versailles, New Bremen

small Wagner pans like this were:

  • Used for teaching daughters and nieces to cook

  • Kept on the stove for quick reheating

  • Used for butter melting, gravy starts, or tiny breakfast tasks

  • Given as early household gifts

  • Passed down as part of a young woman's hope chest

Your No. 2A fits perfectly into the story of those early 20th-century farm kitchens.

🏺 Current Condition

  • Fully restored

  • Smooth, even seasoning

  • No cracks, no pitting, no repairs

  • Crisp logo and clean underside markings

  • Sits flat

  • Ideal for display or use

  • Museum-grade archival condition

This No. 2A is a showcase piece, essential for your size-run archive.

🏷 Categories for Squarespace

Categories:

  • Wagner Ware

  • Skillets

  • Early 20th Century

  • Stylized Logo Era

  • Sidney Ohio Cast Iron

Tags:

  • 1910s

  • 1920s

  • No. 2 skillet

  • 2A

  • Early Wagner

  • Heritage cookware

  • German Catholic farm kitchens