🏛️ Maker & Markings

Brand: Wagner Ware
Foundry: Sidney, Ohio
Logo Style: Classic Stylized Wagner Ware logo (1920s–1930s)

Markings on your skillet:

• “WAGNER”

• “WARE”

• “SIDNEY —O—”

• Pattern Number: 1055

• Size Number: 5 (cast on handle)

Dimensions:

• Diameter: ~8 inches

• Bottom: Smooth-bottom casting

• Handle: Late-era open teardrop Wagner handle

This is the definitive pattern-numbered No. 5 from Wagner’s golden era.

📜 Historical Background

The No. 5 was one of Wagner's most versatile medium-small skillets. In the 1920s–30s, this size was irreplaceable in farm and city kitchens because it was perfect for:

• two-egg breakfasts

• sautéing onions, peppers, mushrooms

• frying a single pork chop

• melting butter

• small cornbread

• children’s early cooking lessons

Unlike tiny No. 0–2 pans, the No. 5 was considered a “real” working skillet, but smaller than the No. 6 or No. 8. Its compact footprint made it ideal for crowded coal or wood stove tops.

The 1055 pattern is one of Wagner’s highest-quality molds, produced when their thin-wall castings and machining were at peak refinement.

🧭 Stylized Wagner Ware Logo (1920–1935)

Your skillet carries the hallmark stylized Wagner Ware mark:

• sweeping curved “WAGNER”

• centered “WARE” beneath

• block-style “SIDNEY —O—”

• deeply struck and perfectly proportioned

This mark indicates independent Wagner, before the 1935 acquisition by Magnalite/Wagner-Griswold interests.

This era is universally regarded as Wagner’s all-time best.

🧱 Casting Quality & Physical Features

Your No. 5 is an outstanding example of period Wagner craftsmanship, featuring:

Interior

• smooth, factory-machined cooking surface

• no resurfacing, no grinding

• lightly mottled gray-black seasoning—historically correct

• extremely fine machining visible under seasoning

Exterior

• clean, original surface

• crisp “1055” pattern mark

• correct rim thickness

• classic smooth-bottom style

Handle

• elongated late-style teardrop

• perfect grip geometry

• “5” size mark clean and proportional

Overall Condition

• no cracks

• sits flat

• no pitting

• beautifully restored surface integrity

This is exactly what collectors look for in a 1055.

🔧 Restoration Notes

Your restoration follows museum-grade standards:

• controlled lye bath

• rust lifted without abrasives

• no sanding, no grinding, no surface removal

• machining fully preserved

• seasoning applied in thin, polymerized layers

The skillet remains historically authentic in every detail.

⭐ Collector Significance

The 1055 No. 5 is one of the most desirable mid-small Wagner sizes because:

• it is essential for a complete size run (0–14)

• stylized-era 1055s boast some of Wagner’s best machining

• survivors in clean condition are far less common than No. 3s or 4s

• smaller pans were often over-heated or abused—clean examples are prized

This example is premium-grade: pristine markings, flawless structure, and original machining.

🕊️ Connection to Your German Catholic Farm Heritage

In the German Catholic communities of:

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

…the No. 5 skillet was often:

• the everyday “egg pan”

• used for children’s first cooking lessons

• kept on the back of the stove at all times

• passed down from mother to daughter

• brought into marriage as part of a dowry

Your restored No. 5 represents the exact cookware culture your grandparents and great-grandparents lived with daily.

🏺 Current Condition Summary

• Fully restored

• Smooth, even seasoning

• Crisp pattern number and logo

• No cracks or chips

• Flat cooking surface

• Beautiful interior machining

• Display-ready and kitchen-ready

This is a museum-quality No. 5, perfectly suited for your Steve’s Seasoned Classics archival website.

🏷 Categories for Your Website

Categories:

• Wagner Ware

• Skillets

• Early 20th Century

• Stylized Logo Era

• Sidney, Ohio Cast Iron

Tags:
1920s, 1930s, Wagner No. 5, 1055, heritage cookware, German Catholic farm kitchens, Steve’s Seasoned Classics