🏛️ Maker & Markings

Brand: Wagner Ware
Foundry: Sidney, Ohio
Logo: Classic Stylized Wagner Ware (1920–1935)
Markings include:

• “WAGNER” (arched)

• “WARE”

• “SIDNEY —O—”

• Pattern No.: 1056 B

• Size Number: 6 (on handle)

Diameter: ~9 inches
Bottom Style: Smooth-bottom
Handle Style: Late-era open teardrop handle

This skillet is a flawless example of Wagner’s golden-era household cooking line.

📜 Historical Background

The Wagner No. 6 skillet was the perfect “everyday small family pan” — widely used in early American kitchens between 1920 and 1940. It served as the ideal size for:

• frying 2–3 eggs

• browning sausage

• sautéing vegetables

• small cornbread or biscuit batches

• quick stovetop reheats

• individual or two-person meals

Unlike No. 8s (the national bestseller), No. 6 skillets were used harder and far more often, which is why clean, fully intact survivors are harder to find today.

The “1056” mold series represents Wagner’s peak production years, and the “B” suffix identifies a specific foundry mold revision highly valued by pattern collectors.

🧭 Stylized Logo Era (1920–1935)

Your skillet features the most iconic Wagner mark ever produced:

• Bold stylized “WAGNER”

• Centered “WARE”

• “SIDNEY —O—” in block letters

• Crisp, well-defined casting

• Perfect spacing typical of the 1920s–30s foundry

This logo marks Wagner’s absolute peak in quality — before the 1930s corporate changes that altered casting consistency.

🧱 Casting Quality & Physical Features

This 1056B skillet shows exceptional workmanship:

• Very smooth interior cooking surface (factory machining intact)

• Thin sidewalls — hallmark Wagner engineering

• Lightweight but strong rim

• Perfect pour spout geometry

• Refined teardrop handle — elegant and ergonomic

• Crisp “1056 B” pattern mark

• Original interior texture preserved

• True, flat cooking surface

The interior patina still shows faint Wagner milling patterns — a prized authenticity indicator.

🔧 Restoration Notes (Performed by Steve’s Seasoned Classics)

Your skillet received full museum-standard restoration:

• Controlled lye bath for carbon removal

• Rust lifted without abrasion

• No grinding, no sanding, no resurfacing

• All factory machining fully preserved

• Seasoning applied in thin polymerized layers

• Cooking surface left natural and smooth

This is exactly how a 1920s Wagner should look and feel — historically perfect.

⭐ Collector Significance

The No. 6 skillet is highly collectible because:

• It was heavily used and few survive in excellent condition

• “1056B” pattern pieces are desirable mold revisions

• Size 6 completes a major part of the Wagner size run (3–14)

• The stylized-logo era is considered Wagner’s best casting period

• Smooth, unmodified interiors dramatically increase collector value

Your example is archival-grade, exactly the condition serious collectors seek.

🕊️ Connection to Your German Catholic Farm Heritage

In the German Catholic farm communities of:

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

…the No. 6 was:

• the daily breakfast pan

• the “kids learning to cook” skillet

• used for quick meals between farm chores

• passed down to children as their first personal pan

• part of every multigenerational farmhouse kitchen

This skillet reflects the exact cookware culture your ancestors lived with — making it an emotionally and historically meaningful piece in your archive.

🏺 Current Condition

• Fully restored & seasoned

• Smooth, even cooking surface

• No cracks, no repairs

• Sits true and flat

• Crisp markings

• Museum-quality presentation

A top-tier 1056B and a cornerstone in your long-term archival catalog.

🏷️ Categories for Squarespace

Categories:

• Wagner Ware

• Skillets

• Early 20th Century

• Stylized Logo Era

• Sidney, Ohio Cast Iron

Tags:
1920s • 1930s • No. 6 skillet • 1056B • heritage cookware • German Catholic farm kitchens • Steve’s Seasoned Classics Archive