Wapak No. 3 Skillet — Indian Head Mark
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-WAP-SKL-03-IH-001
Indian Head Medallion | No. 3 Size | Wapakoneta, Ohio
Circa 1903–1926 • Wapak Hollow Ware Co.
Bottom view of the Wapak No. 3: the Indian Head medallion centered on the base—a circular cast mark depicting a Native American figure in feathered headdress in profile, surrounded by the company name and origin text. The heat ring is cleanly defined at the base perimeter. The Indian Head mark is the most sought-after configuration in the Wapak collector literature and one of the most visually distinctive marks in all of American cast iron.
The Indian Head is the mark that separates Wapak from every other Ohio foundry. Columbus Hollow Ware stamped “THE FAVORITE” in an arc. Favorite Piqua Ware cast the Smiley cartouche. Wagner put its name in block letters. Wapak Hollow Ware Company, operating in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio, chose a Native American figure in feathered headdress—the Indian Head medallion, centered on the base, surrounded by the company name and origin text—and in doing so created the most visually arresting mark in the Ohio foundry corpus and one of the most collected marks in all of American cast iron.
This No. 3 carries that mark in exceptional condition. The Indian Head medallion is fully defined: the profile of the figure, the feathered headdress detail, the surrounding text of the circular inscription—all cast with the clarity that collectors seek and rarely find on pieces of this age and in this small size. The No. 3 is the smallest size in the Wapak production line, produced in lower volume than the workhorse No. 8 and surviving in far smaller numbers. A Wapak Indian Head No. 3 in this condition is not a common acquisition. At $606.93 total, it is also the highest-priced single piece acquired for the SSC collection to date—a premium that reflects both the Wapak Indian Head collector market and the specific scarcity of the No. 3 size in that market.
Wapak Hollow Ware Company was an Ohio foundry, operating in the small Auglaize County city of Wapakoneta—a city whose name the company shortened to its brand identity. Wapakoneta sits in the same west-central Ohio geography as Piqua to the south and Findlay to the north, within the broader Ohio foundry corridor that the SSC collection documents. Wapak is not a Favorite Stove & Range company and not a Wagner company; it is a distinct foundry with its own production history, its own marking system, and its own collector community. The Indian Head mark is its signature, and this No. 3 is that signature at its finest.
Piece Details
Close-up of the Indian Head medallion on the Wapak No. 3 base: the circular mark showing the Native American figure in profile with feathered headdress, surrounded by the company inscription. The detail definition in the headdress feathers and facial profile is exceptional for a piece of this age and in this small size—evidence of a well-preserved pattern and careful casting from a period when Wapak’s production quality was at its peak.
Manufacturer
Wapak Hollow Ware Co.
Brand Mark
Indian Head medallion — circular cast mark with Native American profile in feathered headdress; company name and origin text in surrounding ring
Piece Type
Skillet
Size Number
No. 3
Base Marking
Indian Head medallion centered on base; circular inscription with company name; heat ring at perimeter
Bottom Configuration
Heat ring present; smooth cooking base inside ring; Indian Head medallion centered on base interior
Handle Style
Flat handle with rectangular open-center loop; size numeral “3” cast on handle near body junction; characteristic Wapak handle configuration
Pour Spouts
Two opposing spouts at rim
Date of Manufacture
Circa 1903–1926
Place of Manufacture
Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio
Condition
Very Good to Excellent — Indian Head medallion fully defined with exceptional detail; heat ring intact; base flat; no cracks, chips, or active rust; interior smooth with well-developed seasoning; finest-condition marked piece in the SSC collection
Acquisition Date
November 19, 2025
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: katushacrone
eBay Item Number
336052763557
Order Number
11-13856-11538
Purchase Price
$550.00 item + $9.51 shipping (USPS Priority Mail) + $47.42 tax = $606.93 total
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-WAP-SKL-03-IH-001
The Indian Head Mark: The Most Distinctive Logo in Ohio Cast Iron
The collector literature on American cast iron does not lack for distinctive marks. Griswold’s spider, Wagner’s arc, the Columbus Hollow Ware “THE FAVORITE” inscription, the Favorite Piqua Ware Smiley cartouche—each of these is a recognized and sought-after configuration with its own collector community and documented marking history. But the Wapak Indian Head occupies a special position in that company because it is the only major American cast iron mark that chose figurative imagery over text or geometric abstraction. The other Ohio foundry marks identify their products through words and shapes. Wapak chose a face.
The figure is rendered in profile facing right, wearing a full feathered headdress that fills the upper portion of the circular medallion. The surrounding ring carries the company name and origin text. The overall medallion is cast as a raised element on the base—not incised, not stamped, but cast in the iron itself, part of the same pour that produced the skillet. The detail level achievable in sand casting is limited by the grain size of the sand and the fluidity of the molten iron, and the level of detail preserved in this No. 3 medallion—the individual feathers of the headdress, the definition of the facial profile—is evidence of a well-maintained pattern and a high-quality pour.
Why the Indian Head? The choice connects to the broader American cultural moment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Native American iconography appeared across consumer goods, currency, trade marks, and brand identities—the Indian Head cent was in circulation from 1859 to 1909, and its imagery was a familiar visual shorthand in American commercial design. For Wapak Hollow Ware, the Indian Head medallion served as a premium brand signal: a mark that communicated quality and distinctiveness through visual complexity in a way that a simple text arc could not. The company’s bet paid off. A century after Wapak ceased operations, the Indian Head mark is what collectors seek when they seek Wapak, and pieces bearing it command a significant premium over unmarked or lesser-marked Wapak production.
The Rectangular Handle Loop: A Wapak Design Signature
The handle on this No. 3 is as distinctive as the Indian Head medallion, and equally characteristic of Wapak production. Where the Ohio foundry pieces in the SSC collection—the CHW skillets, the FPW pieces—use the teardrop hanging loop familiar from most antique American cast iron, Wapak used a rectangular open-center loop with a flat terminus. The loop is a true rectangle with clean corners, an open center slot, and a squared-off end cap that gives the handle a geometric precision that contrasts with the organic softness of the teardrop loop.
The size numeral “3” is cast on the handle near the body junction—visible in the top view photograph—rather than on the base near the handle junction as on the CHW and FPW pieces. This handle-placement of the size numeral is another Wapak production convention that distinguishes its pieces from the Ohio foundry standard and provides a secondary confirmation of the Wapak attribution beyond the Indian Head medallion itself.
The rectangular loop handle appears across the Wapak production line and is one of the physical characteristics that allows attribution of unmarked or poorly marked Wapak pieces to the Wapakoneta foundry. On this fully marked No. 3, the rectangular loop is visible in both the side and top photographs and is consistent with the standard Wapak production configuration documented in the collector reference literature.
Profile view of the Wapak No. 3 showing the compact proportions of the small-size skillet, the heat ring at the base perimeter, the relatively deep sidewall for the size, and the distinctive Wapak rectangular handle with its flat terminus and open-center slot. The Indian Head medallion is partially visible on the base at left. The overall casting quality and the precision of the heat ring step are characteristic of Wapak’s production at its peak.
The No. 3 in the Wapak Size Run: Scarcity and Significance
Wapak Hollow Ware produced a complete size run from the small specialty sizes through the large institutional pieces, with the No. 8 as the workhorse size produced in the greatest volume. The No. 3 sits at the small end of that run—a specialty size for single-serving cooking, individual portions, and the smaller-scale tasks that the workhorse sizes could not accommodate efficiently. It was produced in significantly lower volume than the No. 8, and it survives in smaller numbers today.
Among Wapak collectors specifically, the No. 3 Indian Head is prized for the combination of the premium mark and the scarce size. The Indian Head medallion appears across the Wapak size run, but finding it in the No. 3 size with the definition and condition visible in this specimen is a meaningful acquisition event. The SSC collection already holds an FPW No. 3 attributed skillet—the unmarked two-dot piece documented in SSC-FPW-SKL-03-UM-001. The Wapak No. 3 joins it as the second No. 3 in the SSC collection and the first fully marked No. 3 from any Ohio foundry.
The $550 acquisition price reflects Wapak Indian Head market dynamics accurately. Comparable pieces in lesser condition or with less-defined medallion detail trade at $200–$350 in the current collector market. A No. 3 in Very Good to Excellent condition with a fully defined Indian Head—particularly one with the headdress feather detail preserved at the level visible in this specimen—commands a premium that the SSC acquisition price represents fairly.
Physical Characteristics & Condition Assessment
The No. 3 is a compact, well-proportioned small skillet with the physical characteristics consistent with Wapak production at its peak. The base carries the Indian Head medallion centered and the heat ring well-defined at the perimeter. The cooking surface inside the ring is smooth and flat. Two opposing pour spouts are present at the rim—a feature absent on the FPW No. 3, which was too small for pour spout casting, but present here, consistent with Wapak’s production standards for the No. 3 size.
The rectangular handle is structurally sound with no cracks at the body junction. The size numeral “3” on the handle near the body junction is clearly cast and readable. The overall proportions are correct for the No. 3 size in the Wapak line.
Condition is assessed as Very Good to Excellent—the finest-condition marked piece currently in the SSC collection. The Indian Head medallion is fully defined: the profile of the figure is clear, the feathered headdress detail is preserved with individual feather differentiation visible in close examination, and the surrounding inscription is readable. This level of medallion definition is what separates an exceptional Wapak piece from a merely good one, and it is the primary reason the acquisition price was justified. The base is flat with no warping. No cracks, chips, or cold shuts are present. The interior cooking surface carries a well-developed, smooth, dark seasoning of the kind associated with a piece that was properly used and maintained throughout its service life. Display ready without conservation.
Top view of the Wapak No. 3 showing the clean interior with well-developed seasoning, the two opposing pour spouts at the rim, and the characteristic Wapak rectangular handle with open-center slot and squared terminus. The size numeral “3” is visible on the handle near the body junction. The cooking surface quality—smooth and evenly seasoned—is consistent with the Very Good to Excellent condition assessment.
Wapak Hollow Ware Co.: Company History
Wapak Hollow Ware Company was established in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio, in the late 19th or early 20th century—the precise founding date is documented variably in collector reference sources, with operational dates generally placed from approximately 1903 to 1926. Wapakoneta sits in west-central Ohio, in the same general geography as the Miami County foundries (Piqua) to the south and the Findlay foundries to the north, within the broader Ohio industrial corridor that the SSC collection documents.
Wapak’s production life was relatively short compared to the major Ohio foundries—approximately two decades, ending around 1926 when the company ceased operations. The short production window contributes to the scarcity of Wapak pieces in the collector market: fewer years of production meant fewer total pieces cast, fewer pieces surviving to the present, and a smaller collector population competing for a smaller supply. The Indian Head mark, which defines the most collected period of Wapak production, was in use for most of the company’s operational life, making it broadly representative of the Wapakoneta foundry’s output rather than a short-lived variant within a longer production history.
Wapak’s relationship to the rest of the Ohio foundry corridor is one of geographic proximity and market competition rather than corporate lineage. It was not a subsidiary of Favorite Stove & Range, not connected to the Columbus Hollow Ware operation, not part of the Wagner family. It was a separate company, in a separate Auglaize County city, competing in the same west-central Ohio and regional markets as its Miami County and Franklin County neighbors. The SSC collection, which has documented the Favorite Stove & Range family (CHW, FPW, Miami) and the gate scar pre-logo era, now adds Wapak as a distinct and independent Ohio foundry entry—a new corporate voice in the Ohio corridor narrative.
Corporate Timeline: Wapak Hollow Ware Co.
c.1903
Wapak Hollow Ware Company established in Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, Ohio. The Indian Head medallion enters production as the company’s primary brand mark.
c.1903–26
Full production period. The Indian Head mark in use across the complete size run. This No. 3 is produced during this period. The rectangular handle loop is standard across the line.
c.1926
Wapak Hollow Ware ceases operations. The approximately two-decade production window is shorter than most major Ohio foundry competitors, contributing to the relative scarcity of Wapak pieces in the collector market.
2025
Steve’s Seasoned Classics acquires this Indian Head No. 3 from eBay seller katushacrone. Documented as SSC-WAP-SKL-03-IH-001, the first Wapak piece in the SSC collection and the highest single-piece acquisition to date at $606.93.
Why This Piece Matters
The Wapak Indian Head No. 3 matters for three reasons that are separable but compound each other. First, it introduces a new foundry into the SSC collection—Wapak Hollow Ware, a distinct Auglaize County Ohio operation with its own production history, its own marking system, and its own collector community. Every previous Ohio piece in the SSC collection is from the Favorite Stove & Range corporate family (CHW, FPW) or from the pre-logo era unattributed category. Wapak is neither. It expands the Ohio foundry corridor narrative beyond the Favorite family and establishes the SSC collection as a multi-foundry documentation project.
Second, the Indian Head mark is the most visually and historically significant logo in the Ohio cast iron corpus, and this No. 3 carries it in a condition that allows the mark to be appreciated and studied at the level of detail the mark deserves. A blurry or worn Indian Head medallion is evidence of the mark’s existence; this one is a demonstration of what the mark looked like when cast from a well-maintained pattern in good condition. The distinction matters for documentation purposes.
Third, the No. 3 size fills a gap. The SSC collection’s smallest fully marked Ohio piece was previously the FPW No. 7. The attributed FPW No. 3 carries two dots and an inferential attribution. This Wapak No. 3 is a fully marked, confidently attributed small skillet from a distinct Ohio foundry, and it documents the small end of the Ohio cast iron size run in a way that no previous SSC acquisition has managed.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Sources & Further Reading
BoonieHicks.com — Wapak Hollow Ware documentation: Indian Head mark configurations, size run, handle design, and production period dating.
CastIronCollector.com — Wapak Hollow Ware Co. reference page: operational dates, location, and brand family documentation.
WorthPoint.com — Historical auction records for Wapak Indian Head No. 3 specimens in comparable condition.
Griswold & Cast Iron Cookware Association (GCICA) — Wapak collector reference and marking variant documentation.
SSC Internal Collection Records — FPW No. 3 attributed entry (SSC-FPW-SKL-03-UM-001) — comparative No. 3 size reference; 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.
