Wagner Manufacturing Company — No. 8 Cast Iron Waffle Iron (Low Base)

SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION

Catalog No. SSC-WGNR-WFL-8-LB-001

Wagner Mfg. Co.  |  No. 8 Waffle Iron  |  Sidney, Ohio

Wagner Manufacturing Company  •  Sidney, Shelby County  •  Founded 1891  •  Patented July 1892

Top view showing the Wagner No. 8 waffle iron in the closed position on its low base. The upper paddle displays the “WAGNER MFG. CO. SIDNEY. O.” marking arched around the exterior. The original turned wood handle extends from the base at left. The cast iron loop handle on the upper paddle is visible at top. Size “8” is cast on the base frame near the hinge.

The Wagner Manufacturing Company was barely a year old when it received the patent that appears on this waffle iron. Founded in 1891 in Sidney, Ohio by brothers Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner, the company wasted no time building its product line. The July 1892 patent date cast into the center of this No. 8 waffle iron’s upper paddle places it among the earliest patented products Wagner ever produced—a first-generation piece from a foundry that would go on to become one of the most important cast iron manufacturers in American history.

This is the low-base configuration of Wagner’s No. 8 waffle iron. The low base is a shallow cast iron ring frame that holds the lower waffle paddle and sits directly on a stove eye. It is the most compact of Wagner’s base designs—distinguishable from the tall-base and high-base variants that elevated the paddles further above the stove top. The low base was practical for direct-heat cooking on wood, coal, and early gas stoves, where the closer the iron sat to the heat source, the faster and more evenly the waffle baked.

The waffle pattern on both plates is Wagner’s classic square grid design, divided into four quadrants by deep cross channels that allowed the finished waffle to be broken into four sections. Each quadrant contains a grid of square wells with center buttons—the familiar pattern that has defined the American waffle since the 19th century. The hinge mechanism connects the upper and lower paddles, allowing the assembly to be flipped during cooking to bake both sides evenly. The original turned wood handle on the bail keeps the cook’s hand away from the heat.

Piece Details

Close-up of the upper paddle exterior marking: “WAGNER MFG. CO. SIDNEY. O.” arched around the perimeter, with “PAT. JULY 1892” and size “8” at center. This patent date—July 1892—places this waffle iron within the first full year of the Wagner Manufacturing Company’s operations, making it a first-generation Wagner product.

Open view showing both waffle plates. The upper paddle is hinged open to reveal the matching square-grid waffle patterns on both cooking surfaces. Each plate is divided into four quadrants by deep cross channels. The size “8” is visible on the lower paddle’s handle tab at left. Both plates retain seasoning and show clean, intact grid patterns.

Manufacturer

Wagner Manufacturing Company (Sidney, Ohio)

Piece Type

Cast iron waffle iron with low base and wood handle

Size

No. 8

Patent Date

July 1892

Material

Cast iron paddles with cast iron low base frame; original turned wood handle on bail; cast iron handle on upper paddle

Construction

Two-piece hinged round waffle iron paddles on a low-profile cast iron base ring; upper paddle hinged at rear with cast iron loop handle; lower paddle seated in base ring; bail-style wood handle extends from base for stovetop positioning; designed for use on a wood, coal, or gas stove eye

Waffle Pattern

Square grid pattern divided into four quadrants by cross channels; raised square wells with center buttons on both upper and lower plates

Marking

“WAGNER MFG. CO. SIDNEY. O.” arched around the exterior of the upper paddle; “PAT. JULY 1892” and size “8” at center

Base Type

Low base — a shallow ring frame that holds the lower paddle and sits directly on the stove eye; distinguishes this model from tall-base and high-base Wagner waffle iron variants

Date of Manufacture

c. 1892 or later (patent date July 1892; first-generation Wagner production)

Place of Manufacture

Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio

Condition

Very Good — marking legible; both waffle plates intact with full grid pattern; hinge mechanism functional; original wood handle present with age-appropriate wear; low base ring intact; no cracks or structural damage

Acquisition Date

October 21, 2025

Acquisition Source

eBay — Seller: lori132

eBay Item Number

257077854883

Order Number

04-13739-54024

Purchase Price

$109.44 item + $21.43 shipping + $11.09 tax = $141.96 total

SSC Catalog Number

SSC-WGNR-WFL-8-LB-001

Historical Background

Wagner’s First Year: The 1892 Patent

Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner founded their manufacturing company in Sidney, Ohio in 1891. By July of the following year, the company had already secured a patent for its waffle iron design. The speed of this development suggests that the Wagner brothers came to Sidney with clear plans and possibly prior experience in the foundry trade. The 1892 patent waffle iron is among the earliest documented Wagner products—a piece that dates from the company’s founding era, before the expansion that would make Wagner a household name across America.

The “WAGNER MFG. CO. SIDNEY. O.” marking on this piece uses the company’s earliest trademark style—the full company name spelled out with the city and state abbreviation. This predates the later “Wagner Ware Sidney -O-” mark and the stylized W oval logo that would appear on mid-to-late 20th-century Wagner products. For collectors and historians, the “Wagner Mfg. Co.” mark with a patent date in the 1890s is one of the most desirable forms of the Wagner trademark—evidence of the company’s earliest production years.

Waffle Iron Base Types: Low, Tall, and High

Wagner produced its stovetop waffle irons in several base configurations, each designed for a different type of stove or cooking setup. The low base—as on this SSC piece—is the simplest: a shallow ring that holds the lower paddle close to the stove surface. The tall base raises the paddles higher above the stove eye, allowing more air circulation and heat distribution. The high base is the tallest configuration, typically used with larger stoves or for baking multiple waffles in sequence. All three base types use the same hinged paddle system and the same waffle grid patterns; the difference is in the height and profile of the supporting frame.

The low base is generally considered the earliest and most utilitarian of the three designs. Its compact profile made it suitable for use on smaller stoves and in kitchens where storage space was limited. For the SSC, this low-base variant documents the foundational form of Wagner’s waffle iron line—the design closest to the company’s 1892 patent.

SSC Collection Context

This Wagner No. 8 waffle iron with the July 1892 patent date is the earliest patented Wagner piece in the SSC collection. The patent date places it within the company’s first full year of operations in Sidney—a period when the Wagner brothers were building the foundation of what would become one of America’s most important cast iron manufacturers. Combined with the SSC’s Wagner Ware 1050 D miniature skillet (which dates from the 1950s–1960s stylized W logo period), this waffle iron bookends the Wagner timeline: from the 1892 patent to the mid-century logo, spanning more than sixty years of continuous Sidney production.

The low-base waffle iron also opens a new product category in the SSC’s Wagner holdings. Skillets are Wagner’s most recognized product form, but waffle irons were a significant part of the company’s line from the very beginning—as this 1892 patent proves. A Wagner waffle iron is a specialty piece that tells a different story than a skillet: the story of Sunday morning breakfasts, holiday baking, and the ritual of standing at the stove with a ladle of batter and a hot iron, waiting for the steam to stop.

The patent is 1892. The foundry is Sidney. The iron is Wagner. And the waffles, more than a century later, would still come out right.

Wagner Manufacturing Company — Company Timeline

1891

The Wagner Manufacturing Company is founded in Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio by brothers Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner. The company begins producing cast iron and nickel-plated hollow ware.

1892

Wagner receives a patent dated July 1892 for a waffle iron design. This patent date—appearing on this SSC example—marks one of the company’s earliest patented products, produced within the first full year of operations.

1890s–1910s

Wagner expands its product line to include skillets, dutch ovens, waffle irons, tea kettles, griddles, and specialty items. The company produces waffle irons in multiple base configurations: low base (as on this piece), tall base, and high base with wood handles.

1910s–1920s

Wagner grows into one of the largest cast iron manufacturers in the United States. The Sidney foundry ships products nationally. The company develops its “Wagner Ware Sidney -O-” trademark.

1952

Wagner merges with the Randall Company, becoming part of Textron’s consumer products group. Production continues at the Sidney foundry.

1959

Textron acquires Griswold Manufacturing Company of Erie, Pennsylvania. Wagner and Griswold are united under one corporate umbrella.

1999

The Sidney foundry closes after more than a century of continuous operation.

2025

Steve’s Seasoned Classics acquires this Wagner No. 8 waffle iron from eBay seller lori132. The piece is documented as SSC-WGNR-WFL-8-LB-001.

Why This Piece Matters

A Wagner No. 8 waffle iron with a July 1892 patent date is a founding-era artifact from one of the most important cast iron manufacturers in American history. The Wagner Manufacturing Company was barely a year old when this design was patented. The “Wagner Mfg. Co. Sidney. O.” marking is the company’s earliest trademark form. The low base is the most utilitarian configuration. And the original wood handle—still present after more than 130 years—connects this piece directly to the hands that used it.

For the SSC, this waffle iron is the anchor piece of the Wagner collection—the earliest-dated Wagner product in the museum. It documents the moment when two brothers in a small Ohio city started a foundry and, within a year, had a patented product on the market. Everything that followed—the Ware trademark, the stylized W, the Magnalite line, the Griswold acquisition, the century of production—traces back to pieces like this one. The iron that started the story.

Sources & Further Reading

Cast Iron Collector — The Wagner Trademark (castironcollector.com): evolution of Wagner logo designs from the earliest “Wagner Mfg. Co.” mark through mid-century and later corporate periods.

Cast Iron Collector — Waffle Irons (castironcollector.com): reference guide to American cast iron waffle iron forms, base types, and patent dates.

Wagner and Griswold Society (wag-society.org): collector community and foundry reference archive.

eBay listing and invoice documentation — Item 257077854883, Order 04-13739-54024.

About Steve’s Seasoned Classics

Steve’s Seasoned Classics is an online museum dedicated to preserving and documenting the heritage of American cast iron, with a focus on Ohio foundry pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The SSC collection features over 130 pieces with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.

www.stevesseasonedclassics.com