Wagner Ware Cast Iron Teapot

A small cast iron teapot incised on the bottom with the Wagner Ware stylized logo — WAGNER WARE / SIDNEY / -O- — and the pattern letter B came into the SSC collection via eBay in June 2026. The body is cast iron in a round, bulbous form with a short upturned spout, a separately cast domed lid fitted with a white porcelain knob secured by a rivet, and a wire bail handle whose center section is formed into a tight coil spring — a design intended to dissipate heat and allow the kettle to be safely lifted when hot. The stylized logo places this piece in the approximate window of 1922 to 1959, the years Wagner Manufacturing Co. used that trademark on its cast iron goods from Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio. This post traces what the markings directly document about maker and period, explains the functional engineering behind the coil-spring bail handle, examines what the reference literature says about authentication, and sets out clearly what remains unresolved — including whether pieces like this were produced as traveling salesman samples, standard production small-size items, or toy and novelty pieces.