Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ Nickel‑Plated Double Skillet 1401‑C
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-WAGN-DSK-001
Cast Iron Double Skillet | Nickel Plated | 12 Inch | Patent Pending | Catalog No. 1401‑C
c. Late 1920s–Early 1930s • Wagner Manufacturing Co. • Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio • Patent Pending / Pre‑Patent Issue
Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ 1401‑C nickel-plated double skillet, cooking surface facing up. The interior nickel-plated cooking surface is original, pristine, and unrestored — the mirror-smooth finish seen here is exactly as it left the Wagner foundry in Sidney, Ohio, nearly a century ago. SSC Archival Black™ museum seasoning applied for display stabilization; no stripping, no restoration of any kind.
Look at the bottom of this skillet. Read what it says beneath the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ logo: PATENT PENDING. Then: 1401‑C. If you have handled Wagner double skillets before, you know what you usually find where PATENT PENDING appears on this piece. You find patent numbers — two specific numbers that identify the issued patents covering the double skillet design. This piece does not have those numbers. It was made before they were granted. It was made in the window between the day Wagner filed a patent application for the double skillet design and the day the United States Patent Office approved it.
That window produced one of the rarest markings in the entire Wagner collecting record. Most collectors who have handled dozens of 1401-series double skillets have never seen PATENT PENDING where the patent numbers should be. This is one of those pieces. It is an original-condition, nickel-plated, PATENT PENDING Wagner Ware 1401‑C double skillet with a cooking surface so pristine it could pass for new old stock.
It is in the SSC Museum Collection because it is a specific and documented moment in American cast iron history — a piece made at the exact intersection of Wagner’s innovative design process and the U.S. patent system’s timeline. The iron tells the story. PATENT PENDING casts it in iron permanently.
Wagner Manufacturing Co.: Sidney, Ohio
Profile view showing the distinctive depth and form of the 1401‑C: the shallower of the two double skillet components, approximately 2 inches deep, with the characteristic scalloped rim that locks it precisely into the deeper 1401‑D or 1401‑A bottom piece. The nickel-plated exterior shows authentic age character while the interior cooking surface remains exceptional. The small round hole handle identifies this as an earlier production example.
The Wagner Manufacturing Company was founded in June 1891 by brothers Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner in Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio. Construction of the factory at 440 Fair Road began in 1890 under architect Joseph Altenbach. The company opened with 20 employees and within three months was melting 9,200 pounds of iron daily. It would become one of the most significant cast iron foundries in American history.
Wagner added nickel-plated ware to its product line in 1892 — just one year after founding — making it among the earliest adopters of plated cast iron cookware in the United States. The nickel-plating process required meticulous grinding and buffing to achieve the smooth, lustrous finish that distinguished Wagner’s plated line. In 1894 Wagner became the first American company to produce cast aluminum cookware. By 1913, Wagner products were distributed globally. At its peak the company held approximately 60% of the U.S. cookware market.
The iconic stylized logo — the looped W serving double duty for both “Wagner” and “Ware”, with SIDNEY and ‑O‑ below — was introduced around 1922 and became the brand’s most recognizable mark. Four-digit catalog numbers were adopted by Wagner around 1924, placing pieces bearing both the stylized logo and a four-digit catalog number in the 1924–1935 window for heat-ring versions. The Wagner family sold the company to the Randall Company of Cincinnati in 1952. The foundry in Sidney was eventually demolished in 2023.
PATENT PENDING: What It Means and Why You Have Almost Certainly Never Seen It
The bottom of the 1401‑C showing the full marking as cast: the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ logo at top, PATENT PENDING in the center, and 1401‑C below. This is the defining marking of this piece. Where virtually every other Wagner double skillet in existence carries two specific patent numbers here, this piece carries the two words that preceded them: PATENT PENDING. This marking places this skillet in the production window between Wagner’s patent filing and the USPTO grant.
PATENT PENDING is not simply a variation of the standard double skillet marking. It is a legal statement cast permanently in iron, and it places this piece in a specific and narrow moment in time.
Under U.S. patent law, a manufacturer who has filed a patent application but has not yet received a granted patent may mark their product “Patent Pending” or “Patent Applied For.” This marking serves a practical purpose: it puts competitors on notice that a patent application is in process and that if the patent is granted, they could face retroactive liability for infringement. The marking is only legal after a bona fide application has been filed. It cannot be used speculatively. It must be removed — or replaced with the actual patent number — once the patent is issued.
The double skillet design that later versions of the 1401 series bear as issued patents is covered by two numbers: USD97022 and US1554360. Research by collectors on the Cast Iron Collector forums has confirmed that both of these are Griswold patents — not Wagner patents — used by both companies on their respective double skillet lines. USD97022 is a design patent covering the visual appearance of the double skillet system. US1554360 is a utility patent covering the functional interlocking mechanism. That both Wagner and Griswold — fierce competitors — used the identical patent numbers on their double skillets is one of the most intriguing unexplained facts in cast iron patent history, suggesting a cross-licensing arrangement or shared rights agreement between the two companies that has never been fully documented.
The PATENT PENDING piece in the SSC collection was made before those patent numbers were issued. Wagner had filed — or was party to the filing of — the patent application. The application was pending at the USPTO. The iron was being cast and marked accordingly. Production continued in this PATENT PENDING state until the patents were granted, at which point the patterns were updated to replace PATENT PENDING with the actual patent numbers. The PATENT PENDING pieces represent the earliest production run of the 1401 double skillet design — the first pieces off the line for a design still awaiting its legal protection.
The Cast Iron Collector forums confirm: “The Patent Pending makes it more interesting. Some later versions have the patent numbers inscribed in the underside rim outside the positioning ring.” That is the standard collector acknowledgment of the PATENT PENDING variant’s rarity. In practice, across the entire field of Wagner double skillet collecting, PATENT PENDING versions are encountered only rarely. Most collectors who have owned or handled multiple 1401 series pieces have encountered the patent-numbered version far more often than this one.
The 1401 System: Understanding Double Skillet Catalog Numbers
Detail of the base of the 1401‑C showing the marking clearly: Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ stylized logo, PATENT PENDING, 1401‑C. The catalog number decodes precisely: 1401 is the double skillet model number; C identifies the specific working pattern within that model. The small round hang hole at the end of the handle is visible here and confirms earlier production dating.
Wagner’s four-digit catalog numbering system, introduced around 1924, was designed to be logical and self-explanatory. The system encoded both the item type and the piece’s size within the number itself. For regular skillets, for example, catalog number 1053 means: model 105 (regular skillet), size 3. The Cast Iron Collector explains that for sizes 10 through 14, Wagner extended the system mathematically: a size 10 regular skillet became 1060, size 11 became 1061, and so forth. The letter appended to the catalog number identified the specific working pattern used to cast that piece.
The 1401 series designates the Wagner double skillet. The “14” prefix identifies a double skillet model; “01” references the specific model configuration. The letter suffix — A, B, C, or D — identifies both the specific pattern and the piece’s role within the double skillet system. Understanding the letter designations is essential to understanding what you actually have when you find a 1401-series piece:
1401‑A: The deepest bottom component, typically 3 inches or more in depth, with a full heat ring on the base. This is the primary Dutch oven or deep fryer bottom. When the 1401‑C is placed on top, it creates a fully sealed cooking vessel. The A is the largest-volume piece in the set.
1401‑B: An intermediate-depth bottom component, shallower than the A version. Seen less frequently in the collecting record. Functions as an alternate bottom for the 1401‑C lid-skillet.
1401‑C: The shallower top component — THIS PIECE — approximately 2 inches deep, designed to function both as a standalone skillet and as the lid/cover of the deeper bottom components. The underside rim carries a precision-fit lip or positioning ring that seats exactly into the rim of the A or D bottom pieces, creating an airtight seal for covered frying or steam cooking. The C is the dual-purpose component of the system: use it alone as a skillet, or flip it atop the deeper bottom to create a sealed cooker.
1401‑D: An alternate deep bottom configuration, approximately 3 inches deep, typically with an external heat ring. Similar function to the A but with slightly different proportions. The D is the bottom piece most commonly paired with the C lid-skillet in two-piece sets.
The genius of the 1401 system is that the 1401‑C alone — this piece — is a complete, standalone 12-inch skillet. Nickel-plated, smooth, deep enough for serious frying, it functions on its own without any need for the bottom components. When paired with a 1401‑A or 1401‑D, it becomes the lid of a sealed cast iron Dutch oven / chicken fryer capable of retaining steam and heat with exceptional efficiency. One piece, two complete functions. That is the patent’s core claim.
The Nickel Plating: Wagner’s Premium Finish
Wagner used exclusively nickel plating — never chrome — according to The Cast Iron Collector’s definitive reference on plated finish ware. Wagner trademarked the term “Silverlite” in 1928 to brand their nickel-plated line, describing it in advertising as “triple plated with nickel” with “a brilliant silvery finish.” Silverlite advertising continued through late 1939 and the line appeared in a 1941 catalog, though an addendum in that catalog indicates it had been discontinued entirely by then.
The nickel plating on this piece is an all-over process — interior and exterior both plated — confirmed by both catalog language (“nickel plated finishes inside and out”) and by New Old Stock examples documented by collectors. The warm, slightly yellowish silver tone of nickel — as distinct from the colder blue-white of chrome — is characteristic of this piece. Nickel finishes typically achieve a soft luster rather than the high mirror polish associated with chrome.
The practical appeal of nickel-plated cast iron to the 1920s–1930s consumer was straightforward: it offered the heat retention and durability of cast iron without the rustic appearance and seasoning maintenance requirements of bare iron. Nickel does not react with acidic foods the way bare iron can, making it attractive for households that cooked tomato-based dishes or other acidic foods. It also presented more elegantly on the stove and at the table — a selling point in the era when kitchen presentation mattered.
The plating on this piece — nearly a century old — is remarkable. Plated pieces with compromised, flaking, or worn plating are the norm in the collector market. Intact nickel plating in the condition exhibited by this piece is the exception. The Cast Iron Collector notes plainly: “As collectibles, plated pieces appear to have value exceeding their bare iron counterparts only if the plating is completely intact.” This piece qualifies.
Preservation Approach: SSC Archival Black™
Profile view of the 1401‑C showing the exterior nickel-plated surface and the depth of the piece. The exterior retains its original plated character with authentic age patina. The interior cooking surface, not visible in this view, is in pristine original condition. The positioning lip on the exterior rim that locks this piece into the deeper bottom component of the double skillet system is visible at the base of the walls.
This piece received no lye treatment, no electrolysis, no stripping, and no restoration of any kind. The nickel-plated cooking surface is original and pristine. It was not touched. The decision was the same one SSC applied to the Dayton Malleable Iron smelting ladle: when original surface character is intact and tells the accurate historical story, preservation — not restoration — is the correct approach.
For a nickel-plated piece, the argument for non-restoration is especially strong. Nickel plating cannot be replicated at home. It cannot be re-applied in a home setting. Once compromised by lye or stripping, whatever plating remains is damaged and the surface below is exposed bare iron — an irreversible change. The SSC standard for nickel-plated pieces is categorical: if the plating is intact, it is preserved intact.
SSC Archival Black™ museum seasoning was applied to stabilize the iron, protect the cooking surface from oxidation, and bring the piece to its optimal display presentation. This is a thin, protective application that does not alter the nickel surface, does not change its character or appearance, and does not mask any of the original finish. It is a seal, not a restoration.
The cooking surface visible in the top-view photograph is the original 1920s–1930s nickel-plated surface — the surface that left the Wagner foundry in Sidney, Ohio when this piece was new. The deep, even black tone of the interior in those photographs is the result of SSC Archival Black™ applied over that original surface. The plating beneath is fully intact. The original finish is fully preserved.
Dating and Collector Context
The combination of markings on this piece allows precise dating within the Wagner production timeline. The stylized Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ logo was introduced around 1922. Four-digit catalog numbers were adopted around 1924. The presence of both the stylized logo and catalog number 1401‑C places this piece no earlier than 1924. The heat ring on the piece — confirmed by the raised ring on the bottom exterior — places it in the heat-ring production era, generally dated pre-1935, when Wagner transitioned to smooth-bottom construction.
PATENT PENDING rather than issued patent numbers places this piece before the USPTO grant of the double skillet design patents. Given that later-dated 1401 pieces carry issued patent numbers, the PATENT PENDING version predates those grants. The combination of the stylized logo, heat ring, four-digit catalog number, nickel plating, and PATENT PENDING marking points to a production window in the late 1920s to very early 1930s — the earliest production run of the 1401 nickel-plated double skillet system.
The small round hang hole in the handle, visible in the photographs, is a further dating confirmation. Collector consensus holds that the small round hole is the older configuration, with the larger teardrop hole appearing in later production. All indicators on this piece point to early production.
In the collector market, PATENT PENDING versions of the 1401 skillet appear rarely enough that there is no established price differential — the supply is simply too thin for a market to form. Most discussions of the variant in collector forums note it primarily as a curiosity. In an SSC context it is more than a curiosity: it is a documented production-era artifact, a piece cast during the active patent pendency of the double skillet design, in pristine nickel-plated condition, with an original cooking surface that has not been touched.
Piece Details
Manufacturer
Wagner Manufacturing Co., Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio
Piece Type
Double Skillet — Lid / Top Component (1401‑C); standalone skillet or lid for 1401‑A or 1401‑D bottom
Catalog Number
1401‑C — 1401 = double skillet model; C = specific working pattern; functions as the shallower top/lid component of the double skillet system
Size
12 inch (approximately 11 ⅛″ interior diameter; 12″ across pour spouts; 16″ overall with handle)
Finish
Nickel plated — all over, interior and exterior; Wagner used exclusively nickel (never chrome)
Bottom Marking
Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ stylized logo / PATENT PENDING / 1401‑C — three distinct cast markings on base
Logo Dating
Stylized logo introduced c. 1922; four-digit catalog numbers adopted c. 1924; heat ring version dated 1924–1935
Handle
Small round hang hole — earlier configuration; confirms earlier production within the 1924–1935 heat-ring window
Patent Status
PATENT PENDING — produced after Wagner filed patent application but before USPTO granted the double skillet design patents. Later versions carry issued patent numbers USD97022 and US1554360 (both Griswold patents used by both companies)
Dating Estimate
c. Late 1920s–Early 1930s — based on stylized logo, heat ring, four-digit catalog number, PATENT PENDING status, and small round handle hole
Condition — Exterior
Good — original nickel plating fully intact; authentic age character with period patina; no plating loss, no cracks, no chips
Condition — Interior
Exceptional — original nickel-plated cooking surface pristine and fully intact; original surface preserved in full; no restoration, no stripping, no alteration of any kind
Preservation
SSC Archival Black™ museum seasoning applied over original unaltered surface — no lye, no electrolysis, no stripping; original nickel plating fully intact beneath
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: jandjthriftstoreandmore
eBay Item No.
147204117789
Order No.
07-14507-19240
Acquisition Date
April 14, 2026
Price Paid
$77.13 (item $71.10 + shipping free + tax $6.03)
SSC Catalog No.
SSC-WAGN-DSK-001
Collection Category
Ohio Cast Iron — Pre-1940s Hollow Ware / Wagner / Nickel Plated / Patent Pending
Wagner Manufacturing Co. — Corporate Timeline
1881
Wagner brothers begin manufacturing metal castings for hardware stores in Sidney, Ohio — the commercial foundation that will become the Wagner foundry
1890
Construction begins on factory at 440 Fair Road, Sidney — architect Joseph Altenbach; friend of the Wagner family
June 1891
Wagner Manufacturing Co. opens for business; 20 employees; 9,200 lbs iron melted daily within three months
1892
Nickel-plated ware added to product line — one of the earliest adopters of nickel-plated cast iron in the U.S.
1894
Cast aluminum cookware introduced — first American company to do so
1897
Wagner acquires competitor Sidney Hollow Ware Co. from Phillip Smith
1903
Sidney Hollow Ware foundry sold back to Phillip Smith
1913
Wagner products distributed globally
c. 1914
"Wagner Ware" branding introduced; “WARE” added to trademark
c. 1922
Stylized looped-W logo introduced — the iconic Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ mark
c. 1924
Four-digit catalog numbering system adopted; 1401 double skillet series introduced
Late 1920s–Early 1930s
PATENT PENDING era: 1401‑C produced with patent application filed but patents not yet issued — THIS PIECE
1928
"Silverlite" nickel-plating trademark registered; described as "triple plated with nickel" with "a brilliant silvery finish"
c. 1930s
Patent numbers USD97022 and US1554360 appear on 1401 series as issued patent markings replace PATENT PENDING
c. 1934–1935
Magnalite cast aluminum line introduced; smooth-bottom skillet construction adopted (replacing heat ring)
Late 1939
Silverlite (nickel plating) advertising ceases; discontinued by 1941
1952
Wagner family sells company to Randall Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
1999
Sidney foundry closes permanently
2023
Wagner foundry building demolished
Why This Piece Matters
Most collectors who have handled Wagner double skillets have never read PATENT PENDING where the patent numbers should be. The standard version of this piece — the one you find at antique stores, on eBay, in estate sales — carries issued patent numbers USD97022 and US1554360 on the base. Those numbers appear on versions made after the patents were granted. PATENT PENDING appears only on versions made during the filing window, before the grant.
That is a narrow window. The U.S. Patent Office processed patent applications in the 1920s and 1930s over a period that could span months to a few years. Every day that application was pending, Wagner was casting and marking pieces with PATENT PENDING. The moment the patent was granted, those patterns were updated. The PATENT PENDING pieces that had already been cast and sold went into American kitchens and were used, and most were eventually worn, damaged, or discarded. The ones that survived in collectible condition are rare.
This piece survived in exceptional condition because the nickel plating protected it. The cooking surface has essentially never been seasoned, never been stripped, never been subjected to the kind of treatment that destroys cast iron’s surface character over generations of use. It looks, in its interior, almost exactly as it did when it was new. The SSC Archival Black™ treatment sealed that surface without altering it. What you are looking at is a late-1920s or early-1930s Wagner cooking surface in original condition.
The piece matters to the SSC collection specifically because it sits at an intersection that the collection is designed to document: Ohio iron, specific and provable, with a story that goes deeper than the surface. Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ is on a thousand pieces in collections across the country. PATENT PENDING is on very few of them. This is one of those few.
The patent is long expired. The foundry is gone. The iron is still here. PATENT PENDING — cast in iron, as permanent as the day it was made.
Sources & Further Reading
Physical examination of piece: Wagner Ware Sidney ‑O‑ stylized logo / PATENT PENDING / 1401‑C cast in three-line arrangement on base; nickel-plated cooking surface interior pristine and original; exterior nickel plating intact with period patina; small round hang hole in handle (earlier configuration); heat ring present on exterior base; five seller photographs examined prior to acquisition. SSC Archival Black™ applied for museum display over unaltered original surface.
Wagner Manufacturing Co. — The Cast Iron Collector. castironcollector.com. Primary reference for company timeline: founded 1891 by Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner, Sidney, Ohio; nickel plating added 1892; cast aluminum 1894; stylized logo c. 1922; four-digit catalog numbers c. 1924; sold to Randall 1952; production period 1891–1959.
Evolution of the Wagner Trademark — The Cast Iron Collector. castironcollector.com. Definitive trademark dating reference: stylized logo 1922–1959; with heat ring and catalog number 1924–1935; small round handle hole = earlier production.
Plated Finish Ware — The Cast Iron Collector. castironcollector.com. Wagner used exclusively nickel (never chrome); “Silverlite” trademarked 1928; described as “triple plated with nickel”; advertising ceased late 1939; discontinued by 1941. Plated pieces valuable as collectibles only when plating fully intact.
Numbers & Letters — The Cast Iron Collector. castironcollector.com. Wagner catalog numbering system explained: four-digit catalog numbers encode model type and size; letter suffix identifies specific working pattern; 1401 = double skillet model.
Wagner double skillet — Cast Iron Collector Forums. castironcollector.com/forum. Confirms patent numbers USD97022 and US1554360 on later versions; confirms both are Griswold patents used by both companies; documents the unexplained cross-patent or cross-licensing situation between Wagner and Griswold.
Wagner Ware 1401-C, B — Cast Iron Collector Forums. castironcollector.com/forum. Confirms: “1401 is the c/n for a Wagner double skillet... The Patent Pending makes it more interesting. Some later versions have the patent numbers inscribed in the underside rim outside the positioning ring.”
The Story Behind Wagner — Wagner Cast Iron. wagnercastiron.com. Founded June 1891; 20 employees at opening; 9,200 lbs iron daily within three months; nickel plating pioneer; stylized logo introduction; family sale to Randall 1952.
Wagner Manufacturing Company — Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org. Founded 1891 by Milton M. and Bernard P. Wagner; nickel plating added 1892; 60% U.S. cookware market share at peak; foundry demolished 2023.
eBay acquisition record — Order No. 07-14507-19240, seller: jandjthriftstoreandmore, April 14, 2026. Item: Cast Iron Nickel Plated Wagner Ware Sidney O Double Skillet Pan 1401-C 12 inch (item no. 147204117789). $77.13 total.
SSC Internal Collection Records — Ohio Cast Iron / Pre-1940s Hollow Ware category. SSC-WAGN-DSK-001 is the first Wagner Manufacturing Co. piece in the SSC Museum Collection; admitted on the specific merits of PATENT PENDING status, pristine nickel-plated cooking surface, and documented early production dating.
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 130+ pieces from 50+ confirmed Ohio makers, with detailed provenance, historical research, and photography for each item.
