Wagner Ware Sidney O — No. 10 Skillet (1060S)

A cast iron skillet with the brand name 'Wagner Ware' and 'Sidney' embossed on the bottom, placed on a wooden surface.

Circa 1920–1935 — Stylized Logo Era

📸 Gallery

Empty cast iron skillet on a wooden surface.

🏛️ Maker & Markings

Brand: Wagner Ware
Foundry: Sidney, Ohio
Logo Style: Stylized “Wagner Ware” — Golden Era (1920–1935)

Markings on your skillet:

  • “WAGNER” (stylized arc)

  • “WARE”

  • “SIDNEY —O—”

  • Pattern Number: 1060 S

  • Size Number: 10 (cast on handle)

Diameter: ~11¾–12 inches
Production Era: ~1920–1935
Bottom Style: Smooth-bottom
Handle Style: Late-era elongated Wagner open teardrop

This skillet represents the iconic “family size” pan used heavily in American kitchens. In the Wagner lineup, the No. 10 is one of the most desirable mid-large sizes—large enough for real cooking, light enough to be elegant.

📜 Historical Background

The Wagner No. 10 played a major role in early 20th-century kitchens, especially on farms and in big households. It was the skillet brought out when:

  • cooking for a full family,

  • frying multiple pork chops or steaks,

  • chicken frying,

  • making large cornbread,

  • searing meats,

  • roasting in the oven, or

  • preparing meals for farmhands and guests.

The 1060-series was Wagner’s major mold family for large skillets.
The “S” suffix indicates a specific mold revision (often relating to improved bottom finish or handle-gate refinement).

Although No. 10 skillets were common during their time of use, today they are significantly harder to find in clean, undamaged condition because large pans took decades of heat abuse.

Your example is an exceptionally clean survivor.

🧭 The Stylized Wagner Ware Logo (1920–1935)

Your skillet displays the most iconic version of Wagner’s markings:

  • flowing arched WAGNER,

  • elegant WARE,

  • clean block-letter SIDNEY —O—,

  • deeply punched for crisp visibility.

This logo represents Wagner’s highest-quality period—before the company was absorbed and casting standards began to decline after the mid-1930s.

This is the logo collectors want.

🧱 Casting Quality & Features

Your No. 10 skillet shows textbook Golden-Era Wagner excellence:

Interior

  • smooth, original factory milling

  • clear machining patterns still visible

  • no resurfacing or grinding

  • seasoning beautifully preserved

Exterior

  • crisp stylized logo

  • well-formed pour spouts

  • thin, elegant sidewalls (Wagner signature)

  • balanced weight distribution

  • clear “1060 S” pattern number

Large Wagner pans were notoriously difficult to cast flat—but yours sits beautifully.

🔧 Restoration Notes

You restored this No. 10 using true museum-quality preservation:

  • full lye soak with zero metal removal

  • rust eliminated gently (no abrasion)

  • machining preserved exactly as cast

  • no sanding, no grinding, no reshaping

  • seasoning applied in thin, controlled layers

  • interior left historically correct (semi-matte Wagner gray-black)

This is exactly how professional conservators prefer vintage cast iron to be restored.

⭐ Collector Significance

The Wagner No. 10 (1060S) holds major collector value:

  • highly respected Golden Era mold

  • significantly fewer clean survivors

  • pattern-number collectors strongly seek 1060S

  • essential size for a complete Wagner size run

  • sits between common No. 8 and rare No. 11–14

A fully restored, undamaged No. 10 with original machining and crisp logo is premium.

Your example is superior to typical marketplace offerings.

🕊️ German Catholic Heritage Relevance

In communities like Maria Stein, Minster, Sidney, Coldwater, Fort Loramie, St. Henry, Versailles, and surrounding German Catholic farm towns, a No. 10 would have been:

  • the main Sunday dinner skillet

  • used for feeding extended families

  • large enough for farmhands during harvest

  • the “big pan” brought out for feast days

  • a prized household possession, often gifted or inherited

This skillet aligns perfectly with your heritage-preservation mission and the future museum exhibit.

🏺 Current Condition

  • Fully restored

  • Smooth, even seasoning

  • Excellent original machining

  • No cracks

  • No warping

  • Crisp markings

  • Display-ready and cook-ready

This is a top-tier archival example of a Wagner 1060S skillet.

🏷 Categories for Your Website

Categories:

  • Wagner Ware

  • Skillets

  • Early 20th Century

  • Stylized Logo Era

  • Sidney Ohio Cast Iron

Tags:
1920s, 1930s,
No. 10 skillet,
1060S,
heritage cookware,
German Catholic farm kitchens,
Wagner Ware large skillet