Wagner Ware Sidney “-O-” No. 12 Cast Iron Skillet — Stylized Center Logo (Heat Ring)

SSC Catalog No.: SSC-WAG-SKL-12-0000-003

Executive Summary

This Wagner Ware Sidney “-O-” No. 12 skillet represents Wagner’s large-size skillet production from the Sidney “-O-” era. The underside bears the stylized Wagner Ware center logo with “SIDNEY -O-” beneath, and the base exhibits a heat ring consistent with many examples from this period. The piece is documented as structurally sound and unaltered.

Quick Reference Specs

  • Object Name: Skillet

  • Classification: Culinary Implements → Cookware → Skillet

  • Manufacturer: Wagner Manufacturing Company (Wagner Ware)

  • Trademark / Marking: Stylized “WAGNER WARE” with “SIDNEY -O-” beneath (underside)

  • Size Designation: No. 12

  • Pattern Number: Not marked

  • Base Feature: Heat ring present

  • Pour Spouts: Dual

  • Finish: Machine-finished interior surface

  • Materials: Cast iron

  • Techniques: Sand-cast; machine-finished interior surface

  • Place of Manufacture: Sidney, Ohio, United States

Dimensions & Weight

  • Rim Diameter: 12.0 in

  • Cooking Surface: 10.25–10.75 in

  • Overall Length (incl. handle): 18.5–19.5 in

  • Depth: 2.25–2.5 in

  • Weight: 6.5–8.0 lb

Condition

  • Cracks: None

  • Wobble / Spin: None

  • Warp: None observed

  • Grinding / Resurfacing: None

Markings & Attribution

The underside bears the Wagner Ware stylized center logo and “SIDNEY -O-” beneath, with the size designation 12 cast near the lower portion of the base. This marking supports attribution to Wagner Manufacturing Company during the period in which the Sidney “-O-” trademark was consistently used on branded cookware.

Estimated Date Range: circa 1924–1935.

Manufacturing & Design Notes

The interior cooking surface presents as machine-finished, consistent with Wagner’s factory finishing practices intended to produce a smoother cooking surface than purely as-cast cookware. The heat ring reflects design preferences associated with older stove technologies and transitional production conventions. The No. 12 size class represents a large-format skillet suitable for higher-capacity cooking, and is typically associated with heavier domestic and institutional use.

Condition & Preservation

This example is documented as structurally sound and unaltered, with no cracks, wobble/spin, or observable warp, and no evidence of grinding or resurfacing. Surface appearance is stable and appropriate for preservation within an educational museum archive.

Collection Context

This object is maintained within the Steve’s Seasoned Classics educational museum archive as a representative example of large-format American cast iron cookware from the Wagner Ware Sidney “-O-” era. It is preserved for study, documentation, and interpretive reference and is not offered for sale.

The bottom of a black cast iron skillet with the brand name Wagner Ware Sidney and the number 12 imprinted on the bottom.

Underside (Full Bottom): Stylized Wagner Ware center logo with “SIDNEY -O-” and size designation 12; heat ring present.

Empty cast iron skillet on a wooden surface.

Top / Interior: Machine-finished interior surface; dual pour spouts evident.