Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 3 Cast Iron Skillet
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-WGNR-SKL-003
Cast Iron Skillet | No. 3 | Catalog No. 1053 N | Smooth Bottom | Sidney, Ohio
c. 1924–1959 • Wagner Manufacturing Company • Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio
Interior cooking surface of the Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 3 skillet, showing the full 5¼-inch cooking floor, scalloped pour spouts on the rim, and the size mark '3' at the handle junction. At 6½ inches across the top rim, the No. 3 is one of the smallest sizes in the standard Wagner skillet line.
The Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 3 is a small, practical skillet — 6½ inches across the top rim, deep for its size, and produced continuously throughout the full span of the collector era. It is one of the two smallest sizes in the standard line to carry a catalog number in the stylized logo era, and it has a specific characteristic that distinguishes it from every size above it: the No. 3 was never produced with a heat ring.
This is documented by the Cast Iron Collector Forums, which state explicitly that there were never heat-ring versions of the No. 3 (or No. 2) by Wagner. The seller who listed this piece described it as ‘with Heat Ring’ — a misidentification. The base is smooth and flat, as it has always been for the No. 3 in the catalog-number era. The SSC collection record corrects this error and documents the piece accurately.
This example, catalog number 1053 N, was acquired in August 2025. It carries the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo at the standard 12 o’clock position, catalog number 1053 N at 6 o’clock, and the size mark ‘3’ at the handle junction. Pattern letter N — the fourteenth pattern cut for the No. 3 — documents extensive production continuity for this small size across the full collector era. No MADE IN USA marking is present, confirming pre-1959 manufacture. The piece presents in excellent condition with deep even seasoning throughout and a clean cooking surface.
The No. 3 Was Never Made With a Heat Ring
Base of the No. 3 skillet showing the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo at 12 o'clock and catalog number 1053 N at 6 o'clock. The base is smooth and flat — no heat ring is present. This is the correct and only known configuration for the Wagner No. 3 in the catalog-number era. The seller's listing of 'with Heat Ring' was a misidentification.
When the Wagner Manufacturing Company adopted its four-digit catalog numbering system in 1924, the standard skillet line sizes No. 4 through No. 12 were produced with heat rings — the raised concentric ring that seated the pan on a wood or coal stove eye. But the No. 3 and No. 2 were designed differently. No heat-ring version of the Wagner No. 3 is known to exist in the catalog-number era. The Cast Iron Collector Forums are explicit: the No. 2 and No. 3 were never made with heat rings by Wagner.
What the seller who listed this piece may have misidentified as a ‘heat ring’ is the slightly raised inner cooking floor — a concave cooking surface visible from inside the pan, which is a normal casting characteristic of the No. 3 and not a heat ring at all. A heat ring is an external feature on the base, projecting downward to contact the stove eye. No such feature is present on this piece. The base is smooth and flat, as confirmed by both the base photograph and the profile photograph.
The smooth base is not a deficit — it is the correct configuration, and the one consistent with every other documented catalog-number era Wagner No. 3. This piece is exactly what it should be.
The No. 3 Skillet: Small and Long-Lived
Profile view of the No. 3 showing the 1⅞-inch sidewalls and the compact overall form. The smooth base — no heat ring — is confirmed in this profile view. The No. 3 is proportionally deeper for its diameter than the larger sizes, giving it a useful cooking bowl despite its small footprint.
At 6½ inches across the top rim and 5¼ inches at the cooking floor, the No. 3 is one of the smallest cooking vessels in the standard Wagner line. It is sized for individual portions — a single egg, a small sauce, a tablespoon of butter, a single serving of heated beans. Deep for its diameter, it holds liquid well and retains heat effectively. In the home kitchen of the 1920s through 1950s, the No. 3 would have been the pan that occupied the smallest eye on the back of the range, ready for constant small-task use.
The No. 3 was produced through the full span of the Sidney collector era and was among the sizes retained when Wagner’s production range contracted in the early 1950s. The Cast Iron Collector Forums document that by the early 1950s the line had been pared to a smaller selection including No. 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The No. 3’s inclusion in that late-production list confirms its sustained commercial relevance across decades.
Pattern Letter N: Fourteen Patterns
Bottom profile of the No. 3 confirming the smooth base — no heat ring present. The 1⅞-inch sidewall depth is visible here. The smooth bottom is consistent with the complete production history of the Wagner No. 3 in the catalog-number era.
Catalog number 1053 N places this piece precisely. The four-digit number 1053 encodes the product type (regular skillet) and size (3). The letter N is the fourteenth pattern designation for the No. 3 — meaning at least thirteen prior mold patterns for this size had been produced, used until worn, and replaced before this piece was cast. For a size that spans the full 35-year catalog-number era from 1924 to 1959, reaching pattern letter N reflects sustained, continuous production across multiple decades.
The No. 3 with a catalog number that extends to N is not a low-volume specialty piece. It is a size that was made year after year, bought year after year, and used in American kitchens year after year — a small workhorse that outlasted the wood-stove era, continued through the gas-range era, and remained in production until the Sidney foundry’s collector era closed in 1959.
Handle
Handle detail of the No. 3. The size mark '3' is incised at the handle junction where the handle meets the pan body. The Wagner teardrop hanging loop at the terminus is intact and well-formed. The deep consistent seasoning is visible throughout the handle.
The main handle bears the incised size mark ‘3’ at the junction with the pan body. The handle terminates in Wagner’s classic teardrop hanging loop — the open-eye form used across the Sidney -O- skillet line. The handle is intact with no cracks or losses.
Piece Details
Manufacturer
Wagner Manufacturing Company, Sidney, Ohio
Piece Type
Cast Iron Skillet
Form
Standard skillet with main handle, smooth base, scalloped pour spouts. No assist handle — correct for No. 3.
Material
Cast Iron
Markings
Stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo (looped W) at 12 o'clock; catalog no. 1053 N at 6 o'clock; '3' incised at handle junction
Catalog Number
1053 N — pattern letter N designates the fourteenth mold pattern cut for the No. 3; documents extensive production continuity for this small size
Logo Position
12 o'clock — standard high position
Size
No. 3 — Top diameter: 6 1/2 in. | Bottom diameter: 5 1/4 in. | Depth: 1 3/8 in.
Heat Ring
None — smooth bottom. Correct configuration: the Wagner No. 3 was never produced with a heat ring in the catalog-number era. The seller listed this piece as 'with Heat Ring'; this is a seller misidentification. The Cast Iron Collector Forums explicitly document that '#2 and #3 are a bit of a bad example because there were never heat ring versions of them by Wagner.'
Made in USA Mark
Absent — confirms pre-1959 collector-era production
Logo Era
Stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- — Smooth Bottom, Catalog Number (c. 1924–1959)
Date of Manufacture
c. 1924–1959 — the No. 3 was always smooth-bottom in the catalog-number era; pattern letter N (14th pattern) places this piece mid-to-late in the production run
Place of Manufacture
Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio
Condition
Excellent — deep even seasoning throughout; cooking surface clean; no cracks, no repairs; all markings legible
Seller Misidentification
Seller listed as 'with Heat Ring.' This is incorrect. The Wagner No. 3 was never made with a heat ring. The smooth base is the correct and only known configuration for the No. 3 in the catalog-number era.
Acquisition Date
August 29, 2025
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: sean21017
eBay Item Number
376506724405
Order Number
20-13497-90803
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-WGNR-SKL-003
Collection Designation
Wagner Ware Sidney -O- Complete Skillet Set — No. 0 through No. 14
Corporate Timeline: Wagner Manufacturing Company
1891
Wagner Manufacturing Company founded in Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio. Small sizes including the No. 3 are among the earliest production.
c. 1914
'Wagner Ware' branding introduced on hollow ware.
c. 1922
Stylized 'W' logo introduced.
1924
Four-digit catalog numbering system adopted. No. 3 = catalog no. 1053. The No. 3 is produced smooth-bottom from this point forward — no heat ring version exists in the catalog-number era.
c. 1924–1959
No. 3 produced continuously in smooth-bottom configuration. Pattern letter N (14th pattern) documents sustained production across the full collector era.
c. early 1950s
Production range contracted. No. 3 confirmed among the sizes retained through the late collector era (alongside 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 in the late range).
1946–52
Wagner family divests. Company sold to Randall Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
1959
Textron acquires Randall. SIDNEY -O- removed from logo. Last year of collector-era production.
1999
Sidney foundry closes permanently after 108 years of production.
2022–23
Wagner Cast Iron relaunches with Wagner family guidance. Former Sidney foundry building demolished June 2023.
Why This Piece Matters
The Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 3 matters in a complete set because it is a size with something specific to say that no other size in the line can say: the No. 3 was never made with a heat ring. In a display that moves from No. 0 through No. 14, the No. 3 sits at the exact point where the smooth-bottom configuration is not a later modification but the original and only design. It is the size that was always this way. That is a distinct identity, and the collection record documents it clearly.
It matters because of pattern letter N. Fourteen patterns for a pan that is 6½ inches across the top. That number tells the story of a size that was used constantly, produced continuously, worn through pattern after pattern across three decades because it kept being needed. The No. 3 is not glamorous. It is not rare. It is just persistently useful — and the iron record of that usefulness is a letter N.
It matters because the seller listed it incorrectly, and correct documentation matters. Part of what a museum collection does is get the record right. The No. 3 was never made with a heat ring. That is what the piece says, that is what the research confirms, and that is what the SSC collection record states. The iron tells the truth. The blog tells it too.
The iron endures. The markings tell the truth. The story deserves to be told.
Sources & Further Reading
Physical examination of piece: stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo at 12 o'clock; catalog no. 1053 N at 6 o'clock; size mark '3' at handle junction; smooth base confirmed (no heat ring); no MADE IN USA marking. Five seller photographs examined prior to acquisition.
Cast Iron Collector Forums (castironcollector.com/forum) — Wagner Ware Collecting thread. Direct quote: '#2 and #3 are a bit of a bad example because there were never heat ring versions of them by Wagner.' Primary reference for the definitive documentation that the Wagner No. 3 was always smooth-bottom in the catalog-number era.
Cast Iron Collector Forums — Wagner Ware Smooth Bottom (1935–1959) Questions thread. Documents late-period production range including No. 3; confirms No. 3 and No. 2 smooth-bottom only configuration; documents No. 3 among sizes retained into the early 1950s (No. 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12).
The Cast Iron Collector (castironcollector.com) — Evolution of the Wagner Trademark; Numbers & Letters. Primary reference for catalog number system, pattern letter explanation, and stylized logo dating.
Wagner Cast Iron (wagnercastiron.com/pages/story) — Official Wagner family history. Foundry founding, innovations, corporate ownership chain, foundry demolition 2023.
Wagner Cast Iron FAQ (wagnercastiron.com/pages/faq) — Catalog number formula: 1050 + size = catalog number for regular skillets.
Panman.com — Cast Iron Size and Capacity Charts (David G. Smith). No. 3 standard dimensions: top diameter 6 1/2 in., bottom 5 1/4 in., depth 1 3/8 in.
The Book of Griswold & Wagner (Wallaces-Homestead / Krause Publications) — Standard collector reference volume.
eBay acquisition record — Order No. 20-13497-90803, seller: sean21017, August 29, 2025. Item: VTG Cast Iron Skillet #3 6 5/8" with Heat Ring USA WAGNER. Note: seller's 'with Heat Ring' description is a misidentification; the Wagner No. 3 is smooth-bottom only in the catalog-number era.
SSC Internal Collection Records — Wagner Ware Sidney -O- Complete Skillet Set documentation. SSC-WGNR-SKL-003 is the No. 3 representative in the full-run No. 0 through No. 14 display set; smooth-bottom configuration documented as correct; seller misidentification noted and corrected.
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.
