Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 6 Cast Iron Skillet
SSC MUSEUM COLLECTION
Catalog No. SSC-WGNR-SKL-006
Cast Iron Skillet | No. 6 | Catalog No. 1056 D | Heat Ring | Sidney, Ohio
c. 1924–1935 • Wagner Manufacturing Company • Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio
Interior cooking surface of the Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 6 skillet, showing the full 7½-inch cooking floor, scalloped pour spouts on the rim, and the classic Wagner teardrop hanging loop on the main handle. The deep even seasoning across the cooking surface reflects a well-maintained piece.
The Wagner Ware Sidney -O- No. 6 is one of the two most commonly produced sizes in the standard skillet line — alongside the No. 8, it appears in greater numbers in the antique market than any other size in the series. This ubiquity is itself a form of historical documentation: the No. 6 was produced in high volume because it was the size that fit the standard wood and coal range eye of the domestic kitchen, the size a cook reached for when preparing a single serving or a small family portion. It was a working tool, not a specialty item, and the Sidney foundry made it continuously across the full span of the collector era.
This example, catalog number 1056 D, was acquired for the Steve’s Seasoned Classics museum collection in September 2025. It carries the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo at the standard 12 o’clock position, catalog number 1056 D at 6 o’clock, and a heat ring on the base — placing it in the c. 1924–1935 heat-ring catalog-number era. Pattern letter D designates the fourth mold pattern cut for the No. 6. No MADE IN USA marking is present, confirming pre-1959 manufacture. The piece presents in excellent condition with deep even seasoning throughout, a clean cooking surface, and all markings fully legible.
In a complete set, the No. 6 and the No. 8 are the anchors — the sizes that define what Wagner Ware meant to the households that bought and used these pans across the first half of the twentieth century. Rarity belongs to the ends of the size progression. Function belongs to the middle. The No. 6 is function documented in iron.
The No. 6 Skillet: The Domestic Standard
Profile view of the No. 6 showing the 1⅞-inch sidewalls and the broad cooking floor. The compact form of the No. 6 — one of the smallest sizes to carry both a heat ring and the full stylized logo in the catalog-number era — is clearly proportioned here. The deep even seasoning extends across the exterior sidewall.
At 9⅛ inches across the top rim and 7½ inches at the cooking floor, the No. 6 is sized precisely for the standard domestic stove eye of the wood and coal range era. The heat ring on its base was designed to seat the pan securely on that eye, holding it in place while transferring heat efficiently from the burning fuel below. As gas and electric ranges replaced wood stoves in American homes through the 1930s, the practical need for the heat ring disappeared — and around 1930–1935 Wagner eliminated it from the No. 6 and the other standard sizes, transitioning to the smooth-bottom configuration that would carry the line through the remainder of the collector era.
The heat-ring No. 6 — the version in this collection — is therefore the older of the two No. 6 configurations, cast in the decade between the adoption of the catalog numbering system in 1924 and the smooth-bottom transition of approximately 1935. It is the No. 6 from the wood-stove era, before the flat-topped gas range changed how American cooks related to their cast iron.
The No. 6 was also produced in a nickel-plated exterior version with heat ring — one of the documented specialty variants in Wagner’s lineup. The present piece is unplated cast iron, the standard configuration. A nickel-plated No. 6 with heat ring is noted by collectors as a desirable find; the standard No. 6 in heat-ring configuration is the working representative of the size in the catalog-number era.
Markings Analysis
Base of the No. 6 skillet showing the stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo at 12 o'clock and catalog number 1056 D at 6 o'clock. The heat ring — the raised concentric ring separating the cooking floor from the outer base — is clearly present. This marking configuration places the piece in the c. 1924–1935 heat-ring catalog-number era.
The stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo appears at the standard 12 o’clock position — the fixed placement established after the logo’s early years of varying position and maintained from approximately 1924 through the end of the collector era in 1959. Catalog number 1056 D appears at the 6 o’clock position. The formula: 1050 plus size number equals catalog number — No. 6 = 1056. Pattern letter D is the fourth mold pattern cut for the No. 6 in the catalog-number era.
No MADE IN USA marking is present, confirming pre-1959 manufacture. The heat ring on the base is present and intact. The combination of stylized logo at 12 o’clock, catalog number present, and heat ring places this piece in the c. 1924–1935 window — after catalog numbers were adopted and before the smooth-bottom transition reached the No. 6.
Bottom profile of the No. 6 showing the heat ring and 1⅞-inch sidewall depth. The heat ring ledge is well-defined and intact. The deep even seasoning covers the exterior sidewall throughout.
The heat ring on this No. 6 is pronounced and well-preserved — a clear, clean ring with good definition visible in both the base view and the profile photographs. Heat rings on pans that have been heavily used and then stripped or aggressively cleaned can lose definition; this example’s ring is in good condition, consistent with the overall quality of the restoration.
Handle
Handle detail of the No. 6, showing the classic Wagner teardrop hanging loop. The loop is intact and well-formed, with the deep even seasoning of the piece visible throughout. The handle shows the clean consistent patina of a well-restored piece.
The main handle terminates in Wagner’s classic teardrop hanging loop — the open-eye form used across the Sidney -O- skillet line throughout the stylized logo era. The handle is intact with no cracks or losses and shows the consistent deep seasoning present throughout the piece.
Piece Details
Manufacturer
Wagner Manufacturing Company, Sidney, Ohio
Piece Type
Cast Iron Skillet
Form
Standard skillet with main handle, heat ring base, scalloped pour spouts. No assist handle — correct for No. 6.
Material
Cast Iron
Markings
Stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- logo (looped W) at 12 o'clock; catalog no. 1056 D at 6 o'clock; classic Wagner teardrop hanging loop on handle
Catalog Number
1056 D — pattern letter D designates the fourth mold pattern cut for the No. 6
Logo Position
12 o'clock — standard high position, consistent with post-1924 production
Size
No. 6 — Top diameter: 9 1/8 in. | Bottom diameter: 7 1/2 in. | Depth: 1 7/8 in.
Heat Ring
Yes — present; confirms pre-c.1935 manufacture within the catalog-number era (c. 1924–1935)
Made in USA Mark
Absent — confirms pre-1959 collector-era production
Logo Era
Stylized Wagner Ware Sidney -O- — High Position, Heat Ring, Catalog Number (c. 1924–1935)
Date of Manufacture
c. 1924–1935
Place of Manufacture
Sidney, Shelby County, Ohio
Condition
Excellent — deep even seasoning throughout; cooking surface clean; no cracks, no repairs; heat ring intact; all markings legible
Acquisition Date
September 9, 2025
Acquisition Source
eBay — Seller: goldtwo
eBay Item Number
226917519271
Order Number
01-13571-10027
SSC Catalog Number
SSC-WGNR-SKL-006
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. The No. 6 is among the earliest sizes in continuous production from the foundry's opening.
1892
Nickel-plated hollow ware introduced. A nickel-plated exterior No. 6 with heat ring is among the documented specialty variants.
c. 1914
'Wagner Ware' branding introduced on hollow ware.
c. 1922
Stylized 'W' logo introduced. The No. 6 is one of the sizes for which the center-position stylized logo variant is documented (1924–1935).
1924
Four-digit catalog numbering system adopted. No. 6 = catalog no. 1056. Pattern letter D = fourth mold pattern for this size.
c. 1930–35
Smooth-bottom construction introduced for sizes 4–12, including the No. 6. Heat-ring No. 6 examples (this piece) date from c. 1924 to approximately 1935.
c. 1930–40
Pie Logo variant produced — stylized W in wedge-shaped border with 'CAST IRON SKILLET' at 6 o'clock. Most collectible Wagner logo; approximately ten-year production window.
1946–52
Wagner family divests. Company sold to Randall Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
1957
Randall Wagner division acquires Griswold Manufacturing from McGraw-Edison.
1959
Textron acquires Randall. SIDNEY -O- removed from logo. Last year of collector-era production.
1969
Textron sells Wagner and Griswold lines to General Housewares Corporation (GHC).
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. 6 matters in a complete set because a complete set requires it. The No. 6 and the No. 8 are the most produced sizes in the Wagner line — the sizes that defined the brand’s relationship with the domestic kitchen across the first half of the twentieth century. A collection that has the rare No. 13 and the early-marked No. 7 but lacks a proper No. 6 is missing one of the two pans that most American families actually cooked with. The No. 6 is the other anchor.
This particular No. 6 matters as a representative of the heat-ring era. The smooth-bottom No. 6 is the more commonly encountered of the two configurations in the market today, because it was produced across a longer continuous window. The heat-ring No. 6, produced from 1924 through approximately 1935, is the older piece — the No. 6 from the wood-stove decade, before the flat cooking surface of the gas range made the ring obsolete. In a set that includes both configurations for some sizes, the heat-ring No. 6 documents the earlier chapter of the size’s production history.
It matters because the No. 6 was in more kitchens, cooked more meals, and fed more people than any other size in the Wagner line except the No. 8. The iron that is everywhere is not less important than the iron that is rare. It is differently important. The No. 6 is the iron of daily life, of ordinary cooking, of the hundreds of thousands of households that bought a Wagner skillet from a hardware store in the 1920s or 1930s and used it until it became part of the family. That story deserves the same careful documentation as the No. 13 or the center-logo No. 12. The iron that was everywhere is the iron that tells us what people actually cooked and how they actually lived.
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. 1056 D at 6 o'clock; heat ring present; no MADE IN USA marking. Five seller photographs examined prior to acquisition.
The Cast Iron Collector (castironcollector.com) — Evolution of the Wagner Trademark; Numbers & Letters; Wagner Manufacturing Co. page. Primary reference for logo dating, catalog number system, pattern letter explanation, heat-ring/smooth-bottom transition, and nickel-plated No. 6 variant documentation.
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. 6 standard dimensions: top diameter 9 1/8 in., bottom 7 1/2 in., depth 1 7/8 in.
Cast Iron Collector Forums (castironcollector.com/forum) — Wagner Ware collecting thread; Smooth Bottom 1935–1959 questions thread. No. 6 heat-ring and smooth-bottom configurations confirmed.
The Book of Griswold & Wagner (Wallaces-Homestead / Krause Publications) — Standard collector reference volume.
eBay acquisition record — Order No. 01-13571-10027, seller: goldtwo, September 9, 2025. Item: Wagner Ware Sidney O #6 Cast Iron Skillet+Fry Pan 1056D Heat Ring Vintage.
SSC Internal Collection Records — Wagner Ware Sidney -O- Complete Skillet Set documentation. SSC-WGNR-SKL-006 is the heat-ring representative of the No. 6 in the full-run No. 0 through No. 14 display set.
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.
