J H Day safety Kettle?

[Ralph Meisse]

I have a really nice J H Day kettle from Cinti', Ohio. Pat. 74 & 78. The size is a number 7. It is in super condition and ready to cook in. I have seen some on line for a wide range of prices and I am trying to nail down what mine is worth. The kettle sits on it's three legs perfectly and does not rock, wooden handles are in great condition, and even has the original tin lid that it came with, that is also marked with the number seven. No rust on it anywhere. Of all the other kettles I have seen, none have the lid. Does this much value to pot? Thanks os much for any info.

[Russell Ware]

I don't think many people are willing to throw out a price without seeing the item (photos) you are talking about first. The fact that most haven't heard the name much isn't going to help either.
Uncommon pieces are difficult to price to begin with. Just because something is rare doesn't mean there is a market for it.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but without seeing it at least, it is difficult to compare it to similar items made by other foundries.

[Ralph Meisse]

Oaky, sorry about that Russell. I will try to get some pictures posted later today.

[Ralph Meisse]

Here are some pictures of the kettle.

[Ralph Meisse]

Pic 1

[Ralph Meisse]

Pic 2

[Ralph Meisse]

Pic3

[Ralph Meisse]

Pic5

[Spurgeon Hendrick]

I don’t know what it’s worth, but it sure is good looking!

BTw - does it hold water? With that flap on the side, I don’t see how it can be water tight.

[Russell Ware]

That’s a very nice piece. Do you have a trivet on the inside for it? A trivet seems to have been a later option with Griswold safety kettles.

[Ralph Meisse]

The kettle does hold water. The flap with the writing on it, comes off the pot when you hang it over the fire. That way the wooden handle doesn't burn up. It's held on the pot with a nail of sorts when you use the handle to dump the water off of whatever your cooking. This picture shows the kettle without the plate installed. The is no trivet for the pot. The inside of pot has a round bottom.

[Russell Ware]

To get back to your original point, yes, having the original lid is better than not having a lid, or having an obvious not original one. Without the photos, I first thought the question had to do with a toy sized piece; because, I was thinking about the Griswold toy safety kettle, and of course, there were no photos. Seeing the piece you have now, the Red Book lists several Griswold full sized safety kettles. The range for price it gives is pretty wide, $75-$200. But I would certainly put your kettle in that range too.
Pricing odd pieces is tricky, if for no other reason than not many are seen. I’ve seen a different piece of iron sell on ebay for well over $100. There is a similar piece now on ebay. It has been listed three times, and that seller can’t even get $35 for the same piece. Go figure.

[Ralph Meisse]

Thanks so much for the information everyone.

[Ed Allspaugh]

This is a odorless safety kettle. The removeable faceplate when in place creates a chimney, so when placed over the open eye of a cook stove with lid on it the steam and odors are drawn into the stove.