OK.. You guy's what's the most you've ever paid

[Clark Rader]

My most interesting and first cast iron skillet that I bought was in Lancaster Pa. around 1990. Everything else was a give me or a hand me down, maybe 20 pieces or so. I was so green if that is the word?
Are you ready, I found this great little #4 Indian head skillet for $35 (someone told me something about a Indian skillet) It did not look that good to me but what did I know? Next I had to find a book on skillets, if they have anything like that in print? Thier went another $20. A good buy (best buy) on that book. I will not tell you which # 4 skillet that was.  ;D ;D ;D
                                                Clark

[moosejaw]

Well, it was not me, but my husband who spent $140 on that cracked Griswold #10 DO.  Ouch.  Wish he would have given me the $140 for that Happy Hooligan wafer iron or the Buck and Wright waffle iron!!!!!!

Best deal?  Probably that no name waffle iron I bought for $12, then pitted the hell out of the base in the soup!!!!!!!!  I almost did the beautiful Cox Whitman waffle iron I just bought, but grabbed this no name  instead to do first.  Phew!!!!

[awdye]

Worst deal?  $85 for a Favorite/Piqua french bowl in black iron.  It was the only one I'd ever seen, and it was beautiful until I gave it a bath.  There's a casting flaw, a pencil lead sized hole that runs right through the bottom in the center of the #2.  It's not drilled, and not rusted, it genuinely looks like a casting flaw.  I suppose i could season it shut, but I'd always be worrying about it leaking.  

Most I've paid?  $153 for a #11 griswold skillet with heat ring to complete a set I was building.  It is a beautiful piece, and I mostly don't regret spending that much on it.

[Greg Stahl]

Ok worse deal that I can think of $250 for a Savery & Co pot with lid.  The seller didn't pack it well and the lid got cracked.  I could have returned it, but thought, "when was the last time you even saw a lid", so I kept it.  Also spent $100 for a #665 that was painted and when I removed the paint, I found out why it was painted.  Looks like it was shot with a shotgun and at close range.

[C. B. Williams]

Well, here goes. I had everything in the large block smoke ring EPU set except a #2. After looking for about a year with a cardboard cutout of the #2 where it should hang. I bid ( on ebay) $1,900 for one and did NOT get it. The low of all lows. I hit rock bottom. More waiting, and waiting. Another one for sale, ebay again. I didn't miss one but I ain't about to admit what I paid. Another bidder with some deep pockets wanted it too. OK, $2100, if you say it fast it doesn't hurt as much. Now, don't ask for any more of these stories. PLEASE

[Greg Stahl]

CB that is not that bad of a price, as I know of several that have sold for 2500!!

[C. B. Williams]

Hey and with all the "book" prices low, Look at the book on the #2 block. 350 to 400 is a hoot.

[Greg Stahl]

Hey and with all the "book" prices low, Look at the book on the #2 block. 350 to 400 is a hoot.

I believe the least amount I have seen a #2 LBSR go for on Ebay that was in good shape has been 1600 or 1700.  The book is not correct IMO on the price of this skillet.  I'll buy all anyone can find for the high book value!!  Just let me know where to send the money and I'll buy them all at 400. [smiley=clap.gif]

[Ed Winslow]

Hey and with all the "book" prices low, Look at the book on the #2 block. 350 to 400 is a hoot.

I believe the least amount I have seen a #2 LBSR go for on Ebay that was in good shape has been 1600 or 1700.  The book is not correct IMO on the price of this skillet.  I'll buy all anyone can find for the high book value!!  Just let me know where to send the money and I'll buy them all at 400. [smiley=clap.gif]

When did Greg Become a X forum member ?

[Roger Barfield]

Hey and with all the "book" prices low, Look at the book on the #2 block. 350 to 400 is a hoot.

I believe the least amount I have seen a #2 LBSR go for on Ebay that was in good shape has been 1600 or 1700.  The book is not correct IMO on the price of this skillet.  I'll buy all anyone can find for the high book value!!  Just let me know where to send the money and I'll buy them all at 400. [smiley=clap.gif]

When did Greg Become a X forum member ?

When we updated the forum years ago, it lost his profile and he made a new one.  The really old posts will show him that way.  

[Andrew Bunch]

My worst buy was when I first started collecting, it was for a set of No 2 patty molds for $30.00. My best buy was for a loaf pan and lid for $350.00 that still had the original seasoning on it.

[C. Perry Rapier]

My worst buy was when I first started collecting, it was for a set of No 2 patty molds for $30.00. My best buy was for a loaf pan and lid for $350.00 that still had the original seasoning on it.

Hello Andrew, I WISH I could say the above, about your worst buy that is. You're doing fantastic by the way. When I started collecting, I did not know there were others that collected this stuff, I just knew I liked it.

[trinileslie]

When I was starting out, I found a eBay auction with poor blurry photos that showed almost nothing about the skillet.  The skillet was owned by a little old lady who I emailed back and forth with.  She described it as a nice old pan that she cooked with for years in great condition.  From her descriptions, I was sure it was a size 8 "WAGNER".  

It was the biggest hunk of junk.  It was covered in crud.  When I got some of it off, it was an extremely pitted Wagner Ware 1058, and nickel plated to boot. I paid $5 plus shipping.  It felt like the equivalent of standing over the toilet and flushing down a $20.  It would have gone straight to the trash if a friend hadn't wanted it for camping.

[C. Perry Rapier]

When I was starting out, I found a eBay auction with poor blurry photos that showed almost nothing about the skillet.  The skillet was owned by a little old lady who I emailed back and forth with.  She described it as a nice old pan that she cooked with for years in great condition.  From her descriptions, I was sure it was a size 8 "WAGNER".  

It was the biggest hunk of junk.  It was covered in crud.  When I got some of it off, it was an extremely pitted Wagner Ware 1058, and nickel plated to boot. I paid $5 plus shipping.  It felt like the equivalent of standing over the toilet and flushing down a $20.  It would have gone straight to the trash if a friend hadn't wanted it for camping.

Hello Trini, well, take heart, it don't all turn out that way. I too took a chance on a piece that was all crudded up, but I knew what it was and so did others, but I was willin to take a chance and it turned out being worth OVER 2K. So it don't all turn out like your story.  :)

[trinileslie]

WOW!  2K?!  That's quite a find, Perry! What is it?  A spider ERIE?

[Chuck Rogers]

Perry has me beat, but for a single piece, it was $600. I needed it to complete a set, and it was the only one I had ever seen. It was way overpriced, but the set is complete. The best buy was a tie between a $25 #2 slant w/ heat ring, and a fully marked #5 Griswold Oval Roaster with lid and trivet for $60 . I'm sure there were more good, and bad deals, but I'm havin' alot of fun.

[C. Perry Rapier]

WOW!  2K?!  That's quite a find, Perry! What is it?  A spider ERIE?

Hello Trini. As a matter of fact it was.  :)

[Andrew Bunch]

I paid $625 for my #13 slant skillet a few years back. I don't feel any pain!

[Nick Niacaris]

$2.00 for a mint slant logo 3 Griswold "ERIE" 709 frying pan. I also found a 2nd series ERIE #11 skillet for a whopping $7.00

The most I've paid was $90 for a #9 Griswold DO. It was my 1st DO purchase.

I told myself $100 was tops to spend on my CI when I started collecting. I have not bought anything in over 6 months but I've made a couple of trades.

Also everything I buy is for my personal use and not to sell. I'm sure my budget would be much different if I was doing this to turn a profit.

[Mike Turcotte]

My first piece of vintage CI ever was a #9 slant logo skillet that I took a chance on eBay for $30. The photos looked like someone took sandpaper to the outside of the pan. When I received it, I cleaned with oven cleaner and it took everything right off. It is probably the best cond. of any piece I own to this day and I use it every day! I see these go for upwards of $100 nowadays, although I would not pay anywhere near that.

My biggest letdown was in a lot of 6 pans I paid $40 for in a local private deal, which included an Iron Mountain chicken fryer I spotted and had to have. The lighting in this guy's garage was not good, and when I brought it home my wife pointed out the nice crack running across the bottom, showing through all the built up crud. I saw the line on the bottom and thought it was just a scratch in the seasoning. Although I only paid less than $7 for it, I really thought I was on to something and felt extremely discouraged afterwards. Everything else in the lot was in great condition however. Live and learn!