Trivet markings

[Edd_Roberts]

I bought three trivets recently.  Two are of the type called "Round Design Trivet" on page 179 of the blue book, and are clearly repros since they are marked JAPAN.  The third is  the one called "Eagle Design Trivet" .  This one has been  painted black and brass tone and may be genuine.  When I get it stripped down, where do I look for the markings?

 'Course anyone wanting one or both of the repro round design trivets can get'em cheap from me.  

[Darrel Palmquist]

In my limited experience all Griswold trivets are marked " Griswold" and have a number on the back. I have seen many trivets that are identical to Griswold's but do not have the name stamped on the back/bottom  of the trivet.  
I have been collecting the Griswold trivets and have been almost fooled many times by replicas or copies,
;D
I am a novice at collectiing so hopefully one of the resident experts can offer perhaps better info. :-/

[Edd_Roberts]

Thanks for the info.  The paint is brushed on, so it could be hiding markings.  I had no idea what Griswold trivets, other than the DO and roaster trivets, even looked like, then a friend sent me the books I had been needing.

 Now I have to wait until Sunday to get the trivet to bring home since it's on a table in my flea market setup, 50 miles from here.  If it turns out to be the real deal, I'll offer it here first.

[Greg Stahl]

yeap, they are all clearly marked on the back.

[Harry Riva]

While the Griswold design trivets and the Griswold dutch oven and oval roaster trivets are marked with Griswold on the back or front depending on the trivet, the Puritan Dutch Oven trivets do not have Griswold on them, only the pattern numbers. I thought I had read somewhere, (KNC, Steve's old newsletter, Blue book, beats me where) that the design trivets, the tree, eagle, broom, star, etc. were possibly not Erie made pieces. Does anybody know anything about this?
Harry

[Steve_Stephens]

I think the Griswold decorative trivets were made in Erie.  I visited the foundry in 1984 and again in 1986.  One one trip we were allowed to go up into the old brick building and found many unused cardboard packing boxes including piles of them for the trivets if I remember correctly.  I got a few boxes but sold them years ago.  The fact that the boxes were there in Erie tells me that the trivets were made there.  Were they also made in Sidney?  Could have been since the trivets have two series of pattern numbers.

Looked at some of my catalog info;
A General Housewares price for "Griswold Early American Cast Ironware" list from Jan. 1, 1974 shows (illustrates) a bunch of trivets and has the following numbers (pattern numbers?  catalog numbers?)
Arrowhead 1003, Star 1004, Tassel & Grain 1005, Family Tree 1006, Spike 1007, Grapes 1009.  Also shown are four different trivet styled hooks.  Trivets were $2.65 each and the hooks were $1.30 each.

Another General Housewares price sheet for "Wagner Ironware" from c. 4-81 shows the same trivets and hooks with the trivets having "item no." 1030 containing "one each" and th hooks are item 1016 containing three each of the hooks.  This sheet also states:  "A good reason your customers buy Wagner Ironware...
Tradition.    
Since 1891 General Housewares has enjoyed a tradition of producing quality American cast ironware.  Traditionally, this quality ironware has become the "Standard" of the industry."

General Housewares is taking a lot of liberty in taking credit (from Wagner) for making ironware since 1891.  Back in 1891 I doubt that General Housewares even existed.

Hope this sheds some light on where the trivets were made.  I don't know for sure if there were trivet cartons (all flatened and in large piles) among the piles of boxes in Erie but I think that there were.  I want to add that I don't know how the trivets made in the Sidney foundry were marked.  Could they have been leftover production from Erie and been sold in those later days??  Just a thought.  Probably the ones in  the GHC catalog sheets were made in Sidney.
Steve

[Edd_Roberts]

Thanks to all for the input.  I'm assuming that the Griswold name and a p/n  is what the genuine ones have rather than the trademark, since the trivet I'm thinking of is all openwork and the iron areas are all pretty narrow.

 I

[Harry Riva]

You are correct, these pieces did not carry the Griswold trademark.
Harry

[Steve_Stephens]

The trivets that I assume were made in Erie do have a pattern number.  I am wondering about those that were sold by General Housewares in later years.  Any p/n on them or is there any way to tell a later one from the Erie made ones?  Maybe the GHC ones are not even marked at all?  I've only had a few over the years but never had much interest in them.

Here is a Griswold trivet on ebay now
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3243350746&category=976
No ERIE, PA on these I guess.

Steve

[Greg Stahl]

No ERIE, PA on these I guess.

Steve

None of the design trivets (large or small) have Erie PA on them.  

[Harry Riva]

Well, I found where I had read the comment casting doubt on whether the design trivets were made in Erie. I'm going to 'fess up here but you can't abuse me once you see the source. It was in the Harned book and they had stated that since the small trivets weren't marked ERIE PA and the two coffee trivets were marked that way, they didn't know for sure who manufactured the ones marked without the Erie PA.

I know, I know.
Harry

[moosejaw]

Okay, Harry, what is the Harned book? Fill me in, please.

[Harry Riva]

This was a book by Bill and Denise Harned first published in 1985 titled Griswold Cast Collectibles History and Values, and for a long time was the only book available to cast iron collectors. I think Steve S. wrote somewhere on here that is was Bill's work for his doctorate, but I'm not sure about that part. It is not looked on as a very reliable source book, but in it's time it was sure worth having. The copy I have is the 11th. printing done in 1993 so there were quite a few of them put out.  It has a lot of pieces and pictures in it for it's time and IMO it's still worth having around. Except for when you take something and throw it out in the public eye and then figure out where you read it. I don't know if they are still available but every now and then I see one at auction on e-bay.
Harry

[Greg Stahl]

Edd,
Here's an example of how some of these are marked.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3243800587&category=11656

[moosejaw]

Thanks, Harry.  I had never heard of this book.  

[Edd_Roberts]

Thanks, Greg.  That one is of the type my two repros look to be.  The large eagle trivet is in the soup.  Once the paint is gone, we'll see what I've got here.

[Greg Stahl]

I don't know if I'd call them repros or not, as I'm not sure who copied who with these trivets.

[Edd_Roberts]

Good point.  If these were marked "Occupied Japan" the collectors of that sort of thing would have grabbed them from my setup by now.  ;-)