Author Topic: John Wright Muffin Pans - Examples (Read 24036 times)

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #40 on:** February 15, 2017, 02:30:32 PM »

Finally got rid of the low grade crud I've had this past week or so and decided to get the last of the Wright pan pictures up.

We'll start with the Mini Pan, black iron, 31-151. Made in USA.

I think it is late 1985, possibly 12/1985. I do have it in a 1998 price list. Late production may be Asian jobbed out by Wright.

Some folks get excited when the see this one thinking it is a Griswold pan. This star is 6 points.

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #41 on:** February 15, 2017, 02:35:27 PM »

The Four Seasons Muffin pan, plain iron. Made in USA, but lots of Asian knockoffs and some Wright Asian production.

I don't know the starting date, but it is in my 1975 catalog.

The heart symbolizes Spring, round is the summer sun, scalloped is fall foliage, and the star is winter.

Some consider it a knockoff of the 1870/71 Reid's Pan, but Reid never made such a small pan. The cup designs are similar though.

Available plain iron or painted black.

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #42 on:** February 15, 2017, 02:45:10 PM »

And finally the:

7 cup muffin pan, USA. You could call it an aebleskiver pan if you want, but Wright did not.

Like the Four Seasons Pan, I don't know the introduction date, but it too is in the 1975 catalog.

Available painted black only. The pan is heavy for its size.

Wright did some Asian production in the late 1990s. There are lots of copies and knockoff out there.

This a copy of an old pan, but the only way I would even think I had an old pan was if it had a gate mark and was relatively light.

With this post, I believe we have pictures of all the John Wright baking pans. All that I know of anyway (and have examples of)

I think many of the pans are very attractive and produce striking baked goods once you learn how to use them.

There are recipes for many of the specific pans in the PDF section. In general they need stiff, shortbread-like dough, although I have used cake mixes in pans like the flowers and seashells. You don't get the detail with the lighter mix.

You are also using products from an American Foundry, started in the 1880s and in continuous production, even today.

Tom

Russell Ware · « **Reply #43 on:** February 15, 2017, 02:52:25 PM »

Thanks for posting those Tom. That is the first JW Hearts and Star pan I have seen. I was wondering if they made one. I very much appreciate your additions to this post.

Russell Ware · « **Reply #44 on:** August 14, 2017, 09:04:15 AM »

Reply #29 shows the first variation of the cornhusker pan. The second variation omitted the Classic Gourmet ceramic dot on the top of one of the handles. Pictured here is probably the third variation of the pan where the raised writing was moved from the underside of the handles to the bottom underside of the pan. The John Wright script signature logo replaces the printed name, and the copyright date now states 1995 instead of the original 1984.

Cheryl Watson · « **Reply #45 on:** April 08, 2018, 11:39:17 PM »

Russell or Tom, do you have a date for the Rooster Cookie Pan above?
(Reply #2).

Russell Ware · « **Reply #46 on:** April 09, 2018, 07:50:33 AM »

While it does not appear in any of the JW catalogs I have seen, it is a plain iron mold. By 1980-82, everything of that type seem to be getting a non-stick coating. All of the rooster molds I have seen have the same “JW” mark on them. They didn’t start doing that until the late ‘70's. Based on those points, it’s a late 1970's item.

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #47 on:** April 09, 2018, 08:04:54 AM »

I think Russell and I are pretty close on date. I think it may be early 1970's, as I see this catalog numbering system, 31-140 in my 1975 price list. This number is skipped though. Assuming it was there, and dropped, it would be pre-1975, assuming after, it would be post-1975. All three of mine have that number.

Cheryl Watson · « **Reply #48 on:** April 09, 2018, 08:44:19 PM »

1998 Fish Muffin Pan

Dwayne Henson · « **Reply #49 on:** April 13, 2018, 08:29:45 AM »

Thanks y'all for posting all of those, that was pretty interesting.

Russell Ware · « **Reply #50 on:** April 13, 2018, 11:00:51 AM »

Just noticed this while going through some pdf’s:
The rooster mold I have is marked # 31-140. A 1988 Price Sheet has a rooster mold listed, but it has a catalog number of 31-141. Wonder what that is?

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #51 on:** July 04, 2018, 08:47:41 AM »

Russell, I was just thinking about ranking the scarcity of the various pans. Just from what I know it took to find them, and what I see sometimes on eBay, here's the start of my list, with 1 being the toughest to find.

1. California Acorn Pan - (I don't have an exact age, but would estimate 1970s. I've only ever seen the one I have.)

2. Jack O'Lantern - 2003 (watch around Halloween, Wright may sell seasonal)

3. L.L. Bean Teddy Bear House - 1993

4. Fruit Top Bundt - 1984

5. Gingerbread Accessories - 1998 (again, watch Wright site around Xmas)

6. Heart Star Mini Pan - 1985

7. Sea Creatures - 1989

8. L.L. Bean Acorn - 1994

I would have added the 1996 Pineapple, but it is for sale on the Wright website now. The 1994 Vegetables (with the Artichoke and Eggplant) was a possible add too.

And for those just reading this for the first time, there are pictures of all these pans in this thread.

Tom

p.s. Just remembered I need to correct the name of the silver non-stick coating. It is called IronClad.

Revised 7/4/18 per Rusell's comments below.

Russell Ware · « **Reply #52 on:** July 04, 2018, 12:19:26 PM »

I agree with the Acorn Stick pan being one of the toughest to find. I have only seen 2 come up on ebay in the last 3 years. They always surpass the $100 mark. I’ve seen more of the original Lodge pans than the JW repros. Your Jack O' Lantern pan was the only one I had ever seen until I was outbid on one a year ago on ebay. I emailed the foundry about the Jack O' Lantern pan. They stated it would be sold again, but then October 2017 passed without it being offered. I guess we’ll wait and see. I would put it in the #2 spot. The Toy Soldier pan was a tough find for me. Not so much the quantity out there, but the price. There are constantly half a dozen of these pans listed in auctions, all asking over $50 (as much as $95) for them. I just recently found one for $9.95, and all the other auctions are still out there, go figure.
One pan I would add is the Hearts & Star pan. I’ve only seen 2 of these pans, yours and mine. Tough to find, but it’s out there. I would rank this one just above the Toy Soldier pan.

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #53 on:** July 04, 2018, 12:55:05 PM »

I revised the list and pulled the Toy Soldiers off. If there are several, then it is just a matter of price, not scarcity. It was tough to find 15 years ago.

The mini pan is interesting. I found a couple in boxes on eBay many years ago. Cheap. It's a pan I've never liked because it is quite shallow. Tricky to bake in. About as bad to bake as the alphabet or barnyard pans. Cookies in the alphabet and barnyard pans are very thin, not uniform thickness and will go from just done to burned in seconds, if not faster - look away and they're gone.

I just noticed the catalog number is on the box, but not on the mini pan.

(Just for grins, I think the Wright California Acorn is a knockoff, not a repro. It is a different size. Wonder if folks pay so much for it thinking is is the Lodge pan? You don't even need to measure to see the differences.)

Cheryl Watson · « **Reply #54 on:** July 04, 2018, 01:11:45 PM »

The nonstick coating in the 1990's was Xylan (FDA approved) on both Muffin Pans and Candy Molds. Reference 1998 John Wright Flyer... :)

Tom Neitzel · « **Reply #55 on:** July 04, 2018, 01:22:49 PM »

Quote

The nonstick coating in the 1990's was Xylan (FDA approved) on both Muffin Pans and Candy Molds. Reference 1998 John Wright Flyer... :)

Thanks Cheryl.

The name IronClad comes from a sticker that was on the silver colored pans. This is weird. I was just looking up Teflon and Xylan for something I guess in a Facebook post. Don't remember where. Xylan has the same high temp issue as does Teflon, but you don't cook muffins that high anyway.

Cheryl Watson · « **Reply #56 on:** July 04, 2018, 01:50:12 PM »

The Iron Clad nomer seems to have appeared sometime mid 2000's or so... I am still sorting thru a bunch of info I gathered... ::) ::)

Russell Ware · « **Reply #57 on:** July 04, 2018, 02:06:20 PM »

I was thinking about the Vegetables pan, but lately I have seen several on auction sites. It was scarce a couple of years ago. Different pans seem to come and go in waves. Who knows what will be along soon.

Dwayne Henson · « **Reply #58 on:** May 29, 2019, 02:51:47 PM »

Well I had to pick it up for Deb. What's with the porcelain button, and what is the recipe y'all suggest for this pan? I think I might have found something that will be a bigger pan in the backside to clean than waffle irons!

Russell Ware · « **Reply #59 on:** May 29, 2019, 04:56:33 PM »

Dwayne, the pans with the buttons were the earliest Classic Gourmet pans. JW probably decided it wasn’t worth the effort; since, the later pans, as well as variations of the earlier pans do not have them. Some pans even have the circular divot but no emblem. I’m not sure if they came loose and fell out or if they were never inserted.

As for what to bake in them, I make cornmeal gems in them. Any cookie recipe should work. Just don’t scrub the pan with steel wool - it’s a coated pan.

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Author Topic: John Wright Muffin Pans - Examples (Read 24036 times)