Your Easy Identification Guide On Erie Skillets

Erie cast iron skillets are some of the most sought-after and collected pieces of antique cookware. The skillets are lightweight and have smooth cooking surfaces that users love. 

The desirability of these pans has also led to a great interest in those wanting more information. Both cast iron enthusiasts and Erie skillet owners want to determine the age and identify the variations of the pans.

In the article, you learn the characteristics of the six variations of Erie skillets to determine the correct series of your pan. And to estimate the date of manufacture. It must be said at this stage, there is some crossover in the identifiable markings between the different series. Therefore it can be difficult the identify the correct series of skillet even for experienced collectors.

Table of Contents

1. The Six Variations Of The Erie Skillet
2. First Series Erie
3. Second Series Skillet
4. Third Series
5. The Fourth Series, Also Known As The Artistic Erie.
6. Fifth Series
7. Sixth Series Erie Frying Pans
8. Collecting And dating Antique Erie Skillets

How Old Is My Erie Skillet?

Many collectors and resources, such as Boonie Hicks, use the research untaken by W. Dean Fitzwater, John Madole, Steve Stephens, and Roy G. Meadows as foundational knowledge to identify and estimate the date Erie skillets. It is a blessing these men have shared their knowledge of cast iron with us.

Using their information, collectors can now identify six variations of Erie skillet and estimated production between 1880 and 1907.

Visual Markers To Identify Your Erie Cast Iron Skillet.

The six variations of the Erie skillet can be difficult to clearly identify. This is due to subtle changes in design that can be looked to those new to cast iron collecting. 

Also, manufacturing inconsistencies can make identification harder as each skillet has unique characteristics.

However, the six variations are determined using the following factors:

• Handle design
• How the handle is visibly attached to the pan. 
• The placement of the heat ring.
• If the pan has a three-digit pattern number.
• The font used on the word Erie 
• If the word Erie also has quotation marks.
• Markings on the back of the pan (pictures, letters). 

Using these factors, you should be able to identify most Erie cast iron pans. However, as mentioned previously, manufacturing inconsistencies due to individual machining and polishing can make identification difficult, even for cast iron collectors. 

Did you know The Griswold Manufacturing Company made Erie cast iron? To learn the history of the company click the link. And you can identify your Griswold skillets by clicking this link.

How To Correctly Identify And Date My Erie Cast Iron Skillet?

First Series Erie Skillet | Circa 1880-1886

The main characteristic of the first series Erie skillet is the back of the handle appears to be scooped out. The scooped-out handle only appears on the first series Erie skillet. And this makes it very easy to identify. 

The distinctive handle and the fact it is the oldest in the Erie series make these pans highly collectible. All the Erie pans are collectible, but collectors favor these early pans. And large skillets that sit flat are highly prized.

Erie series one	Comments
Handle	Scooped Out Handle (Only On Series 1).
Heat Ring	Outer Heat Ring
Pattern Number	No Three Digit Pattern Number
Reinforced Rim	Pronounced Lip Around The Rim Of The Pan.
Sizes Available	#7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #!2

Second Series Pans | Circa 1886-1892

Do you have a 2nd series skillet? Let us find out. The defining characteristic of a series two Erie is a picture or letter on the back of the skillet called a Maker’s Mark. 

Some Maker’s Marks are well-detailed, and others have a simple design. Collectors recently are paying higher prices for elaborate and well-defined pictures such as the American flag and trophy.

However, not all second-series Erie skillets have a Maker’s Mark. This is unknown to many enthusiasts and not highlighted on other online resources. 

Therefore, it has caused some confusion when identifying a second series Erie without a Maker’s Mark. 

In this case, your best option is to look at the handle design to identify a series 1 vs. series 2 Erie. 

Second Series Erie	Comments
Handle	Non Scooped Out Handle
Heat Ring	Outer
Pattern Number	No Three Digit Pattern Number
Reinforced Rim	Pronounced Lip Around The Rim Of The Pan.
Makers Mark	May Have A Letter, Symbol Or Picture On The Back Of The Pan. But Not Always
Sizes Available	#6, #7, #8 #9, #10, #11, #12

Third Series | Circa 1892-1905 (introduction of a pattern number).

This series sees a substantive change in design and introduces a three-digit pattern number. However, the third series retains the outer heat ring seen in the first and second series. 

A skillet with an outer heat ring and a three-digit pattern number is likely from the third series. 

Interestingly, some third-series skillets I have seen have a maker mark. It is unusual but not uncommon. However, the three-digit pattern number is the overriding factor. In such a case, the skillet is considered from the third series. 

Third Series Erie	Comments
Heat Ring	Outer
Pattern Number	Has A Three Digit Number
Reinforced Rim	Pans Either Have A Pronounced Lip Or Blended Into The Sidewalls
Makers Mark	Most skillets do not have a markers mark, but some do.
Sizes Available	#6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12

The Fourth Series, Also Known As The Artistic Erie | Circa 1905

The fourth series stands out as probably the most unique. The fourth series is also known as the Artistic Erie. In this series, the font used in the Erie wording is radically changed from standard block lettering to a stylized font.

There are only two sizes in this series, #9 and the scarce #5. And while the outer heat ring remains the same for the number 9 skillet, the number 5 is the first Erie pan to have an insert heat ring. 

Fourth Series (Artistic Erie)	Comments
Heat Ring	Outer Heat Ring On #9 And Insert On #5
Pattern Number	Pans Have a three digit pattern number
Reinforced Rim	Blended into sidewall
Makers Mark	No
Sizes Available	#5, #9

Fifth Series Erie (Insert Heat Ring With Quotation Marks) | Circa 1905-1907

At first glance, the fifth and sixth series Erie frying pans look similar to the third series. However, if you look at the heat ring, it is a different style. The fifth series now has an insert heat ring instead of an outer ring on the previous series. 

If the base is heavily pitted from sulpher damage, you can distinguish series 1-4 and 5-6 by which pans have an outer ring vs. pans with an insert ring. 

Fifth Series Erie Skillets	Comments
Heat Ring	Insert Heat Ring
Pattern Number	Pans Have A Three Digit Pattern Number
Reinforced Rim	Rim Is Blended Into The Sidewall
Makers Mark	No
Sizes Available	#5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12

Sixth series Erie Skillet (Insert Heat Ring) (With No Quotation Marks) | Circa 1905-1907

The sixth series skillets have the smallest of changes. The sixth series retains the insert heat ring and pattern number but omits the quotation marks on either side of the Erie marking. 

Sixth Series Erie Pans	Comments
Heat Ring	Outer Heat Ring
Pattern Number	Skillets Have A Three Digit Pattern Number
Reinforced Rim	Rim Is Blended Into The Sidewalls
Makers Mark	No
Sizes Available	#7, #8, #11

The Erie Spider | 1890-1891

This skillet is the holy grail in cast iron collecting and has a price to match. As the name suggests, the logo on this skillet is of a spider. 

While it is definitely an Erie skillet, the purpose of this post is to correctly identify the 6 different series on regular Erie skillets. So, I will leave the Erie spider skillet for a future post. 

Collecting And Dating Antique Erie Skillets

This only scratches the surface of collecting Erie skillets. And I did not mention plated skillets or Erie skillets with wooden handles. However, I hope you can correctly identify the 6 types of Erie cast iron skillets currently recognized by cast iron collectors. This article will undoubtedly expand over time to include more information and resources as there are many pans that may not easily identifiable.

Although collectors might favor one series over another. All the different series are highly collectible and are hard to come by, especially at a fair price. 

So, most enthusiasts, including myself, will overlook some sulfur pitting and shallow scratches to secure an Erie skillet. I hope this introduction to Erie skillets has been useful to you and good luck on your collecting adventure.

References

• http://www.wag-society.org/guest/ERIESkilletArticle.pdf