While growing her new collection, Mary realized she had no heirloom pans of her own. She asked her parents if they had any cast iron, and she received a few pieces—some skillets and a Dutch oven that her father had come across at an auction—but nothing that had been passed down for generations within her family. However, what her family may have lacked in heritage pans they made up for in passed-down personality traits. Mary says her late father, an avid auction-goer, would be proud to see her scouring the offerings at auctions these days.
Collecting requires research, and lots of it—in order to find great pieces (and to know when you find a great price!) you must spend time getting to know your cast-iron history. “Most collectors specialize in a certain brand,” Mary explains. “It would be unusual for a collector to decide to collect, say, every #3 pan he came across.” There are collectors, however, who do specialize in variations of rare finds, like muffin gem pans, which may have as many as eleven different molds with slight deviations from the original.
Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm and love for history and bringing it to light. 🙂 we are collectors to but I’m sure your collection would be something to see. Thanks for sharing this awesome story! ! We love wapaks (Indian head) and starting to victor.