A Cool Collectible: Vintage Cast Iron Trivets

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I’m starting a regular feature here on the blog, focusing on a different antique or vintage area of collecting. For today I’m calling it: Tuesday’s Take on an Antique Treasure.

The idea is to highlight a collectible and maybe learn a thing or two. This week’s area: cast iron trivets.

Formed by pouring hot, molten iron into pre-made molds, these three or four legged platforms were made for holding sad irons or hot pots and pans.

I’ve bought and sold a number of these over the years, including the Wilton and Griswold reproductions (1930s onward).

Griswold is also a famous maker of cast iron pans. Both companies labeled their products on the back or bottom, so there’s no confusing them with older versions.

I recently bought a lot of five trivets (above) at an estate sale, which I thought they would make a fine choice to begin this feature with.

One of the first things I learned was that early manufacturers did not mark their trivets. So right away I knew that one of mine was a reproduction, since it is marked “Distelfink.”

I knew it wasn’t old when I bought it, even before I looked at the back, because the look and feel of the surface was “off,” as was the weight. The whole thing gives off a “new vibe.”

Photo from Real or Repro: Trivets New and Old

Next I observed in some photos what machine made grinding marks (above) look like and bingo, one of mine had those on its sides. It’s a repro as well.

This one I had had some hope for because the legs were longer than others I’ve seen (3/4″), and that is usually a sign of age. However, the length you are looking for in older trivets is 1 1/2″ or more.

I also learned that rust on the surface is another sign of reproduction. Only one of mine, the small tree-shaped one had rust (I’ve brushed and oiled it so the rust is gone for now). Its general look and feel had already led me to believe that it was not an “antique.”

An article I read actually pictured the square one (above). If it had been an antique, wording would have been embossed in the inner circle–mine is blank.

I was surprised about this one because the look and feel had led me to believe that it might be older.

That leaves my fifth, spade-shaped trivet with side railing (the raised lip all the way around the edge). It has slightly higher feet, but they are round, rather than square or rectangular, which is what you would be looking for in an older trivet.

Again, the weight and texture of this one feels “right,” but I could be wrong (of course!).

Something else you look for in an antique trivet is a “casting gate,” that is, a piece of ragged metal sticking out from the side. This would be where the trivet was broken off the mold.

This one has something like that off the left side, but it’s been filed down, something not commonly done. I’m obviously going to have to do a little more research on this one.

What’s the price difference? It seems that the Griswold and Wiltons go for about $8 to $25 dollars. While the price range on the antique versions would start at about $30 and go up to the hundreds of dollars. Big difference, so it pays to know what you’re dealing with.

My general feeling is that all of mine are on the newer (vintage) side, rather than the older (antique) side. I learned a lot by taking the time to do a little research. Now I’m hungry to get an antique trivet in my hands to really feel the difference.

Find all of my Cool Collectible posts here.

 

Bye for now,

 

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