Early Lodge / Blacklock-Era Skillet (attributed)

Joseph Lodge's first foundry in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, was the Blacklock Foundry, founded in 1896; it burned in 1910 and was rebuilt as Lodge Manufacturing. No marked Blacklock skillets are known, so any "Blacklock" skillet is an attribution, not a certainty. The features collectors associate with the period are an outside heat ring (at the very edge of the bottom), a raised size number on top of the handle, a raised molder's mark at 6 o'clock on the bottom, and a long T- or funnel-shaped reinforcing rib under the handle. Those features overlap with early Lodge production, so treat the label as "early Lodge, possibly Blacklock" and price accordingly. A second trap: searches for "Lodge Blacklock" are dominated by Lodge's modern Blacklock line, lightweight pans sold new today — they are current cookware, not antiques. Before buying an early pan, check for cracks near the handle, warp, and pitting, and ask the seller to explain the attribution.

Maker

Lodge (Vintage)

Piece type

Skillet

Era

Pre-WWI Golden Age (1890–1917)

Pattern

Unmarked

Size number

No. 8

Years produced

c. 1896–1910 (attributed)

City of manufacture

South Pittsburg, Tennessee

Typical used price

$160–$170