Piece type

Vintage cast iron muffin pans

Muffin and gem pans are the most pattern-rich corner of vintage cast iron: Griswold alone made dozens of numbered gem pans, from the No. 10 popover pan (11 cups) to the No. 11 French roll pan (12 cups, pattern 950), and collectors catalogue many casting variations of the same number. Eleven-cup pans were common across makers, so look for the maker's mark rather than relying on the cup count. The key buying check is a through-crack in any cup: hold the pan up to light, because a single cracked cup takes roughly 40–60% off the value. Carbon inside the cups is cosmetic and comes out with a proper strip. Many old gem pans are unmarked and can only be attributed by pattern comparison, so don't pay marked-pan prices for an unmarked one.