Erie (Pre-Griswold) Deep Cast Iron Skillet #9 2nd Series, Rare restored, vintage For Sale

This is a really nice representative of a rare and hard to find 2nd Series Erie Deep Skillet #9 made between1886-1892. Although it is at least 134 years old this skillet is in beautiful condition. If you are not familiar with Erie and Griswold cast iron cookware there is lots of info about it online and it is considered by many to be the finest cast iron cookware ever made. ** I personally like the Boonie Hicks website where you can learn a lot about the history of Erie/Griswold cast iron and the six series of Erie skillets made before they added Griswold. If used and maintained properly they should last many more generations.
*** After restoring I have used this skillet (just had to and see video) and I used peanut oil so thought I'd better state that in case of allergies. The minor use I gave it just added a touch of extra seasoning.
I don't believe less is more when describing a skillet and I want you to be happy with your purchase so here is what I would want to know if I were thinking about buying this cool old skillet.

• This skillet is three inches tall known as a deep skillet.
• No cracks or repairs to be found.
• The markings on the bottom of the skillet are in excellent shape.
• Rust? There are very minor blemishes on the bottom that are possibly remnants of where light surface rust used to be but I cannot feel a difference between where those are and the surrounding metal. These blemishes will easily disappear once it gets some use and builds up of a bit more seasoning (I rub a very thin layer of oil on the bottom and sides of my skillets on a regular basis after use although not every time). Being newly restored it has relatively little seasoning on it which, along with my purposely using light the way I do, is the only reason you can see the blemishes/discoloration in the metal.
• There are very minor casting imperfections and all can be seen in the photos. You almost always expect some casting irregulariities like this on these old skillets, knowing how they were made.
• There is a pretty minor amount of utensil marks from the 130+ years worth of use and when I run my fingers over the cooking surface I hardly can feel them, it's actually pretty smooth, and again, any additional seasoning they will disappear all together.
• This skillet lays flat but you do get movement when firmly pushing down on the rim. It took two business cards to correct the movement.
• The cooking surface is fairly flat with a very minor irregularity as seen in the photos with the straight edges. This skillet is meant to be used with extra oil so it won't make a bit of difference as far as pooling or oil running toward the sides.
• Heat ring is in great condition with no noticeable uneven wear.
• After cleaning this down to bare metal I gave it at least four coats of seasoning. It is a relatively dark chestnut brown and with more seasoning and/or use it will turn black.

* I did my best to show everything I have described above with photos. Feel free to message me with any questions. My wife and I used to sell pottery online and I never had a piece break during shipping.Suppose I will add, I used to pack horses and mules in the mountains and don't remember having too many eggs break on the way to camp. Your skillet will be packaged with extra care and fully insured for shipment. Know that I'm a recycler of packaging materials so what this means is your package may not be as tidy looking as some may be but what you have purchased will be well protected all the same.
I ship to lower 48 States ONLY at the listed price. This is a good sized skillet weighing 6 lbs. 4 oz. if by chance I can ship it for less than your charged shipping cost I will refund you (if more than $5.00). I expect it to cost more actually unless you are close.