Ebay seller claims it's a CW era Cook Pot

[ElijahsGrtGranddaughter]

What do you guys think?

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e165/KBMastiffs/Civill%20War/CWeraCookPot.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e165/KBMastiffs/Civill%20War/CWeraCookPotII.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e165/KBMastiffs/Civill%20War/CWeraCookPotIII.jpg

Working on my camp impression and looking around for useable items that are either original (antique) or recent that look antique.

Kind Regards,

~Kerri

[Spinster]

The shape indicates something more along the lines of a 'mess pan'.

These can be obtained as reproductions without having to worry about what else has been in it over the years, and without having to worry about hauling an original item around, and damaging it.

Whether this particular one is original sheet iron, I'm clueless--but realize that anything remotely 19th century-old timey-well sorta maybe stuff is labled 'civil war' on ebay at the drop of a hat.

[hanktrent]

Looks like a milk pan. That's what milk was set to rise in, before deep creamers came about in the late 19th century. So someone might use it to cook or mix in, but I don't think it was designed for that.

It's sheet steel (or iron), right? Don't know when the change from soldered to one-piece stamped came about. Hopefully someone who knows more about sheet iron items can clarify. That's the main thing which would place it after a certain date.

Here's a picture of the soldered kind: http://www.goantiques.com/detail,antique-tin-milk,1636168.html Note the vertical solder seams on the sides. That would be the older style, and the question is, when did the unseamed stamped style come into use, like the eBay one? I don't know. Sometime in the 19th century, but don't know when.

While trying to find some period images, I found this page (http://www.holabird.org/americana2002/archive/Auction11/deathvalley.htm) with text only, not really helpful, but it's funny: "This is an early 1850’s style of gold pan probably from California. The pan comes from the milk and cream industry." A gold pan from the milk and cream industry? LOL! Is that a typical western antique dealer thing, to try to sell milk pans as gold pans, because gold rush stuff is kewler than dairy stuff?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[mmescher]

My first question if this is a cooking pot is how do you get it on or off the fire. Even pots without bails would have ears or posts to grab with a pair of pot hooks. This just has a smooth edge and, if it is moderately full and you try to pick it up on one edge, you would really be torquing your hand and wrist.

I agree that sellers will claim just about anything is "civil war" because we all knows that civil war sells.

Bottom line recommendation: If no one on this forum can even identify it, don't spend scarce resources purchasing it.

Michael Mescher

[Spinster]

It's sheet steel (or iron), right? Don't know when the change from soldered to one-piece stamped came about. Hopefully someone who knows more about sheet iron items can clarify. That's the main thing which would place it after a certain date.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Hank raises an excellent point here. I do know that the mess pans of this shape that W. Osman reproduces from documented originals are not stamped out, but are soldered in the bottom and the side seam.

After nosing around, locating this piece on ebay, and reviewing other items in the same estate, I'm betting this piece is really more 'turn of the century'.

[GrumpyDave]

Looks like a 21st century Wok from some restaurant sale to me.

[dugel]

Looks like a 21st century Wok from some restaurant sale to me.

It is a possibility, this could be a modern stamped piece that was never plated or enameled. It could also be the same issue from the mid 19th C. Unfortunately there really is no way to tell for sure, since the manufacturing techniques haven't changed that much over time.

Army mess pans had specific dimensions but I have never seen detailed construction designs as to how the pan was to be made. Judging by the images, the piece doesn't look proportionally correct for a mess pan.

Both stamped pans (i.e. milk pans) and dish pans were around in the time period but generally they were always plated and not sold as iron products.

[Ronnn]

Luckily, mostpots and pans age pretty quick so a lot of genuine period stuff still works in an impression. But some items, and maybe some cooking utensils, weren't antiques when they were being used back 'in the day', so that "antique look" might not be all that desirable. I'm sure that's come up before here . . . but I missed it. Well . . . . I haven't found it yet, more accurately, heheh.