Century Cookware
"Will Not Dent Or Chip"
"Early Century" or "Late Red Mountain": 1950s to 1966
The Century Cookware series of cast iron was officially introduced by Birmingham Stove & Range in the early 1950s. The exact year the series was introduced has not yet been determined, but it is estimated BS&R began marketing Century Cookware pans between 1950 and 1954. While collectors usually assume all BS&R cast iron with these designs were Red Mountain series pans, the change to Century Cookware actually took place before the designs were updated and changed. A fair number of pans were shipped to suppliers with the "Century Cookware" label, while still bearing the maker's marks of the "Red Mountain" series – even as late as the 1960s! The only difference was the adhesive label attached. As such, it's impossible to tell which pans were "early Century" and which were "later Red Mountain."
When Birmingham Stove & Range re-introduced its cast iron pots and pans as Century Cookware, the cast iron pans themselves were exactly the same as the original Red Mountain series pans. The only difference was that BS&R produced new labels, stickers, and boxes to ship the same pans with the name of "Century Cookware." Because the pans themselves were the exact same pans, this change was entirely cosmetic and didn't apply to consumers.
Collector and researcher Dwayne Henson wrote on the Cast Iron Friends: BSR & Lodge Facebook group:
"The difference between late Red Mountain and early Century is only the label. I have heard two slight different stories on the change over. One: The Jones' being smart, frugal businessmen started using the new Century labels after using up all the Red Mountain labels they had. So somewhere in the middle of a shift the brand changed, same skillets, same patterns, possibly poured on the same day, different label. Two: a day was picked and on that day the new labels with Century were used. Same skillets, same patterns, different labels.
"When BSR went from Red Mountain to Century labels there was no change in patterns. The new "Century" skillets were being hand molded using the same patterns that just previously had been used to hand mold Red Mountain skillets. The only way to tell them apart is by the label. So this series of Century and the last of Red Mountain are exactly the same except for the paper labels." – Dwayne Henson, March 27, 2015
Here is a series of photos of a #12 skillet that is likely to be of the Century series, paired with an "older" Red Mountain #12 lid. This may be the heaviest BS&R lid I've ever held. It's a huge #12 lid, yet it still feels thicker and heavier than other BS&R lids. The handwritten #12 on the lid, and larger basting dimples, suggests it may be an "earlier" Red Mountain perhaps even made before the 1930s. However, it fits this "later" Red Mountain #12 skillet like a glove. The "later" Red Mountain is likely of 1960s make, due to the rough surface on the outside, and machine-polished inside. In contrast, the surface of the lid is smooth all over, top and bottom.
"Century Cookware" series: 1966 to 1970s
The years 1966 through 1968 were a landmark period for Birmingham Stove & Range. It was at this time the company's production facility introduced automated DISAMATIC cast iron production equipment. Dwayne Henson writes:
"The biggest change to BSR came with the automated molding machines. All the patterns had to be redone as the old patterns would not work with this new technology. Before this time their product had been hand molded, now a machine could pop out a mold every 15 seconds, giving them the largest production capacity for cast iron cookware in the world. This is when the thin pencil like tapered loop handle started for skillet and dutch oven lids. The CO [camp oven]lids had the tab handle with a hole drilled through it, they are marked using standard foundry letters and numbers, these are the ones everyone IDs as Century with the factional sizes." – Dwayne Henson, March 27, 2015
Brand new patterns for cast the production of cast iron molds were designed for the new DISA automated production line. These new patterns introduced the markings on the bottom of every pan that BS&R is most well known for: instead of simply displaying a size number and mold letter, the new design began the size number with NO. and also included the exact diameter of the pan, measured to fractions of an inch. BS&R was the only cast iron manufacturer who marked their pans in this manner. This, plus the instantly recognizable handle with the ridge underside, makes a cast iron pan from Birmingham Stove & Range very easy to identify if you come across one at a yard sale, flea market, antique mall, or other vendor.
Closeup photos of a No. 8 sized 1966-1967 era Century Cookware skillet, showing the surface detail:
- This is a "number 8" size pan of the "Century" series, with a diameter of 10 5/8 inches. It's slightly larger than the "number 8" sized pans from other manufacturers, such as Lodge or Griswold. Be sure to note the following:
- BS&R was the only manufacturer to use the abbreviation of NO. for "number," and IN. for "inches."
- A rounded font style of the lettering, as opposed to the block style and typewriter-style fonts used by other manufacturers. The font size is smaller than the lettering used in the older Red Mountain series.
- The teardrop-shaped scoop on the underside of the handle, unique to BS&R pans.
BS&R began putting a MADE IN USA mark on its pans beginning in the year 1967, though they did not mark 100% of all their pans with this mark. The lack of a MADE IN USA mark could possibly indicate this pan was manufactured as early as 1966 or 1967 (or early 1968 at the latest); though BS&R continued to produce at least a percentage of their pans with this pattern, without the MADE IN USA mark, at least through the mid-1970s. More information is provided below.
This original label shows that BS&R added a sticker to each of their pans, even though they did not include their own name on the pan itself.
Dutch Oven
The years 1966 through 1968 weBS&R's dutch ovens of the Century series were essentially the same as their older Red Mountain series in general design, with smooth bottoms and no heat rings underneath. The identifying marks underneath were identical to those used on BS&R Century cast iron skillets, complete with identical size numbers and measurements. The lids were interchangeable and would fit on both the dutch ovens and skillets.re a landmark period for Birmingham Stove & Range. It was at this time the company's production facility introduced automated DISAMATIC cast iron production equipment. Dwayne Henson writes:
Closeup photos of a NO. 10 sized Century Cookware cookware dutch oven, dating from 1966 to 1968, showing the surface detail.
Chicken Fryer
The Birmingham Stove & Range chicken fryer, or deep skillet, was produced for the entire length of the company's history. These pans were made in only two sizes, number 7 (10 1/4 inches diameter) and number 8 (10 5/8 inches). Of the two, the number 8 is more commonly found. As with most BS&R pans, these chicken fryers are huge beasts, a full three inches deep. The regular skillet lids will fit these pans. The chicken fryer has a flat bottom without any heat ring.
(At least one specimen of an early Red Mountain #10 sized chicken fryer has been found, but this was apparently discontinued by the time Century Cookware pans were produced.)
Closeup photos of a NO. 8 sized Century Cookware chicken fryer, dating from 1966 to 1968, showing the surface detail. Click on each picture for a larger image.
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MADE IN USA: 1967 to 1992
In the late 1960s, Birmingham Stove & Range added a MADE IN USA mark to the underside of its newly designed Century pans. This is believed to have occurred by the years 1967 to 1968. A large number of the newly designed Century pans were produced before the MADE IN USA mark was added to the majority of BS&R molds, from 1966 to late 1967 or early 1968, and these pans did not have a MADE IN USA mark. Until only recently, it was believed these pans had been produced in the 1950s, and the MADE IN USA mark indicated these pans had been produced after the year 1960. This is actually not correct. While Wagner Ware had begun marking its pans with MADE IN USA during the early 1960s, other major cast iron cookware makers waited until the later 1960s to add this mark to their pans. This included Lodge Manufacturing, and Birmingham Stove & Range.
The addition of MADE IN USA marks to all DISA production machines did not occur overnight. This is believed to have taken place between 1967 and 1968. If a BS&R pan had a MADE IN USA mark on the underside, this indicated it was made with a mold from an automated DISA machine, beginning in the year 1967 to 1968. If the MADE IN USA stamp was absent, the pan was older and was cast between 1966 and 1968.
While a BS&R pan marked with MADE IN USA can be guaranteed to have a manufacture date later than 1967, there have been individual pieces discovered that did not bear this mark. Other identifying traits on these pans still suggest they were cast in the 1970s or later, in spite of the lack of this mark. This is seen as proof that there was no law or government ruling declaring all cast iron to bear this mark. Rather, it was voluntarily added by manufacturers as a marketing strategy.
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(In the 2014 YouTube video Identifying Old Cast Iron Pans, I incorrectly identified the date of the MADE IN USA mark as the year 1960. The identification of the year 1967 as the beginning of the MADE IN USA mark is a more accurate update.)
"Century" series: 1970s to 1992
In the 1970s, BS&R made adjustments to the sizes of the pans in their line, in response to requests from distributors for a pan that would fit popular glass lids from third-party makers. The size markings of their pans changed slightly as these adjustments were made, as seen in these photo of the NO. 10 size.
The photo on the left is a Century series pan from 1967 to the early 1970s. The photo on the right shows the size adjustment made in the mid-1970s.
At this time BS&R added a new size 8-B This photo of a 1970s Century series dutch oven shows a "number 8" (NO 8-B) sized pan measuring 10 1/4 inches, as opposed to the 10 5/8 inch size of the earlier pans. This particular size, 8-B, was introduced as the new standard, and the larger size 8 pan saw a reduced number in production, if not phased out completely. These more modern BS&R pans are harder to find than the older vintage pans. Hugh Rushing writes on Facebook, "The other reason the [size] 7 became an 8-B is so that we could run it two up on a DISA 2013 machine. That enabled us to actually lower the cost of the 8-B as opposed to the older model 8 which was 10-5/8" in diameter." – February 12, 2015
Photo courtesy of Tom Vallejo.
Posted to the Facebook group Cast Iron Friends: BSR & Lodge on December 8, 2014 by Byron Holt: "Check out the 7 under the 8 on the size of this skillet! It looks like they changed the 7 to an 8, then added the "-B(7)" (it has a deeper font) after the fact to reflect the new sizing."
Also in the 1970s, BS&R added mold ID numbers to the markings on its pans, as seen by the 5H-2 mark in this photo. According to Hugh Rushing (posted to Facebook on March 4, 2015), "The 5H was the pattern designation and the 2 was the second impression in the pattern. [This was] needed so if something went wrong you would know which cavity to work on."
Photo by Duane Bennett.
Closeup photos of a NO. 3 sized 1970s Century skillet, showing the surface detail. This pan has a rough surface, but the inside of the cooking surface is soothed and milled. This particular pan shows the spiral pattern of the milling marks, created when the cooking surface was ground down to a smooth finish.
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This is a 1970s-era original label from Atlanta Stove Works, using the same model cast iron pan; only with a different brand label ("ATLANTA") on the label. Click on the picture for a larger image of the label.
Century Cookware Lid: 1966 to 1992
The placement of the basting dimples under the lid became more of a distinct pattern, and the dimples were no longer randomly spaced. For identification purposes, the size and measurement of the lid was placed under the cover, instead of on the top. In addition to the differing sizes of each end of the handle, Century series lids had an additional bulge at the wider end.
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Knob Handle Lid
This particular lid was made by BS&R for a brief period of time, estimated to be when the companyt began using DISA automated production in 1966.. This lid was the same size and shape as a Century Cookware cast iron lid...except the lid was not made with a handle. Instead, a hole was drilled in the center of the lid, and a knob was attached with a screw. A few BS&R cast iron lids have been found in the wild with a hole in the center, because the knob handle had come out. A long-running rumour among the cast iron community has stated the rare knob handled BS&R cast iron lids were actually produced for the Pioneer cookware line, but this has been demonstrated to be incorrect. It seems more likely this was attempted as a cost-cutting measure to reduce the cost of producing lids. However, the additional cost of the knob, an extra screw for every lid, and paying a worker to screw the knob into every lid turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. This experiment was discontinued, and BS&R returned to producing lids with handles, cast in a single mold.
Photos courtesy of Al Fredrickson.
Special Century Cookware pans: 1966 to 1992
Chef Skillet, Square Skillet, Breakfast Skillet, and the Jumbo Skillet
The years 1966 through 1968 saw the introduction of the new DISA automated production system at Birmingham Stove & Range. This new system allowed the company to greatly increase its production and output. It also gave them the opportunity to experiment with different designs and shapes, to generate further revenue for the company and see what might catch on with the public. Most of these pans were produced with a single size and shape. These included the Chef Skillet, Square Skillet, Breakfast Skillet, Aebeksliver pan, and the Jumbo Skillet.
Corn Bread Pans
Birmingham Stove & Range produced many cast iron corn stick baking pans. What's more, this company can be credited as the first company to produce the popular corn bread skillet, a cast iron pan with eight wedges for individual pieces of cornbread. (This pan can also be used to bake cookies, brownies, and many other delightful foods.) Lodge produced its own imitation of the cornbread skillet shortly after the original was introduced by BS&R; though they added a hole in the center of the pan. When BS&R's designs were acquired by Lodge in the late 1980s, the design and ownership of the cornbread skillet was passed on to Lodge. This pan is sold today as the Lodge wedge pan.
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