I purchased this casserole dish for $10 before shipping charges, which I thought was a great deal. The larger version of this enamelled cast iron piece
currently sells for $140 on Amazon.
The seller, rightfully so, made no references to the brand, identifying only the markings that are visible. The piece came from an estate sale where the seller also bought a Descoware pan. Of the companies that produced enamelled cast iron in the flame colour, I believe there was only Descoware, Cousances, and Le Creuset. Descoware pieces however, are marked "Made in Belgium".
I have read some forums which discuss identification of fake Le Creuset pieces. Some have phoned their customer service line, where Le Creuset has confirmed three specific items always noted on the underside of their pieces: 1) Number representing the size in cm, 2) Made in France, and 3) Le Creuset.
I believe what I have here is a vintage Cousances Au Gratin piece. Cousances items simply had stickers indicating their brand on unmarked pots. In the 1950s when Le Creuset purchased Cousances, I can imagine some transition period where pieces used Cousances molds without having the new Le Creuset brand name stamped onto them. The other indicator for me is the size tag within the diamond shape, which you see in many of the midcentury Le Creuset-marked pieces.
Either way, I'm happy with the great condition of the pan and the $10 cost. I'm quite sure I'll come up with some new recipes for roast potatoes or my tried and true garlic prawns with havarti cheese...
Linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!
That is a very cool pan. You seem to have great knowledge about these different pans.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 round grating cast iron dishes with the same shell handles and markings in the same colour, I've been trying to find out the make too, you're probably right about Cousances. The fact they're made in France is good enough for me :-)
ReplyDeletei think i read somewhere that descoware was originally made in france - i think when it was made by le creuset. no matter who it was made by, it's lovely and $10 seems like a great deal to me :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful piece! Love the color, and it's in amazing shape.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best articles in this blog history,good topic was discuss in this blog.Thanks and good wishes for future.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! Yes, it is definitely a high quality piece, from the weight, the enamel coating, and durability over the decades. I had read about the possible Descoware pieces manufactured in the Le Creuset factory... I do think it's neat that regardless of what brand it is, there's a connection to Le Creuset somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI love it too, just about had a huge fight with a woman a few weeks ago. Worthy of almost getting in a fight. :)
ReplyDeleteIt seems like people don't care so much about the Descoware, but I really like some of the colors.
I just bought a fondue pot at a flea market for 5.00. It came in a Le Creuset box and has a picture of the same pot (different color. The pot has no markings other than a clear sticker with oil amount to add. There are instruction papers with it that says printed in France 1984. The forks do have Le Creuset printed on them though. So maybe they don't "always" print anything on them.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of those same gratin pans. The Le Creuset IS there, but the enamel is so thick it's nearly impossible to read until the light hits it at just the right angle. It's at the bottom of the oval.
ReplyDeletei just purchased a entire set of the gratin dishes that had been stored in a country store near my home since 1987 never used and the 2 large ones were marked on the bottom but the 2 smaller ones did not have the markings on them so i think your ok/mine were brown but the same none the less
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