Wagner Ware Cast Iron Dutch Oven Set, Domed Lid & Drip Rings, #1268, Pre-1945

  
Wagner Ware Cast Iron Dutch Oven Set, Domed Lid & Drip Rings, #1268, Pre-1945. Fine Dutch Oven with matching #1268 numbered pot, and #1268 concentric drip rings lid. Dated to pre-1945, these sets are difficult to find. Pot is 10 inches in diameter.

Pot depth is 4 inches. The pot is slightly domed on the bottom.

I have never found one that is flat, as these were cast for use in ovens, or hanging over a hearth. Minor pitting on interior bottom is from bubbles in the casting process.

The matching lid top has bullseye concentric circles. This #8 Wagner Ware Dutch oven set, identified by catalog number 1268, is a classic piece of American cookware manufactured in Sidney, Ohio.

This specific combination-a domed cast iron lid with concentric "bullseye" rings on its top is a match for the 1268 pot-typically dates from 1935 to 1945. The Wagner Manufacturing Company was a market leader in cast iron from 1891 until its sale in the 1950s. The Lid: This is a "Drip Drop" self-basting lid. The top features concentric rings (often called a "bullseye" pattern), which became common in 1935. On the underside, it features concentric zigzag "sawtooth" raised pattern designed to condense moisture and baste food evenly during cooking.

The Pot (#1268): This is a 5-quart roaster. Most models from this era feature the stylized "Wagner Ware Sidney -O-" logo and the catalog number 1268 (sometimes with a pattern letter like A, B, or J). Dating Clues: Lids with raised writing on top are typically older (1920s), while those with the ringed bullseye pattern and no top text (as with this one) were produced later, primarily from 1935 until Wagner began transitioning to glass lids after WWII.