To: The Department of Random Domain Management
From: Vincent “Depreciation” Hale, Senior Appraiser of Regret
Subject: Depreciation Assessment – Griswold Cast Iron Skillet Valuation

The Consumer Heirloom Division has filed a query regarding inherited Griswold cast iron cookware. They want to know if Grandma’s skillet is a gold mine or just a pancake flipper.

The answer is: mostly the latter. The original source notes that most Griswold skillets sell for roughly $50. That is not a fortune. That is a modest dinner out, assuming you skip the appetizer.

Yes, a handful of rare variants command higher prices. But rarity is not your inheritance. Your inheritance is the common #8 skillet that has been seasoning since the Eisenhower administration. Its resale value peaks the moment you decide to sell it. After that, it depreciates into a kitchen tool.

The emotional attachment you feel does not appear on any balance sheet. It is a liability. The skillet itself is a durable good, which means its value decays slowly but surely. Scratches, pitting, or a warped bottom will drop the price below $30.

Do not mistake weight for worth. Cast iron is heavy. That does not make it precious. The market for vintage cookware is thin. Collectors are aging. Their heirs will soon flood the market with more cast iron than there are stoves to put them on.

Sell now if you must. But understand: $50 today will be $40 tomorrow. And next year, you will be left with a pan and a memory.

Signed,
Vincent “Depreciation” Hale
Senior Appraiser of Regret
Department of Random Domain Management

SOURCE: https://worthless.cc/griswold-cast-iron-worth-4/ — Filed by the Bureau of Worthless Affairs, DRDM.

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* APPROVED PROCUREMENTS — SECTION 3                      *
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* Air Conditioning Appreciation Portable Fan               *
* Executive Thermostat Thank-You Note Kit                  *
* Climate Transition Neck Cooler                           *
* Standard Issue Breathable Summer Blazer                  *
* Departmental Air Conditioning Enjoyment Voucher          *
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* FILED BY: K. PATTERSON, DEPT. OF GOOD NEWS, 2ND FLOOR   *
* APPROVED — FORM J-42                                     *
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