The GE Co SF CAL sadiron stand

This handsome nickel-plated stand measures 7 1/4″ x 3 5/8″ with three 7/8″ feet. There are low side rails and a gate-mark along one edge. On the face: GE Co SF CAL. Unsigned on the reverse.

This stand likely dates to the first quarter of the 1900s. It’s identical in design to The ND Co SF Cal sadiron stand discussed previously but this GE stand is smaller … possibly one size smaller? If so, then the ND stand may have served as the pattern.

Existing trivets and stands were occasionally used as patterns. Any resulting reproductions would be slightly smaller, due to the shrinkage of molten metal after cooling. Cast iron shrinks 1/8″ (2/16″) per foot; brass and copper shrink 3/16″ per foot. This effect is commonly referred to as One Size Smaller. (See Reproduction vs Antique).

This stand appears to read GE (rather than CE, as a few collectors have speculated). Notice the difference between the shape of the first letter of “GE” and the “C” of CO.

If the lettering is indeed GE, could that have represented the General Electric Company? Dick Hankenson included this stand on pp. 50-51 of Trivets Book 1 (1972), identifying it as GE. However, he commented “There is no record of this company in the files of the San Francisco Public Library.”

The lettering on this stand is again identified as GE on p. 215 of Trivets & Stands (1990) and on p. 145 of  my second book The Expanded A-Z Guide To Collecting Trivets (2010).

Research on this stand will continue. In the meantime, does anyone have any information to share? Please post below or Contact Me.