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Antique Cast Iron Mini Skillet Salesman Sample Phillips Buttorff Nashville TN Stove Adv
A pocket-sized piece of American industry—this original Phillips & Buttorff miniature skillet wasn’t made for the stovetop so much as for the sales floor, advertising Nashville’s “National Steel Ranges” during the golden age of cast iron manufacturing. Small in size, but heavy with history.
A really fun little piece here—this is one of those items that sits right at the intersection of cookware, advertising, and early 20th-century American industry.
What it is
This is a miniature cast iron skillet advertising piece it
Phillips & Buttorff Mfg. Co.
Nashville, Tennessee
Marked inside:
“NATIONAL STEEL RANGES”
Back:
“ENTERPRISE STOVES”
These were promotional giveaways or salesman samples, not toys in the modern sense—but they definitely got used as such once they landed in homes.
Date
About
Here’s why:
- Phillips & Buttorff was most prominent late 1800s → early 1920s
- The “National Steel Ranges” / “Enterprise Stoves” branding lines up with their peak expansion era
- Style of casting + typography = early industrial advertising era, pre-WWII
- After the 1920s, branding and manufacturing shifted heavily toward enamel and gas ranges
About the Company
Phillips & Buttorff (P&B) was one of the major Southern stove manufacturers, competing with northern giants like:
- Griswold
- Wagner
- Favorite Stove & Range
They produced:
- Cast iron stoves (wood/coal → early gas transition)
- To
- Housewares
Nashville was a manufacturing hub, and companies like P&B helped electrify and modernize Southern homes—literally bringing heat and cooking indoors in a controlled way.
About the Piece
This little skillet served a few purposes:
1. Advertising tool
Salesmen handed these out or used them as:
- Desk display pieces
- Brand reminders for dealers
- “Hey, remember who makes your stove” marketing
2. Functional novelty
Believe it or not, these:
- Can actually be used (tiny egg, butter melt, etc.)
- Were sometimes used for ash trays or trinkets
3. Brand reinforcement
Notice how BOTH sides are branded:
- Inside → product line (ranges)
- Outside → company line (stoves)
That’s deliberate marketing—this thing is basically a 360° billboard.
Condition notes
- Nice dark original patina
- No cracks or repairs visible
- Lettering still strong and readable
Size
~3 3/8" wide — classic “salesman sample” size
