Vintage Iron Thread

[morebarbell]

aside from the painted 45, how else are these different, if they are?

One way they are different is that they're not Ivanko.

[morebarbell]

Yes they are... Those are in good shape too.. I might have to give mine a good clean up after seeing these

Here is a pic of mine to compare

Nice!!

[2MoreRepz]

Referred to as many here as "skinny script 45's". The difference being the thin script versus the thicker of the Ivanko's. The argument over these plates actually being Ivanko's spanned over two centuries. I think the agreed conclusion is that they are not Ivanko.

[morebarbell]

Here's one of those 5lb plates (top right) and an "unbranded" 5lb Ivanko (top left) side by side. They're similar but not exactly the same. Not exactly the same size either. I've had over 1000 lbs of each type and in general I found the casting better on the Ivanko plates.

This "unbranded" plate actually has "Ivanko" lightly cast on the hub but it's not always legible or present.

[bajabill]

One way they are different is that they're not Ivanko.

I guess I am asking how is that obvious to the neophyte?

[urbanlifter]

They certainly look like the older unbranded Ivankos I've seen online. There is an Ivanko mega-thread under Equipment. They would be able to tell you for certain.

You've been on a roll lately with these and the Superiors. Good Finds!

Yeah, I have been scouring numerous sources and got lucky with these. Really hoping the seller sends me another 4 plates, I probably paid a premium but they are in fantastic condition. No cracks, hardly any dings, he said they had been came from a gym that closed down in Boston in the 80's. Man these things fit snug on the Super Power Bar, barely any play.

[Northernmoris]

aside from the painted 45, how else are these different, if they are?

How are they different from vintage plates? Is that the question?

[RemainDieHard]

Here's one of those 5lb plates (top right) and an "unbranded" 5lb Ivanko (top left) side by side. They're similar but not exactly the same. Not exactly the same size either. I've had over 1000 lbs of each type and in general I found the casting better on the Ivanko plates.

This "unbranded" plate actually has "Ivanko" lightly cast on the hub but it's not always legible or present.

What paint do you use? Rustoleum black satin?

[RemainDieHard]

Yes they are... Those are in good shape too.. I might have to give mine a good clean up after seeing these

Here is a pic of mine to compare

So a while ago I made the connection that there were deep and shallow versions of unmarked 45s. I believe posted about it here and compared with dumb.bell. I think our conclusion was that the earlier ones were deeper and slightly different OD than the later ones that were identical to current Ivankos.

So now I'm looking at my unbranded 25s and thinking the same thing. Can you or anyone else help me out and measure the width and the diameter?

[morebarbell]

I guess I am asking how is that obvious to the neophyte?

The font is very different. There are some nice examples posted by dumb.bell on page 4 of this topic.

[Northernmoris]

Referred to as many here as "skinny script 45's". The difference being the thin script versus the thicker of the Ivanko's. The argument over these plates actually being Ivanko's spanned over two centuries. I think the agreed conclusion is that they are not Ivanko.

They are the skinny script unmarked Ivankos. First edition plates.

[morebarbell]

black "unbranded" Ivanko



matching collars



charcoal grey hammertone "unbranded" Ivanko



matching collars

[SkinnySquats]

I love how this has devolved into an Ivanko thread, as if there wasn't a dedicated Ivanko thread already.

[PriorMike]

I love how this has devolved into an Ivanko thread, as if there wasn't a dedicated Ivanko thread already.

Is there such a thing as too much vintage Ivanko?

[bajabill]

The font is very different. There are some nice examples posted by dumb.bell on page 4 of this topic.

thanks,

just trying to gather some understanding. The plates I posted are simply from an add in my area and I have never seen them first hand, the wording and lack of an obvious branding name caught my attention from reading the current discussion. I have followed with interest old guns for a while, and that is still very cloudy in spite of manufacturer names and serial numbers on most items along with a mountain of books available.

[Northernmoris]

Is there such a thing as too much vintage Ivanko?

Nope... But Ivanko equipment has a dedicated thread for such.

[morebarbell]

thanks,

just trying to gather some understanding. The plates I posted are simply from an add in my area and I have never seen them first hand, the wording and lack of an obvious branding name caught my attention from reading the current discussion. I have followed with interest old guns for a while, and that is still very cloudy in spite of manufacturer names and serial numbers on most items along with a mountain of books available.

Happy to help. Here's a closeup of the light "Ivanko" casting on the hub. It's fairly uncommon though and a lot of plates won't have any identification unless they still have the stickers on them (like the charcoal grey plates above).

[dumb.bell]

Yeah, I have been scouring numerous sources and got lucky with these. Really hoping the seller sends me another 4 plates, I probably paid a premium but they are in fantastic condition. No cracks, hardly any dings, he said they had been came from a gym that closed down in Boston in the 80's. Man these things fit snug on the Super Power Bar, barely any play.

Of my 2000+ pounds, over 1000lbs were supposed to have come from an old College gym in Boston. They are the oldest Unbranded plates I have and some of the best castings.

[SkinnySquats]

Is there such a thing as too much vintage Ivanko?

That's the thing, I don't consider them vintage. Does Ivanko make high quality, functional equipment? Yes. Do plates that are mass produced in China/Taiwan & are easy to find constitute vintage? Nope.

[PriorMike]

That's the thing, I don't consider them vintage. Does Ivanko make high quality, functional equipment? Yes. Do plates that are mass produced in China/Taiwan & are easy to find constitute vintage? Nope.

Fair enough.

[morebarbell]

Fair enough.

I wonder what the production numbers are for the vintage "unbranded" Ivanko plates. We learned from the debate about the brand of "skinny script" plates that imagination is not a reference. I haven't seen production numbers from Ivanko. It would be a good question for Ivan. Some of the other plates discussed in this thread are easy to find. It depends on location somewhat. I see a lot more York.

1979

[Northernmoris]

That's the thing, I don't consider them vintage. Does Ivanko make high quality, functional equipment? Yes. Do plates that are mass produced in China/Taiwan & are easy to find constitute vintage? Nope.

That's a very good point. At what point does equipment and gear become vintage? The 70s and down?

90s is clearly not vintage, I don't necessarily think 80's are either..

[PriorMike]

I wonder what the production numbers are for the vintage "unbranded" Ivanko plates. We learned from the debate about the brand of "skinny script" plates that imagination is not a reference. I haven't seen production numbers from Ivanko. It would be a good question for Ivan. Some of the other plates discussed in this thread are also quite easy to find.

That's a very good point. At what point does equipment and gear become vintage? The 70s and down?

90s is clearly not vintage, I don't necessarily think 80's are either..

I don't disagree. I think the issue is the context of "vintage". Saying anything earlier than "19xx" could be fine, but also talking of "vintage" Ivanko could be also right because those plates represent something that is "vintage" from Ivanko's history viewed on it's own.

The last of York's US production from the '90's could be "vintage" in terms of being the last of the USA made plates, and that part of the company doesn't exist anymore. Compare some USA stamped plates to some DD's? Not vintage.

Make sense?

[dumb.bell]

I believe Vintage (Vinum is latin for wine) was originally meant to relate to the year of production of a yield of wine from a particular vinyard. The correct usage of the word would likely require the inclusion of the actual year of production of that wine. So it didn't actually mean old, just the age of or year of production.

Since older, high quality and rare Vintages of wine tend to be valued more, I suggest that these characteristics were incorporated into the definition of Vintage when it was adapted to refer to items other than wine.

However, its adaptation to refer to anything of age and or quality has been ambiguous at best. It is often used to refer to something that was in style in the past and has come back into style (e.g. vintage clothing). It is hard to say whether something is Vintage or not, since there isn't really a good definition for the word.

[SkinnySquats]

I wonder what the production numbers are for the vintage "unbranded" Ivanko plates. We learned from the debate about the brand of "skinny script" plates that imagination is not a reference. I haven't seen production numbers from Ivanko. It would be a good question for Ivan. Some of the other plates discussed in this thread are easy to find. It depends on location somewhat. I see a lot more York.

We get it bro, you love Ivanko and will post dead debates and the same Ivanko ads/pics over and over. (Even when the same info can be found in a dedicated thread.)

Yes, the term "Vintage" is subjective & not black/white. It's been hijacked from wine marketing and now everything on ebay is "VINTAGE" & "RARE", lol. Just because plates are not hard to find, doesn't preclude it from being vintage. Look at York, there are MILLIONS of pounds of York out there. Does anyone think that US made York is not vintage?

For me it's a combination of multiple factors:
Was the iron cast in the US? (Yes = vintage)
Is the iron older than me? (43, yes = vintage)
Is the brand still around?

There are other factors from a collectible standpoint, aside from the vintage label:
Is the item particularly rare or hard to find?
Is there a general "cool" factor to the item? (Think York DD)
Is there some other aspect that personally draws you to that item?

For example out of 10,000lb of collectible iron, I have exactly 1 pair of Chinese plates. 35LB Jack LaLanne's from when I first started collecting. They were produced in China and sold around 2000, so not particularly old. While I don't consider them vintage, I still like the plate style, they are pretty damn hard to find, and I'm a fan of Jack LaLanne because he was a great promoter of fitness & living a healthy lifestyle.

Fanboys can call Ivanko's what they want, but common Chinese plates are not vintage and are a waste of this thread. (Yes, I said common. 4000LB of fat scripts were picked up recently.)

The long way to my point: People are posting a lot of nothing special foreign made plates, over and over again. Show me some rare iron, some interesting iron.

[rlundregan]

I think Dumb.bell asked what constituted vintage in the first page of this thread. I didn't have an answer, I only started the thread because a couple of other guys thought it would be good to start a "Vintage Iron" thread. Some good questions on this page about what constitutes "vintage". Made in USA? more than 20 years old? Defunct manufacturer? If we want to come to consensus on it, we can spread the word around to the regulars around here. Do we need a consensus? There seems to be plenty of interest in the thread without consensus.

[morebarbell]

I think Dumb.bell asked what constituted vintage in the first page of this thread. I didn't have an answer, I only started the thread because a couple of other guys thought it would be good to start a "Vintage Iron" thread. Some good questions on this page about what constitutes "vintage". Made in USA? more than 20 years old? Defunct manufacturer? If we want to come to consensus on it, we can spread the word around to the regulars around here. Do we need a consensus? There seems to be plenty of interest in the thread without consensus.

The original intention of this topic was to make a "vintage iron thread to discuss/identify old plates". It started with plates from the 80s. And on the first page there was a post of York plates even though there is a dedicated York thread. Lots of people sharing lots of different stuff. Lets keep the helpful spirit of the thread alive.

Hi All,

I read a post a few weeks ago in which SnowOne and DonForeman suggested a vintage iron thread to discuss/identify old plates. I wasn't part of that discussion, but I see that no one has created the thread, and I have a couple of plates that I could use some help identifying, so I figured that I would kick it off! I don't have any rules in mind, no crew numbers to hand out, or anything like that. I just thought this could be a resource for people to share their knowledge about some of the really cool old stuff that's out there. It doesn't even have to be plates, just any older equipment that you want to identify or to show off!

I have a couple of 10 lb plates that I think may have been made by Hofmann Industries, but I wanted to be sure of this. They say "Made in America" and "SS3" on the front, and they have a number 1 imprinted lightly on the back. Anyone know for sure that these are Hofmann's, and what the markings mean?

So my original picture of the plate didn't upload....here it is. I have also included pictures of my Hofmann 45's. I believe that these were made in Reading, PA sometime in the 80's. Hofmann stopped manufacturing in Reading in 1987 or 88, I believe.

[AttyGuy]

Lets keep the helpful spirit of the thread alive.

Let's get a grip. This stuff, while interesting, isn't really vintage.

[Doctor Morbius]

If one wanted a really good grip, they would get Ivanko OMEZS or OMEZH (revolver) plates.

[morebarbell]

This trolling is getting old. Let's get back on topic and talk about iron.

Let's get a grip. This stuff, while interesting, isn't really vintage.

I guess I never posted these in here, and I'm not sure if they qualify as Vintage, but it at least gives Ivanko (Unbranded Ivanko) some representation in this thread...

Dumb.bell, they are totally vintage.