Any one know anything about antique stoves?

I’m living in Binghamton NY. Today is the day that the landlord’s employees come to take my Wincroft stove away, because the brackets holding the burner assembly piece in place have rusted right through. I’ve been using a soda can, jammed underneath the burner assembly, to hold the burners in place. It’s not quite as precarious as it sounds, but I’m glad it’s finally going to be taken care of.

Wish my digital camera was working so I could take a picture of the stove. It’s smaller than yours, and to my baby boomer eye looks a bit older, but how would I really know the difference between a 40s stove and a 50s stove? I was not around for any of it.

I ‘ve been cleaning thought I’d google for information, and this site came up first. I’m guessing you saw some of the other stuff on Wincroft stoves, even a video on YouTube. I’ll have to check it out.

I have a Chambers stove from the 1940’s like your mom. I love using it, it was the Viking stove in it’s day. If you are interested in a vintage stove I would get a high end one like a Chambers and not bother working on your Wincroft. I do think your Wincroft is probably from the 1940s but I can tell just by looking at it that it was a basic cheap stove in it’s day. Do you know if you have to light the oven with a match? If you’re going to use a vintage stove it would be best that you have safety features on it. In addition if you bought a Chambers many services are available for getting safety features added on it and it’s easier to get parts you may need through the clubs. If you would like to email me for more information you can reach me through my website in my user profile.

There was a great house on the Crown Heights House Tour last October with a lovely vintage stove in the kitchen. The owner told me it was completely over-hauled by a local guy. It had some great features like a built-in griddle and even a soup well — which I’d never seen before. She said she loved cooking on it. Anyway, if I remember correctly, the house was off Kingston Ave on either Hampton Pl or Virginia Pl. So perhaps someone from the Crown Heights North Association could direct you to the owner. The guy was definitely local.

In Los Angeles, the vintage stoves are super hip and fashionable and people spend thousands of dollars for restored vintage gas stoves. I had one in L.A. I loved so much but had to leave behind when I moved. I bought it for $100 off the old Recycler newspaper (pre-Craigs List) and it’s now worth about $7,000 from what I see similar stoves listed for on vintage stove websites. Mine worked perfectly, never a leak or problem or danger. It also cleaned up far more easily than newer stoves. Something about the quality of the porcelain coating.

There are at least 4 or 5 major vintage stove websites where people can buy a stove and they ship them anywhere. You should email a photo of your stove to these websites to see what they say. Are you thinking of selling it? I’m not sure your stove is a valuable type. It doesn’t have the heavy chrome and clock on the back and everything. But you could see what these people say.

As for me, next stove I get will be vintage again. So much more cool than a ubiquitous stainless steel one like we have now and which I’m a little tired of looking at. Something about a vintage stove brightens and cheers the whole kitchen.