Antique syrup kettle

[lowcountry]

Hello, new to Antique - Shop. I have a syrup kettle with markings on the lip that reads goldens foundry columbus GA, and 60 on the lip across from that.This kettle is very heavy probably 300lbs its in perfect condition . What is the vaule of this huge kettle  Thanks for any help. Lowcountry

[CollectorsOnlineMall]

Here is the company website - they've been around since the 1920s

http://www.gfmco.com/home.html

maybe if you contact them they can give you an idea of the age.   The 60 is probably the size in gallons.

Here's an 80 gall kettle I found for sale http://www.millstones.com/store/shop/item.asp?itemid=75

Hope this helps.

[cogar]

Now @ 60/80 gallons I wouldn't be calling it a "syrup kettle".

Maple syrup and molasses making uses "evaporator pans". Applebutter making uses brass or copper kettles.

I think those big iron kettles were used for heating water ....... like at "butchering time".

[Sara Finn]

Welcome to the Antique-Shop forum, lowcountry.

I'm guessing that it's a kettle for boiling down M. syrup?

It's possible that it may actually be a 'rendering' kettle, as cogar posted.

It would be great to see an image or 2 , if you could post some.

Here's an image of a 20gal unit, ($1700 on Ebay) with it's original stove (rendering):

[sapphire]

A few hits here for you to scan...

Top right hand pic          http://www.millstones.com/album/igallery.asp?d=%5Csyrup+kettles%5C

http://www.millstones.com/store/shop/item.asp?itemid=80

http://www.millstones.com/store/shop/category.asp?catid=3

http://www.syrupmakers.com/clayton/index.htm


And the company history, in case you're interested.....

http://www.southernmatters.com/sugarcane/bulletins/First%20Hundred%20Years.pdf

[waywardangler]

from http://www.southernmatters.com/sugarcane/operations-cashwell.htm
"As we left, a 60-gallon Columbus kettle (Slide 6), was sitting ready to scald hogs, which was its job [See also Mark Watson ]."
  While a kettle such as this may have had multiple uses such as reducing sap to syrup, I think the most common use was in hog scalding.  I have 2 cracked ones with bail handles in the garden for plants and paid $70 for one and $20 for the other.  Neither weigh 300lbs as I can handle both.  Probably weigh in the 75lb range.  Very common here in the midwest as yard art.

[sapphire]

A bit more....

Goldens Foundry catalogues, 1918 and 1933

http://www.southernmatters.com/sugarcane/bulletins/Golden_Cat_35_(ca%201918).pdf      Page 63/64


http://www.southernmatters.com/sugarcane/bulletins/GoldenNo.53(1933)-l.pdf       Page 29


By specific item......

http://www.southernmatters.com/sugarcane/bulletins/Goldens_53/Goldens_53_TOC.htm