Size 3 Mrs. Potts Cold Handle Sad Iron

Size 3 Mrs. Potts Cold Handle Sad Iron

Take home a piece of America's past with this Size 3 Mrs. Potts Cold Handle Sad Iron, circa 1900. Mary Florence Potts of Ottumwa, Iowa revolutionized the ironing process when she patented her detachable handled sad iron in 1871. Her iron was originally sold as a set of three hollow bases with one handle and a stand. The extra bases were left on the stove to heat while the clothes presser ironed, and when the present iron cooled the handle was switched to an already heated base. The body of the Potts iron was cast hollow (rather than solid) and the bottom had a thicker layer of iron than the sides. It was filled with material that was a non-conductor of heat, such as plaster of paris, cement, or clay. Consequently, not as much heat would radiate up. Mrs. Potts claimed in her patent that this material held the heat longer so that more garments could be ironed without reheating the iron. Another advantage to her iron was that it was double-pointed so one could iron in either direction.

Mrs. Potts became very famous and was one of the very earliest commercial successes in the post-Civil War economy. She directed her company with executive precision, featured her picture in advertising, and licensed her patent to many companies. Her irons became the standard of the industry and were widely manufactured and licensed in the United States and Europe. At the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, her cold-handled sad iron was the toast of the fair. She spent decades touring the country promoting her product. By 1894, the Montgomery Ward Catalog started carrying Mrs. Pott's invention.

Constructed out of cast iron, with the original wooden handle, this Size 3 Mrs. Potts Cold Handle Sad Iron is stamped Potts Size 3, Best On Earth, measures, 05.25 inches H X 06.25 inches W X 03.25 inches D, and although it was originally intended as a clothes press, its weight is such that it is heavy enough to use as a unique door- stopper.