I love old baking pans! Mom used (and still uses!) this kind of bread pan while I was growing up, and I was always fascinated with the designs. They are raised/indented which makes a cute pattern on the bread--whether yeast breads or sweet breads.
I don't know if Ovenex was the only company that made a starburst pattern, but these say "Ovenex."
A journeyman tinsmith, Edward Katzinger, came from Austria to New York City in 1881 at the age of 18. In 1888, he started the Edward Katzinger Company in Chicago, manufacturing commercial baking pans. In 1903, the Ekco Company (I guess his initals and Co.?) was started, first making military boxes. The first mess kits issued to soldiers in WWI were made by Ekco.
Through the years, Katzinger bought out many bakeware companies, increasing his size tremendously, branching out into many areas. Starting in 1945, Ovenex bakeware was manufactured for a period of 20 years.
The one below is not a starburst pattern, although also made by Ovenex. It's just a bumpy one, but still lovely in my eyes.
And I have no idea of the company name on this round one, but isn't the little "blade" that circles around terribly cute? I've never tried to use it, so can't say it works well, but think it looks like a smart idea.
Even though these sit unused on my hutch shelf, I do have a couple Ovenex pans I use sometimes. I run my fingers over the fun ridges of the starburst and count myself blessed to have grown up with such beauties.
