Cast iron andirons

I collect a lot of fireplace equipment, almost all early brass. I try to collect only mid 19th century and before. Andirons, tools, fenders, bedwarmers, etc. Like most of the things I collect these don't have a lot of demand, since few houses these days have even a single fireplace. It helps to have a house with six fireplaces, but I still have way more equipment than I can set up. I recently came across these cast iron andirons, and although I have a couple pairs of wrought iron ones, this is the first pair of cast iron ones I have found that I think may have enough age to them to be worth keeping. Most of the newer cast iron ones I've seen (usually Prussian soldiers) are much lighter weight (hollow molded) and have slip on billet bars. Does anyone know what to look for in early cast iron andirons? Or share my affliction for things that are put in fires but don't burn?

 

Those are nice ones, I would have been tempted by those but I know diddly about them.

 

Not sure this is a match, but it’s waaaay down in link.

https://www.oneofakindantiques.com/search2.php?searchtxt=andirons&sold=on&Any=All+of+these+Words

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-18...al-Cast-Iron-Fireplace-Andirons-/202223148329

Lots of guessing going on as to the depiction. Risqué ladies and Black Americana! (I won’t say my guess, neither of those). Very nice Find!

 

If you google Joseph Webb andirons you’ll see more, purely attributed not proven.

 

Awesome, thanks all. I guess that tentative Webb attribution is from Skinner: https://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2743T/lots/1125
Wonder how many (and which) of these are re-casts, and when the first were really made?

 

Maybe do some digging in Google books.

 

The Chinese were making cast iron 1500 years ago. But, given Abraham Darby was the first to really make it durable, I'd suspect his fire dogs came earliest.