re: For those with a Lodge cast iron skillet, did you sand the inside to a smooth polish?

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What do you look for in terms of models/brands to know what is worth the buy?

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Griswold is always a buy at the right price. I pick up most Wagners, except for the 1891 series. Those aren't vintage.

The Chicago Hardware Foundry is probably my favorite. It burned down in a riot in 1938. Sometimes those are just marked with a diamond.

Birmingham Stove and Range is another good one. I've never seen the name cast on those.

Usually, I'll buy a pan if it's reasonably priced and I like the surface texture. I'll figure out what it is later because some of the unmarked ones are really difficult to identify.

Unmarked Wagners are really common finds. They make great, thoughtful gifts for friends who cook. But those aren't the really prized pans that fetch $100+ online.

To me, smooth in cast iron is the presence of a hard black uniform cooking surface with any irregularities filled in with a hard/black carbon layer

I would call the small skillet on top in this photo smooth. The ones under it look the same, so all of them are smooth.

I can get most any skillet looking like this in a month or so. There is no secret. Use the skillet a lot with oil and they will quickly get that way. Fry in them, make cornbread, use vegetable oil. It is not rocket science. When finished, wipe the surface with a paper towel.

Not trying to start a fight. None of the skillets below have been sprayed with oven cleaner. None have had an oven cleaning cycle used on them. None have been placed in burning coals. The 10 inch on the bottom is over 80 years old. Not sure about the first twenty years, but nothing has been done to it in 60 years.