The Iron Guide - Ultimate Vintage Weight Plate Tour

The Iron Guide: Ultimate Vintage Weight Plate Tour (with Efren)

We went to Efren’s home gym to film a guided tour of his vintage weight plate collection. If you’ve ever wondered why certain plates (York, Paramount, Jackson, Zuver, Berg, Viking, BWLA, Iron Man) make collectors lose their minds—and sometimes their savings—this is your Rosetta Stone.

TL;DR: We cover history, identifiers, generations, and why some plates fetch $10k–$20k+ per pair while others are attainable entry points for new collectors.

Why Vintage Plates? (And Why They’re So Hard to Find)

  • Short production runs + regional foundries = scarcity

  • Competition use & gym history = provenance premium

  • Design details (hubs, fonts, milling, machining, lead pockets) = collector value

  • Modern reality: “All the sharks are out there looking nationwide… every 5 minutes.” So it’s about relationships as much as cash.

Pro tip from Efren: “The real collection is the friends we made along the way.”

West Coast Royalty: Paramount, Jackson & Zuver

Paramount (Venice/Gold’s-era icons)

  • Gens & tells:

    • Gen 1 (rounded edge, unmarked): “York-like” hand feel, rarer than later runs

    • Gen 2 (straight edge, unmarked)

    • Gen 3 (marked ‘45’): same mold family as ‘20 kg’ versions for international use

  • Why collectors care: Pumping Iron heritage; classic 3-spoke deep dish look.

Jackson Barbell (all 3 generations)

  • Gen 1: No cross-hub, no lead pockets—clean face, earliest mold (1930s)

  • Gen 2: Adds cross-hub and bottom text

  • Gen 3: Adds lead pockets (to fine-tune weight)

  • Value note: Early gens are extremely scarce; Gen 3 examples with original lead still in place are notable.

Zuver (the legendary gym brand)

  • Why they’re different: Not sold broadly—came from the actual Zuver’s Gym, which hosted the first World’s Strongest Man.

  • Design: Sculptural 45s, plus the massive 100/150/200 lb plates (reportedly ~10 pairs made of each heavy size).

  • Market reality: Recent sales for pairs of 45s have touched the mid five figures.

East Coast Pillar: York Deep Dish (and Variations)

  • Thick-hub Yorks: Earliest deep dish style; prone to cracking in Oly use due to hub thickness. Rare and historically important.

  • Standard York Deep Dish (unmarked ‘45’): The collector baseline—iconic, liquid market, and “okay to own multiples.”

  • Marked ‘45’ and ‘20 kg’: Same mold family, slightly shallower than unmarked; a bit more expensive and desirable to some collectors.

“York Deep Dish is the U.S. dollar of vintage plates—everything else gets priced off it.”

European Classics: Berg, Viking, BWLA (and Alco)

  • Berg (Germany):

    • Tall hub then “volcano hub” variants; used at the 1932 Olympics.

    • Influenced early Yorks—feel is very similar.

  • Viking (London), BWLA (British Amateur WL Assoc.):

    • Plates tied to 1948 Olympics; Olympic provenance adds depth.

  • Alco (Sweden): Distinctive aesthetic; later generations show extra detailing lines.

Strong, Iron Man, Universal & Other Rarities

  • Strong (Chester T. Goss, CA):

    • Quirky 102.5 lb plate (two + bar = 250) and cross-hub 45s; early cross-hub timeline overlaps with Jackson.

  • Iron Man (Perry Rader):

    • The 100s and 50s were marketed for heavy leg presses—still fantastic for modern machines.

  • Universal:

    • Early plates share design DNA with Paramount molds; tied to the birth of multi-station universal machines.

  • SIDS Olympic Bell (LA 1920s–30s):

    • Scarce standard (1") plates with great regional history.

  • Ivanko OMC Chrome:

    • The gateway drug for many collectors; chrome quality varies by run; 100s are extra-thick; a polished throne piece (literally, in Efren’s case).

Paint, Patina, and Originality

  • Original paint usually commands a premium.

  • Old repaints with character can still be desirable (the “old shop coat” look).

  • Chrome one-offs: York once presented chrome deep dish to Norb Schemansky after a world record—Efren’s pair came painted black from a gym trying to hide them.

Value Reality Check (and Entry Points)

  • Top end: Zuver/Jackson/York tall letters/Paramount early gens can run 5 figures per pair depending on condition and provenance.

  • Attainable starts: BFCO, Marcy, later Paramounts, certain regionals: often $200–$600/pair range (market swings).

  • Rule: Buy what you love first. Prices change; the story and hunt are what you’ll remember.

Collecting Wisdom from Efren

  • Network beats Craigslist. Make friends, trade favors, share tips.

  • Document provenance. Photos, prior owners, meet use—keep receipts and stories.

  • Condition ≠ everything. A warty original can beat a glassy repaint.

Support Massenomics

Tommy DeFeaComment