Pictures can be deceiving

Many thanks to the owner of the above photo, for his permission to post it on my blog!

I saw that photo and was curious about the pots. What were they called? What were they used for?

With the grills on top, they looked a lot like charcoal grill pots.

Actually, those pots are ashtrays! They are Griswold wind proof ashtrays, made in the 1950's.

However, there have been larger cast iron pots sold with cast iron grates on top, meant for outdoor cooking, similar to the Lodge Sportsman's grill.