Update.
Wonders never cease! I've been haunting thrift stores and antique malls for older cast iron pieces. Nothing. Well, nothing that wasn't severely warped and cracked.
I came home for Thanksgiving and mentioned to my mom that I have started using cast iron more. Now, my mom does not experiment with cookware. She still uses the mustard yellow Club pans she received when she was married. I have never known her to use anything else.
She proceeds to pull out 3 cast iron skillets. A lighter weight one from a local electric co-op,which she said she likes because it's lighter weight, but really doesn't use.
THEN she takes out the other 2 a friend gave her that she says are far to heavy. A #8 Wagner, and a #8 Erie (pre-Griswold name, but same company). !!!!!!!!!!!!
Sweet Jesus. All along, my MOM had what I was looking for, without even knowing it!!!
She is keeping the lighter one she likes, and giving me the 2 older, heavier ones.
Christmas came early this year !