Jim Van Es is a walking library of lamp information. He’s collected and studied lamps for more than 40 years, and he can take them apart and put them back together, which he does at his shop in Virginia, The Wooden Shoe. He is also a Worthologist, one of WorthPoint’s experts. In this video he pulls out an Aladdin lamp, an old Cornelius and Baker and even an old whale oil lamp.

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WorthPoint is pleased to partner with our sister company, GoAntiques, to inform and educate people about the diverse world of antiques and collectibles. In this video, Jim Kamnikar, who was the CEO and President of GoAntiques and is now the President of WorthPoint and GoAntiques, interviews Alan Grodsky at the Miami National Antiques Show. Grodsky specializes in early art glass, especially lamps and talks about what to look for in style and quality of early 20th century lamps.

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This is the first of a series of articles on the Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company. Over the next few weeks I will cover the Art Deco period and art glass giftware line.

History

Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company was established in 1893 when two firms, Wallace and McAfee Company of Pittsburgh and Fostoria Shade &Lamp Company of Ohio, merged. They began production at the old plant in Ohio, but after a devastating fire in 1895, relocated to Coraopolis, Pa. where a large, new factory was built.

The main wares produced by Consolidated were lamps, globes, and shades. They made both decorative and utilitarian globes for commercial and residential lighting. In addition, they made pattern glass tableware including sugar shakers, butter dishes and pitcher sets. By 1910, Consolidated Glass and Lamp Company was the largest lighting glass company in the United States and employed over 400 workers.

Production

The intricate patterns that were produced at the factory showcased the designs that were in fashion during the Victorian period. They hired some of the most skilled mold designers of the time to develop patterns exclusive to Consolidated. Their “Gone with the Wind” style lamps were decorated with lions, ornate masks, and foliage designs on the molded glass. Their tableware patterns were less-fussy designs such as cones, feather, and loop patterns.

Consolidated offered a variety of colors, including crystal, canary yellow, and ruby red were favorites. Also popular were apple green, mandarin orange and sky blue. Much of their production was milk glass, also referred to as “opal.”. They also made cased-glass pieces, which were simply layering two colors of glass.

Consolidated decorated and applied finishes to much of its glass “in-house.” Items were acid-etched and hand-painted in decorating rooms. They took pride in their craftsmanship and fire polished all edges by hand. They also carefully hand-applied scenic transfers and gold gilding. One particularly popular pattern at the turn of the century was Cosmos, produced in both milk glass and crystal. The decorators hand-painted the petals on the flowers in soft pastel colors.

In the early years, Consolidated Lamp and Glass Company produced large quantities of good quality decorative lamps, lighting fixtures, and table wares. Because their production was extensive, pieces are readily available in the antiques marketplace today.

Collecting Consolidated glass

The most important thing to do when collecting early Consolidated glass is to educate youself. Learn how to recognize the sizes, finishes, and colors produced by the company. Study collections held in at museums, such as the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the Corning Museum in New York.

The Phoenix and Consolidated Collectors Club is a group that helps further the knowledge and understanding of Consolidated and Phoenix glass (a related company to be discussed in an upcoming article). They publish a quarterly newsletter with in-depth articles and host an annual convention which has glass displays and lectures. Past lecturers have been authors, collector, and even past factory employees. By joining a group of fellow collectors, you establish a network of people with the same interests that can help you in identifying and evaluating your pieces.

It is also important that you buy from a reputable dealer or auction house. A dealer should be willing to discuss the history and background of the pieces they sell. Ask questions before you buy and examine pieces thoroughly, as a slight chip or crack can devalue pieces greatly. Beware: several pieces of Consolidated have been reproduced and vary only slightly from the originals.

Resources

There are some great resources available both online and in print. Some websites include:

Phoenix and Consolidated Collector’s club (http://home.earthlink.net/~jdwilson1/pcgcc.htm),
Fostoria Glass Museum
(http://www.fostoriaglass.org/),
Corning Museum of Glass
(http://collection.cmog.org/main.php?module=objects)

Reference books include:
Opalescent Pattern Glass by Marion Hartung
19th Century Patterned Art Glass Chamber Lamps by Ron Gibson
Antique Kerosene & Oil Lamps Guide Vol. 1 by Catherine Thuro
Antique Kerosene & Oil Lamps Guide Vol. 2 by Catherine Thuro

Its 3 feet tall and weighs about 35 to 50 pounds, made of brass, and on the bottom base it says MARIN, but cant find out anything about the lamp. I am trying to find out how much its worth, if anybody has info please email me at mdm13262 [at] yahoo [dot] com

To keep light in a home during the 1800′s required the use of oil lamps, for the most part. The glass lamps were functional, put out enough candlepower to light a small room, and served as night lights for the kids.

The first one above, circa 1820, is a clear blown glass lamp with a pressed bottom. You poured the oil in the top and sealed it with a cork. The yellow glass lamp was also a blown glass lamp, both made by the Sandwich Glass Co. near Boston, Massachusetts.

It was the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. that revolutionized glass production beginning about the 1830s. Instead of cutting designs into glass, glass was blown mechanically into forms that produced intricate detail in a fraction of the time of hand blown glass – about every 15 seconds. The cost of glass dropped dramatically for consumers.

Another hand blown glass lamp, circa 1840, not necessariy produced by the Sandwich Glass Co., used a heavy pewter collar which was appropriate since it also burnt heavy oil.

By 1845, Cornelius and Baker created this decorative brass table lamp that used mineral oil or kerosene to emit light. It was messy and dirty, but it certainly did the job well.

The little one with the two prongs had a brass cover and used a cable with ring. It was lit by a match when the top was off and burned mineral oil, too. This was a primary lamp from the 1845 to about 1865.

The Aladdin Mantel Lamp Co. was established by Victor S. Johnson in 1908. He enjoyed reading about the Arabian Nights series of books while young. As an adult he introduced a particular kind of indoor lamp that produced a rather soft white light and named the lamp Aladdin.

For the past 100 years, the Aladdin Mantel Lamp Co. has produced all manner of kerosene, oil, and electrical lamps, but each can be identified easily by a number stamped into the knob that is used to raise and lower the wick, except for the initial period of manufacture between 1909 and August 1913.

Since the very first lamp was sold by the company in 1909, there have been 17 different models produced. Some models are more collectable than others. Following are the Model Types and when they were sold:

Model 1 was sold between May 1909 and August 1910
Model 2 was sold between September 1909 and December 1910
Model 3 was sold between January 1911 and August 1912
Model 4 was sold between September 1912 and August 1913
Model 5 was sold between September 1913 and August 1914
Model 6 was sold between September 1914 and July 1917
Model 7 was sold between August 1917 and July 1919
Model 8 was sold between August 1919 and August 1920
Model 9 was sold between August 1920 and August 1922
Model 10 was sold between May 1921 and August 1922
Model 11 was sold between September 1922 and May 1928
Model 12 was sold between May 1928 and April 1935
Model A was sold between May 1932 and December 1932
Model B was sold between February 1933 and September 1955
Model C was sold between October 1955 and April 1963
Model 21C was sold between May 1963 and December 1969
Model 23 has been sold since December 1969.

Models 1, 3, and 10 are hard to find as collectibles while Models 6, 11 and 12 are rather common.

This is a very elementary way to begin collecting Aladdin Lamps. After all, light never goes out of style.

Visit http://www.aladdinknights.org and http://www.aladdinlamps.com to review the history of the Aladdin Lamp and why it is so collectible.

In the collectible world of oil, kerosene, and electrical lamps there is an abundant of detailed books explaining the history, type, color, manufacturer, values and other specific details needed to verify any lamp.

We highlight only a select few here, but there are so many others to consider when starting your own lamp collection.

The first is “Aladdin, The Magic Name in Lamps”, by J.W. Courter published in 1978. The Aladdin Mantel Lamp Co. was started in 1907 and continues production today courtesy of a select few of Aladdin Knights, early collectors of Aladdin lamps. Mr. Courter provides the full history of the Aladdin Lamp Co and the complete line of lamps produced during the last 100 years.

J. W. Courter also produced “Center Draft Kerosene Lamps 1884-1940 Identification and Value Guide” published in hard cover in 2007. This is a most indispensable guide to kerosene lamps as a distinct collectible. The current value of every kerosene lamp is included in this first edition, but a new guide is published every year.

What J. W. Courter does for kerosene lamps, Catherine M. V. Thuro does with oil lamps. “Oil Lamps, the Kerosene era in North America” is a standard reference guide for all oil lamps as of this first edition in 1999. Two subsequent editions by Catherine M. V. Thuro featuring oil lamps were “Oil Lamps II, Glass Kerosene Lamps” published in 1983 and “Oil Lamps III, Victorian Kerosene Lighting, 1860 to 1900″ published in 2001. All are standard reference guides.

Most of these guides can still be found except J.W. Courter’s 1st edition of his kerosene lamp series dating to 1978. There are many other additional fine reference guides in this field from miniature lamps to hanging lamps.

In the arcane world of oil lamps there are considered to be three distinct phases: simple olive oil lamps from prehistory to the 18th century, the Argand lamp created about 1780, and the kerosene lamp created about 1850.

First, the original oil lamp. First created from terra cotta, eventually this simple reservoir of oil and a plain wick produced light by soaking the wick in olive oil placed in the reservoir and lighting its end to produce light, but little heat. Evenually made from brass and bronze, it remained a standard light fixture until the invention of the Argan lamp in 1780.

It was a powerful invention for its time. Aime Argand patented a system that produced the first chimney-type of oil lamp with a brigher light equivalent to 6 to 10 candle power. Using spermaceti whale oil was also an improvement as it reduced the cost of heating the lamp itself. Until kerosene, a even cheaper fuel changed the face of lamps in 1850.

Basically, it was a change in the wick and how the air is drawn upward to maximize the use of oxygen near the flame. Ignacy Lukasiewicz, a Polish inventor, invented the new system about 1853. This draft form of lighting also came with a wick that can be adjusted up or down to increase the amount of light given off. But it was Abraham Gesner that pioneered the use of kerosene or coal oil in Halifax, Nova Scotia in his Kerosene Gas Light Company in 1850 which eventually was absorbed into Standard Oil Company.

There are additional variations of the oil lamp known as the mantle and pressure lamp. The mantle is a circular wick that uses more fuel, but also produces more light and heat. A pressure lamp relies on pumping air through to vaporize the kerosene before it is lighted. This is a popular version used by campers under the Coleman logo.

Many of the early oil lamps are quite collectible and are still used by many developing communities around the world as a cheap source of heat and light.

It has a long history of providing heat and warmth to generations of families since 1908. Today, many families around the world still rely on the Aladdin Mantel Lamp’s original use as a main source of light, as a secondary emergency source or as its main source of light in developing countries.

What makes an Aladdin Mantel Lamp unique is that its original patented design hasn’t changed much in nearly 100 years. Originally kerosene, now an odorless liquid fuel, is added to its reservoir and when its wick is lit produces a vapor that when mixed with oxygen produces a brilliant blue flame. A mantel above the blue flame converts the vapor into 60 candlepower of white light or the power of 60 candles lit at once. According to a scientific study, the white light of an Aladdin Mantel Lamp is considered close the effect of natural sunlight. It’s heat is just as prodigious as its light.

An Aladdin Mantel Lamp comes as a desk lamp, a hanging lamp, a student lamp, a decorative lamp and in so many different variety of shades, painted and otherwise, as to make a choice very difficult. Some of the photos will give you an example of the kinds of lamps that are sold today by Aladdin, but it will also allow you to recognize a unique Aladdin-style lamp as a collectible since the style has changed little since 1908.

As an exclusive dealer of Aladdin Mantel Lamps we are able to distinguish between a new or older version and whether it can be reconditioned for additional years of service.

Visit our website at http://www.woodenshoeantiques.com for examples of Aladdin Mantel Lamps and let us answer any questions about any early version of this American-produced supplier of heat and warmth.