Kerosene Lamp Authenticity Sets Value
Question: I have found some old kerosene lamps in our attic. How valuable would they be to collectors?--C.T.
Answer: Millions of kerosene lamps were produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. So the value of your lamps certainly is not based upon scant production.
Moreover, you will have to be careful to differentiate whether your kerosene lamps are authentic collectibles or items copied from older styles. Some collectors look for patent dates. For example, there should be a metal burner piece that holds the wick. Oftentimes, this is stamped with a patent date.
Interestingly, some collectors have discovered that kerosene lamps that were converted to the electrical variety have taken on a collectible value of their own. Many actually were used in homes in the late 19th Century, then converted to electricity.
A sidelight to lamp collecting is the accessory field. Lamp collectors comb through flea markets and country stores for such items as ornate scissors once used to snip kerosene wicks, or seek an assortment of lighters used to ignite old lamps.
Two collectors groups: The Aladdin Knights, c/o J. W. Courter, Route 1, Simpson, Ill. 62985; and the Rushlight Club, P.O. Box 3053, Talcottville, Conn. 06066.
Q: Sometimes you have written that it’s not a good idea to clean or refurbish some collectibles, because it might destroy their collectible value. Do old locks fall into this category?--P.H.
A: Most lock collectors would say this is true.
Naturally, you might want to wash the grime off an old lock with a mild household detergent. But collectors in this field are very particular. If you scrub your lock until the antique finish is gone, you’ll probably find it shunned by serious collectors.
In short, a valuable lock that retains its “old” look is far more attractive and undoubtedly will bring a higher price if you decide to sell it, collectors say.
Another collecting tip: Local locksmiths with their discarded piles of locks and keys still are pretty good sources for collectors.
Of particular interest in recent years have been old railroad keys that were used to lock track switches. Some have changed hands for hundreds of dollars.
By and large, however, old locks and keys are still a pretty good bargain in collectibles.
Thimblemania: Reader mail mounts on our recent thimble-collecting column. For openers we are told that the national headquarters for thimble collectors has changed addresses: Thimble Collectors International, P.O. Box 2311, Des Moines, Iowa, 50310. Dues: $15 for two years.
Leona J. Basey of Arcadia writes that the Southern California Thimble Club meets on the third Saturday of every other month at the Oddfellows Lodge Hall, 520 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale. The next meeting, she says, will be Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. until after lunch. The president, she added, is Marian Lipsius, who can be reached at (818) 352-6413.
Also enclosed was a card for the San Gabriel Valley Collectors Club (P.O. Box 764, Rosemead, Calif. 91770), whose members, she says, “collect all sorts of collectibles including thimbles.”
Three other California thimble clubs: Southern California Thimble Collectors, c/o Sandra Deibel, 17700 S. Avalon Blvd., Carson, Calif. 90746; Thimble Collectors of San Diego, c/o Betty Kraviecki, 5249 Mandalay Place, San Diego, Calif. 92115, and Bay Area Thimble Society, c/o Josephine Deane, 2134 Ninth Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94116.
A thimble newsletter: Thimbletter, c/o Mrs. Lorraine M. Crosby, 93 Walnut Hill Road, Newton Highlands, Mass. 02161. Price is $10 a year; $1 for sample copy.
A shop that sells thimbles, thimble books and related items: Thimbles Only, 3628 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta, Calif. 91214.
Another dealer/collector a bit further afield: Estelle Zalkin, 7524 W. Treasure Drive, Miami Beach, Fla. 33141.
Date Book
Stamp, Baseball Card and Collectible Show, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7, North Hollywood Masonic Temple, 5122 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood. Admission and parking free. For more information, call (818) 244-6602; or (213) 662-9326.
Ronald L. Soble cannot answer mail personally but will respond in this column to questions of general interest about collectibles. Do not telephone. Write to Your Collectibles, You section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.