Posted 6 years ago
Santphea
(2 items)
I don't remember a point where I thought 'I'll collect oil lamps' but I guess I've been collecting them since childhood. This organ lamp is one of my absolute favorites out of a collection of ?????. My children have counted up to 39 oil lamps in the living room alone. Found this one at an estate sale and got it at an excellent price. It is fully functional and original and I use it. One of the reasons I fell in love with it is the original glass shade. Estimated to be from around 1880. The glass pattern is called Dots and Dashes and most I've seen are usually from Tecumseh Michigan. One horrific day a picture of my Grandfather fell onto it and broke the shade. Ugh 100 years and I break it!!!! I've been searching for years looking for another shade just like it. I found a source that has four of them but at a price of 1475 dollars I'll keep searching. I've seen similar ones such as coindot, thumbprint, hobnail etc. but I can't bring myself to settle. I guess I'm one of those people who like to keep everything original.
I only cleaned the lamp with mild soap. The patina is extraordinary. I've seen people who clean and polish these to a bright brass finish but I figure you can never get that patina back. It has an extendable base but I can't seem to get it to work and I haven't found a reliable source to tell me how to get it to work and I don't want to take a chance and force it.
I am a collector of beautiful things. I love intricate designs and beautiful glass. My oil lamps range from brass to glass and almost all of them have original burners and chimneys. I also collect oil lamps brackets to hang them on the walls.
Thanks for letting me share my love of collecting here.
If anyone has a Dots and Dashes shade hanging around I'd be interested.
I saw one somewhere yesterday at auction, It was not as beautiful as this one is.