Coleman
lamps before mid-1920's
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"The Efficient" pendant
arc lamp, No. 6,
was manufactured by Irby
& Gilliland in Memphis, Tennessee, 1899-1903.
After selling these lamps
for Irby & Gilliland,
W. C. Coleman bought the
company.
The lamp on the left is
in Ernie Hiatt's collection;
the nickel plated lamp
on the right is in Dick Seller's collection.
The Efficient was replaced
by the Coleman Arc Lamp.
This one is also embossed
Made by The Hydrocarbon Light Co.
This lamp, No. 7846, has
the original preheater rod and cup
and brass chimney cap on
a reproduction mica chimney;
all other parts on the
lamp are original as well.
This "Abilene Historic
Society lamp" is in Dick Seller's collection.
This Coleman Model PQ chandelier
lamp
is reported to have been
used in a railroad station in southern Ontario
which could explain why
it came with #334 Coleman metal shades
which are not often seen
on this model.
This lamp is in Glenn Knapke's
collection.
The Model R Reading Lamp
with a # 74 shade.
Less than 20,000 of this
model were shipped
between 1909 and 1916.
Note the upper air regulator
screw.
This lamp lacks burners.
It is in Ron and Charleen
Becker's collection.

This Model A, the first
designated "Air-O-Lite,"
was introduced 2 years
after the Model R, in 1911.
Fewer than 25,000 were
made in the 13 months it was in production.
It had a curved air tube
and an improved burner.
The 306 shade was the standard
shade for this model.
This lamp is in Jim &
Jan Nichols' collection.

The Model H torch lit lamps
were made from 1912 - 1916
and came with the 306 shade
as seen here (left image).
The smoke bell in this
model has an unique design (right image).
The filler plug includes
black fiber.
This lamp is in Jim and
Jan Nichols' collection

This is the Ker-O-Lite
No. AVK307 lamp
with the # 307 matching
shade.
Coleman shipped 4,284 of
this model
between 1913 and 1918.
Note the arc lantern burners.
This lamp is in Ron and
Charleen Becker's collection.

These Model "A" Air-O-Lite
lamps
were made in the US from
ca. 1911-22.
The lamp on the left, in
George Rocen's collection,
has the shade holder and
heat bell.
The lamp on the right,
in Dick Seller's collection,
is outfitted with a Coleman
314C shade.

The Model "M" Air-O-Lite
(left) and Model "N" Air-O-Lite (right) lamps.
The Model "M" was made
in Wichita, Kansas, from 1915 to 1919.
George Rocen also has the
wrench and torch for preheating the generator on this lamp.
The Model "N", in Shirley
Willard's collection,
lacks the tip cleaner of
the Model "M" and dates to the same time period.
Coleman made the Model
AQ around 1918-1920.
This one, in Fil Graff's
collection,
has the 318 Coleman shade.
This model has the fuel
valve above the handle
and a Q70 Quick-Lite burner;
the fuel filler cap is
under the bell cover.
An alcohol torch preheater
was supplied with lamps as the above
as well as with lighting
systems and street lamps.
The torch soaked in the
alcohol in the bottle
and was applied to the
stem of the lamp below the mantles
where it was allowed to
burn down to preheat the lamp for running.
This is in John Carriere's
collection.
This is the CQ 329 table
lamp with small bug screens.
The Coleman company denoted
the model with the shade number in sales brochures.
This was the CQ gasoline
lamp with a 329 shade.
The "Protect-a-lite" screens
were made to prevent flying insects
that were drawn to the
light from breaking the mantles.
This lamp is in the collection
of Dwayne Hanson.
Coleman began selling the
Whirling Hand Demonstrator to dealers in 1922
so they could demonstrate
the safety of Quick-Lite lamps in any position by rotating the lamp.
The clamp (bottom) holds
the hexagonal valve securely.
The embossing (middle)
is at the top of the cast iron stand.
This device is in Jim &
Jan Nichols's collection.
Model CQ 333.
The sales literature lists
this lamp as the combination shown.
It was sold complete with
shade and large "Protect-a-lite" screen.
This lamp is also in the
collection of Dwayne Hanson.


Coleman also painted the
brass founts of the CQ lamp in three colors -
Antique Gold, Flemish Brass,
and Roman Bronze.
Unfortunately no one has
any literature that shows which color is which!
These three lamps, in Ronnie
Hardison's collection,
are all undated and have
#335 shades.
The Model CQ was made with
a variety of shades.
Here it has a 335A fringed
shade.
The fringe is reproduction
material
on the original painted
glass.
This lamp is in Jim and
Jan Nichols' collection.

This Coleman CQ lamp is
dated July '26.
On the left it is fitted
with the #307 green cased shade
which has white glass underneath
and on the right with the
#324 shade finished in green.
This lamp and shades are
in Dean DeGroff's collection.

Not all early
shades were glass; these pre-1924 CQ lamps
are outfitted with a 334
green and white enameled steel shade (left)
and a 334 white and white
enameled shade (right), both made by Coleman.
The lamp and shade on the
left is in Ronnie Hardison's collection
while the lamp and shade
on the right is in Kelly Williams' collection.
Another CQ lamp, dated
May, 1926, in Ronnie Hardison's collection,
has a 318 shade that Coleman
originally had made for torch lighting Models M and N.
This shade is brown as
are other shades designated 318 by Coleman.
David Jahn thinks this
shade was sold on the later Quick-Lites,
as seen here, to use up
old stock.
Coleman made the Model
532 for the Sunshine Safety Lamp Co.
Kansas City, Missouri.
It is similar to the CQ
but has a wood handle
and the generator nut threads
are female rather than male as on the CQ.
This lamp, with the original
shade,
is in Shirley Willard's
collection.



These lamps were made by
Coleman for other companies.
The first lamp (left and
center left) is stamped Arcolite CL 513 on the bottom of the fount
and was made for the Yale
Light Co. of Chicago, which merged with Coleman in 1914.
It is in Shirley Willard's
collection.
Model WZ (center right)
was made for Sears, Wards, Savage, et al.
and has the same burner
and 306 shade as the CL 513.
Coleman Canada made the
Everbright lamp for a company by that name in Toronto.
It has the same burner
as the other lamps in this row; I believe the shade is original.

Coleman made few of the
De Luxe Quick-Lite lamps (left)
and fewer of the De Luxe
(Quick-Lite) Parlor lamps (right) in the mid 1920's.
The two-piece shade and
pot metal fount covers on the lamp on the left
were made by Edward Miller
as was the one-piece fount on the right.
Fil Graff owns the lamp
on the left, which is running,
and Jim and Jan Nichols
own the one on the right.
Note the two different
designs on the fount covers.