Looking for a non-liquid motion lamp... Anyone got one? Revolving multicolor beacon.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I'm hunting for an unusual lamp. Here's the background: An antiques dealer on Vashon Island, WA, who ran a shop called "Oberon's Wonderful Store", had one of these for years. When I was a kid, I pestered him about it until he sold it to me. Also, a house on Vashon had one inside a miniature lighthouse in their yard, and another house near Seattle hung one outside every Christmas season. A restaurant in Pike Place Market, the famous Athenian Inn, had five of these hanging outside. They gradually fell apart over the years and were finally removed, but no one seems to know what happened to them. Another local antiques shop, The Daily Planet, has one, but they don't use it and yet won't sell it - it collects dust in the window.

The item itself: Comprised of two hemispherical ends, bottom and top, made of metal, separated by a clear glass or plastic cylinder, the entire lamp is around 10" tall by 5" diameter. Within is a metal box, affixed to a motor inside one of the hemispheres. This box revolves around a central light bulb, and has four round holes, one per side, with circular glass fresnel (focusing) lenses set in them - red, blue, green, yellow. On top is a metal post with a loop or ring for hanging. I have found an old ad for the Swiss Golden Beacon which shows it with a matching hanging bracket. I believe these lamps to be from the 1960s or 70s, possibly earlier or later. See attached ad photo, a scan of an ad once sold by Cardcow, an online vintage-ad site.

Variants: The basic model was apparently called a "Swiss Golden Beacon", and was marked Swiss Harmony, Chicago (Swiss Harmony also made, or at least sold, those square, lantern-shaped brass-and-glass liquor decanters contAining a wind-up music box which plays "Little Brown Jug" or "How Dry I Am" when picked up - around here, those are a frequent sight in thrift stores) I have seen the Swiss Golden Beacon with a crackled gold finish on the hemispheres, and also marked "Swiss Golden Beacon - Manufactured by A. A. Holes Corp". Mine, which fell apart many years ago and went I-don't-know-where, was marked "Eternal Guest Light - Swiss Harmony". Daily Planet's has a triangular box with only three lenses, and a blue-green "hammertone" metallic finish. Those outside The Athenian at Pike Place Market had a cylindrical glass fresnel lens (think of a "jelly jar" porch light) that was colored in four stripes, alternating red, clear, blue-green, clear. I know they had glass inner cylinders because, for many years, one of the lights' cylinders was sitting inside, shattered. And further, the current maker of those tiny chain-hung light-up barber poles says the company they bought the product from (the former manufacturer, that is) made a limited run of three-lens type with chromed hemispheres, and had one left (but wouldn't sell it) a few years ago.

If anyone has: seen these, knows anything about these, has other brands or model names for these, knows of other variants of these, or has any of these... Please let me know!

By the way, the ad says "Golden Swiss Beacon" but marked lamps seem to say "Swiss Golden Beacon". The ad does not mention a manufacturer. I poked around on the US Patent Office search for a while, but found nothing - maybe someone who's better versed in searching the site can locate a patent or design patent?
~ Jonas

[mandysbus]

i think we have one of those in the box....i'll have to ask mandy where it is........i think it sez tripp trip[lsd] light on the box.....phil

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Might it be for sale? I had forgotten about the "Tripp Lite" brand - I've heard that name, too. And, if for sale, what might it cost?
Thanks,
~ Jonas

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Astrobaby, that isn't for sale. That's on Cardcw, they sell vintage ads. It IS a cool ad, though.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I know Swiss Harmony was in Chicago, but I think they were just a distributor. I've also seen one marked "Swiss Golden Beacon - A. A. Holes Mfg." I can't remember where I saw one marked "Tripp Lite" (I think that was anlother company name, not "trip" as in psychedelic, but I'm not certain)

Phil/Mandy, if you have one, I'd love to purchase it, if it's for sale. As noted above, mine (marked "Eternal Guest Light", a nice evocative name) was bought used many years ago, and was in poor shape when I got it. The outer clear cylinder was yellowed and cracked, and when that finally fell apart, the rest of the fixture was very shaky without it. I think I kept the parts, but I've searched the attic with no success so far.

[mandysbus]

i'm not sure where it is we have alot of stuff she said we still have it.we have to find it.......if we find it then we can talk about selling it...........phil....

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Thanks a lot! Let me know...

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Any guesstimate, by the way, how much you might want for it, if/when you locate it? if I remember right, you're in the Pac NW area? I'm just outside of Seattle - might not be any shipping.

I've confirmed that a patent was granted to Swiss Harmony, makers of the Swiss Golden Beacon (shown in the ad illustration posted above) for a similar beacon in a different framework in 1961, so I'm going to guess the $29.95 listed dates to the 60s.

[Joe Werwie]

Hi Jonas,

I have a Swiss Golden Beacon Model 170. The company listed on the beacon is Swiss Harmony Inc Chicago IL. Needless to say it has been sitting for years. The glass globe is cracked, however when I plugged it in, it did work.

[Connie Walker]

This is way late but after my father died we found, and recalled playing with, a Swiss Beacon Model 160-3 four colored lamp that still works and rotates. It's not gold, but green with plastic in the middle over the lights. It was made by Swiss Harmony Inc. in Chicago. It's hard to find out much about them.

If anyone is interested, let me know. Will probably put on ebay.

[mandysbus]

hey jonas....i still didnt find the one i have either....i also lost a cylinderhead/manifold that weight 100 lbs in my garage.......but i'm still looking.....

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Thanks a lot, Mandy! I know that feeling. If/when you find the lamp, just let me know, and let me know what you'd like to charge. Aren't you somewhere in WA? I'm near Seattle, so pickup at some location would be a possible alternative to shipping, if my memory on your location is correct.

[mandysbus]

you are getting old ...we live in PA.........and this was phil................