Early lava article

[fog rider]

This is one of the oldest references I've ever found for lava lamps. From the Chicago Tribune newspaper, December 12 1965. The article is entitled "Holiday Home Brighteners".

[fog rider]

Here's the oldest Lava Advertisement I've yet found. It's also from the Chicago Tribune, dated December 5th, 1965. Notice how expensive the lamp was. $30 was a lot of money back in 1965, when you consider that the average new family car cost about $2500.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

First-year Lava Lites, not denoted "Century" or anything, had a lightly-brushed copper base, with a black tray bottom, a rotary switch mounted on the side, and seamless construction like an Astro. Color combinations were red/clear, red/fluorescent green, green/blue, yellow/blue-green, orange/yellow and cream/lavendar. The last one was soon replaced with "Champagne Mist". Some, shown in wholesale catalogs, may have had a black cap. First-year Lava Lites had oil lava, which stayed liquid at room temperature. The catalog page for them, which is in color, shows a line-up (with no text) on one edge which includes what may have been test or experimental colors. In a row are: green/blue, orange/yellow (very misty) black/clear (!!!) red/clear and a polished-finish lamp with what appears to be red/pale blue breaking up into many small bubbles. The page's background is a close-up of a green/blue, and you can see the many air bubbles in the oil lava. There is only a drawing of a cream/lavendar, though a later page for brass models shows the yellow/green-blue and red/fluorescent green.

Later Century models switched to a two-part base, first with the parts separate in a brushed copper color, and later with them attached in satin gold. All six colors lasted with the Century until at least 1967 (all other models came in only red/.clear, green/blue and Champagne Mist). After 1967, the Century came in five, dropping Champagne Mist as all but the Continental/Savoy also did. Other lamps (except Century and Enchantress, which had its own special colors) switched out Champagne Mist for orange/yellow.

Incidentally, Lava made a white/purple, and the newer yellow/blue is a nice approximation for yellow/blue-green. So if you like refilling, you can get screw-top gold Centuries in two rare colors, one of which actually never came in gold Centuries, but I'd try it anyway.

...anyone know where I can get a 52oz. white/purple...?

[Modulo '70]

Great article Fog, nice find

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Switch was a metal rotary on/odd, mounted on the side of the lower cone. My catalog page shows a merchandise display that places one lamp in front of two angled mirrors, and the switch is visible in one of the reflections.