Saved you all from another eBay oddity!

[Chris Lea]

We just bought this Crestworth lamp and it arrived today.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2507798801...

 

Looks fine and my wife thought she'd got a bargain.

Then we looked inside.....

NOTHING!!

Just wires and a bulb holder.

I won't go into detail about the scars and scratches and dents - suffice to say that it's hardly fit for a bootsale. 

And the bottle top was loose and so the cap was partially filled with oil.....

 

So I thought that perhaps it was another one of those Silly Season Free Listings of Larva (sic) Lamps!

 

Guess who's about to complain.....!!!

 

Unless anyone likes to make us an offer??? LOL

 

[Rici Faulkner]

hmmmmm...how much do they give you for copper scrap?  I think copper may be worth a little something.

[Bill Smith]

How much for the bottle? I already have a spare base and cap in excellent condition just waiting for a bottle. There should be a large washer that holds the bulb and holder in place inside the base. This seems to be missing in your photo's.

[matt01165]

Hmmm looks like sometimes these older lamps don't have any support for the bulb it is just tucked up in there. I always keep my copper lamps! In order to use Astro's site i think you click it once and scrol down with your mouse and it shows a lot of good info.at the bottom. your lamp doesn't look bad to me I like it.

[Susan]

Seems really cheap to me, I wouldn't complain about that lamp if I'd payed the same as you. Personally I think it's a good buy.

[Chris Lea]

Hi Everybody,

 Many thanks for all your very interesting comments – lots of food for thought.

 

We’ve actually got another lamp bottle just like this but it’s missing it’s base – so we thought we’d be able to sort-of ‘upgrade’ our display.  So the missing innards are something of a blow…… 

I do agree that they’re a bit rare (which was why we thought we’d got a bargain) and that was one of the reasons why I stuck it here – because I knew you’d appreciate the lamp in its own right. Anyway, I liked my photos!!

 

We’re in several minds regarding sorting it out with the seller.

As you say Bohdan, Crestworth Limited and Susan, the price isn't too bad for a rarity – but we just wish it was complete…..  Thanks too for the description Bohdan - thought it was something like that.

Ricki – there’s about 140 grams of copper there – what’s your best scrap offer then??!!!

Bill Smith – ah – now if we can find the bits that are missing (or a replacement, that is) then we’ll want to hang onto the bottle – so no offers as yet!

So, in summary, we’ll probably aim to get a bit of a refund from the seller but hang onto the lamp.

 *o*o*o*o* 

Part of the ‘problem’ as I see it is that there are a number of dents and scratches (as well as the bit to hold the bulb being missing) and we obviously like to collect lamps in good condition.

 

But in this instance, is condition vitally important or is the “ownership” of a rare lamp (regardless of condition) more important?

 

And does anyone know where we could buy spare parts for this lamp?

Don’t think that Mathmos still sell bits for this lamp….

 

Oh well – a bit of a talking point at any rate.

 

Cheers

 

 

[Susan]

You might be able to make a bracket to hold the bulb, someone that has a Hunter lamp could post a picture of the missing bit to give you an idea of what it looks like. I don't have one of these lamps otherwise I would post a photo for you. As far as I know, Mathmos/Crestworth didn't produce this lamp it was a different brand and I don't think the company who made it are in business now, I could be wrong though, hopefully someone who knows way more than me will help answer that question for you. :)

 

If the lamp has a solid copper base/cap and not just a plated copper base, you could look into having it polished to remove the scratches.

[Modulo '70]

I've loads of these 'Hunter' lamps, usually marketed as Sata-Lite (lava) or Sparkle-Lite (glitter). Not sure if this one would have been 'Strand-Lite'  (just kidding). They are actually becoming pretty collectable in their own right although in the 70's they were the cheaper alternative to Crestworth lava/glitter products. I really like these!

[Modulo '70]

By the way, all but one of my 'Hunter' lava and glitter lamps have open bases. This is pretty much the norm with these although they did come with a plastic ring which the owner would slip around the base to prevent scratching on your 70's wooden surfaces.  I fitted one of these plastic rings recently from an 'as' brand new boxed version which had never even been switched on or displayed. There are about 3 or 4 variations of the 'Hunter' lamp design, nearly all in copper or brass look effect. Some very rare ones have a shiny chrome like effect/finish.

[Sly Bagpuss]

I've just been given one of these by a relative who had it from new and kept it well. As I know little about this lamp I was searching images and saw was the only one I've found, so far, which has the silver strands.

Comparing this to mine, I see three parts are missing, two minor.

Firstly, the base should have a black plastic trim as the bottom can be a bit sharp, and the screw cap on the bulb fitting.

However, the main piece is essentially a large, thin gauge metal washer. Simple to fit and it's reasonably simple to make. It's the same diameter as the internal diameter of the lamp but it has two parallel edges cut off to allow it to skip up through the lamp, past the ridges then twists into the middle of main cavity, resting on the ridges inside. The bulb simpy fits through the ring and into the bulb holder which hangs below. I'll try uploading a photo, if time every pemits.

Mine is also fitted with a clear 40W bulb.

It's a rare thing of beauty, regardless. Enjoy it.