ID this Century

Hey everyone,

I recently got this lamp from a local pawn shop for $40. It's my 31st lamp and my FIRST Century! I love it but I can't tell how old it is. It has no stickers or markings of any kind on the base or globe. Can anyone guess the year?

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Comment by Ben on July 22, 2013 at 6:46pm: Thanks TomK!

Comment by TomK on July 22, 2013 at 4:23pm: By the way, has anyone seen Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins? Aside from being a great movie, his teenage niece Caroline has an awesome gold/red Starlite Century flowing away in her room! And later when they have a concert with Alice Cooper, the entrance to the ballroom is flanked by two gold/red grande lamps mounted on 6ft. golden pedestals! Check it out.

Comment by TomK on July 22, 2013 at 4:11pm: If you decide to remove the cap, hold the cold lamp upside down in your sink and squeeze a few drops of lighter fluid under the cap so it completely permeates into the threads. After you do that, run hot water over the cap for a few minutes to accelerate the reaction. You may have to repeat this sequence a few times depending on the "stubbornness" of the cap! This will dissolve the remaining glue in the threads and ease the removal of the cap. Also, a "cap-snaffler" will give you a better grip on the cap. Warning--it will require some muscle power to get it to let go! Your lamp is of the 1970s period--single screw base cap and uniform hole pattern in the starlite base are indicators of the age. Newer Centurys have 2 screws on the base cap and a separation in the starlite hole pattern. I have repaired several cracked Century caps by sealing them with super glue, sand smooth when dried(400 grit paper) and repaint with Rustoleum or Duplicolor spray paint(gold, silver, or black). They come out good as new!

Comment by Ben on June 18, 2013 at 7:38pm: Yeah, I like it! In person the color is kinda like baby food carrot color. I'm assuming its faded red. The fluid is very clear and the flow is good. Not super lively but still nice & stretchy. Can't see any markings at all, including under the cap. I don't want to take the cap off because it has a hairline crack. I'll leave it alone and enjoy it as-is!

Comment by Kirk on June 18, 2013 at 7:07pm: Nice buy, Ben! That looks like late 60s-early 70s wax to me. Same wax they put in the Consorts and Mediterraneans. And it has that tell-tale white stuff, too. I like the flow! I haven't seen a Century with this wax yet.

Comment by Metallica Man Trevor on May 24, 2013 at 1:23am: Its the kinda with wax! :-)

Comment by Erin on May 23, 2013 at 8:06am: If you can't see it by looking from every angle, there's likely not a sticker under there. You should be able to see a part of it without having to take the cap off. Grab a flashlight and have a look.

Comment by Ben on May 23, 2013 at 8:03am: I haven't removed the cap yet. It looks like it was cracked a little & glued. I've been hesitant to take the cap off. I've looked under the cap and can't see anything but I guess I should take if off.

Comment by Erin on May 23, 2013 at 7:13am: I'd guess early to mid 70s. The 60s models had low wax and sometimes, a two-part base.

Did you look inside the cap? There's often a sticker in there noting year.