New to Goo

[Hopper Golightly]

Well, hello there, all you fine gooers. I'm new to this site, but I've lurked on and off since last year when the Colossus lamps came out for sale again.

 

A bit about me - I'm from Vancouver, Canada and I do not actually own a lava lamp, yet. Well, kind of true, but kind of not. I have a lava lamp that I've had for about 15 years, but it is not an official Lava Lamp. I love it and use it regularly. I've always wanted more, but I have a history with obsessive collecting and hoarding, so I must take care not to get crazy ;)

 

Anyway, I'm planning my first offical lamp. I'm interested in the following models in particular - Century, CoachLite, Aladdin, Grande and Lunar.

I'm full of questions and would appreciate any tips from experienced collectors.

 

My main concern with purchasing lamps, is shipping. Due to the breakable nature and weight of these things, I'm figuring that shipping is often as much or more than the lamps. Recommendations for the safest place to buy? Ebay, on here from collectors etc. Any info is appreciated. Many thanks,

Hopper

[Erin]

I think a lot of us started out like this; OMG BUY ALL THE LAMPS! I quickly learned 1) (generally) don't buy new(er) Lava Lite lamps from China. The ones from the 90s and earlier are much prettier overall. And 2) get picky! Only buy what you really like... but that takes awhile as you develop your tastes in lamps. 

And READ! :) I got so fascinated with the history when I first started collecting. There was so much more to know about lava lamps than I thought. 

[Critter]

Oh, well I do like the South Park lamps......have resisted the urge though. I've told my wife for years that if we had a son I was going to give him Eric for a first name and Cartman for his middle name.  I love me some South Park!  LOL

I really should have an Eric Cartman lamp that would go in my office for sure!

[Hopper Golightly]

No worries for me. I have no intention of "BUYING ALL THE LAMPS!"  I only buy what I like and I'm not in danger of buying something that doesn't appeal to me, just to own all the lamps. The four London Drug lamps were crimes of opportunity, but I love all the colours. As well, two of them were bought specifically for my office at work.

I don't understand this China vs USA lamp thing yet. My first lamp that I've had for maybe 15-20 years is made in China and I've had no problems with it ever. The four London Drug lamps are made in China and I've run them the last two days and them have seemed fine to me. Although, I have to admit the USA lamp is my favourite and I did notice a slight difference in the way the wax flowed. Are the China ones known to have issues?

I've already been through the lava library and done some basic reading. I'm throughly enjoying learning more about the lamps.

The lamps I'm interested in are the 60's Century, CoachLite, Aladdin, Grande and Lunar. I'm big on shape, not crazy about the cylindrical lamps. Also, the decorator lamps, not my thing.

I have no interest in the "sillier" lamps like the South Park (sorry Jim), but that is one thing I love about collecting, everyone has different tastes.

[Critter]

The lamp you have that is 15-20 years old has only a base made in China the bottle and it's contents made that long ago were done in the USA. The quality of the glass Is better and the contents, wax and water, are far superior in terms of flow characteristics. The new lamps from 2003 on are fully Chinese made and are quite different from the pre 2003 lamps which had bottle production in the USA. At one point much earlier the lamps were fully US made.

Funny about tastes because my favorite lamps are the cylinders.

Critter

[Jim]

And if you want a real treat, stumble into the US made version of the Grande - A Giant.  You will be blown away. 

Hopper Golightly said:

The lamps I'm interested in are the 60's Century, CoachLite, Aladdin, Grande and Lunar. I'm big on shape, not crazy about the cylindrical lamps. Also, the decorator lamps, not my thing.

[Hopper Golightly]

I'm meant Giant, not Grande. I confused the two of them. Although, I wouldn't mind having either I suppose.Still working on keeping things straight in my head.

Also, I have a question about the Century model - do the bases all come with the little cut outs? The only ones I have seen have solid bases and I'm wondering if I am confusing one model for another one. I couldn't quite tell from the description in the Library if the Centurys come with either cut outs or not.

Another question I had was regarding pricing. Is there anywhere I might find a guide as what current prices are like for some of the older models. I noticed that another member was selling some lamps that I was interested in, but he asked people to make an offer. It's difficult to do this when you have no idea at all of what an item is currently going for.

[Critter]

Hopper,

I've never seen a Century that did not have the starlight holes I suppose a production error could happen but one without would be very rare indeed.  The Aristocrat came with or without the starlight holes.  You may be seeing that model in both forms.

Century's are generally going to be in the $50+ range in at least good condition, poor condition may be less.  The Midnight Century is very popular as it is all black.  The standard Century was gold/bronze tone and is most common.  The Silver Century (my favorite) is like the black one and not as common, there were also some early copper colored Century's I believe.  Century's generally had plastic screw caps on the bottle for a very long time but finally went to a metal cap in their later years.  The price will depend on condition, age and bottle color.  The earliest Century's (model 100) had two piece bases, and some even came without the plastic base.  Some of the rarer Century models (the 101 comes to mind) are very rare and are worth a good bit more money.  However, you can get lucky and sometimes find a deal.  Recently I pointed Erin toward a 101 that was a steal at about $75 bucks.  Read through the library some and watch some online sales you will get the idea.  

By the way to most collectors a Century with the screw bottle top is worth more than a Century without it, etc.

[Hopper Golightly]

Thanks Critter. I have been confusing the Century and Aristorcrat.

This info is so helpful. I've read most of the library, but I'm not always understanding from the way the descriptions are written.

I'm watching a number of auctions on Ebay right now to try and get an idea for prices. I haven't seen any Lunars, but I imagine they are quite pricey. Half the fun is in the hunt.

[Critter]

A good condition Lunar that is already state side will typically go for about $1000 give or take a hundred. Shipping will add another hundred or so. UK based Lunars sell for a bit less but shipping them to the states is quite expensive and in the end you will spend a similar total. I have a Lunar and I can tell you that it is an amazing lamp and the quality is stellar. To me they are worth the price they sell for.

[Keith]

As far as China vs USA lamps, when production moved to China quality didn't.  And as the years went by quality degraded to the where collectors were very leery of purchasing new lamps.  Besides flow style (China lava is usually 2 or 3 round blobs, not long stretchy, oozy lava) many lamps would not flow at all.  A lot of sticking wax issues also.  And if a lamp became cloudy through shipping or miss-handling it would never or almost never clear.  Another problem has been globe (glass) quality.  From glass so full of bubbles that you couldn't see the lava to globes that were misshapen and lop-sided to globes that were so thin that some cracked under heat.  Fortunately some of those issues have been resolved though not back to USA quality.

[Hopper Golightly]

Critter - I must have a Lunar. 

Keith - I consider myself pretty lucky to have 5 made in China lamps that all seem to be working perfectly. For now. 

[Keith]

I must say that I haven't had the misfortune that others have with china lamps, except for the flow quality.  The recent neon series available at Spencer Gifts have been good lamps for me although others have had some issues.

Hopper Golightly said:

Critter - I must have a Lunar. 

Keith - I consider myself pretty lucky to have 5 made in China lamps that all seem to be working perfectly. For now.