I bought this lamp a few months ago but forgot to post the pictures. It was a bit of gamble buying a lamp that I couldn't see but I took the risk and it paid off. This was quite a rare opportunity to break the seal on a lamp which hasn't seen the light of day for nearly 62 years. Here are a series of pictures that I took as I unwrapped the lamp for the very first time.
Mathew, Put it back in the box immediately or light it . You have a decision to make . I would sell it and use the dosh to go towards a rarer lamp . Happy New Year - Steve.
Thanks, glad you like it. Pig in a poke Jean? I haven't heard that one. I must say Steve, since I took these photos, I did put it back in the box and unfortunately it seems that some of the decal came off as it is very loose and delicate. So no longer perfect. One interesting thing I note about it and I will picture this at some point, is that the enamel on the hoods must have got chipped during the manufacturing process and Tilley's quality control simply touched these areas up with a similar brown paint. This ones staying in the collection for know, I've been after one like this for a reasonable price for quite some time, so when this came up, I jumped at it. . P.S. My condolences on the trees Steve, it is a terrible shame. Good thing I still have 6lbs of fruit in the freezer, don't tell anyone. Happy new year.
Very true James. I thought about sending a complaint along with the slip in the box to the Ebay seller, but decided not to.
'Pig in a poke' i.e. a tied bag, refers to when you buy something without seeing it. The fact that it's in a tied bag usually means the seller doesn't want you to see it because it's defective in some way and you're taking a bit of a risk. Not so with a sealed Tilley in the manufacturer's packing, I'd have thought...
Hi could not help noticing Matthews X246 same production date as mine. I wonder did the batch of 1500 date over a few weeks ?
Not sure what that quantity is all about, I'd have thought they were in constant production and not in batches. The label that stamp is on, I believe is where an address label would have been stuck, seeing as there isn't one, I imagine this one wasn't supplied to an ironmongers or direct to a customer. Perhaps a batch of 1500 was supplied to the army? My hospital lamp is dated 1952 as well and that is also unfired, if they came out of the factory at the same time, they could have been supplied to the same destination, stored unused and then sold off???
Matthew Guess you are correct as a batch mine was from a council probably for emergency lighting So they may have distributed the 1500 through a particular council or Gov issue during a crisis . . This theory goes out the window if as I suspect all lamps where tested checked and stored as yours was not opened. . Or in your case they just did not get round to it . I now suspect gov issue / contract . As opposed to army, as they would have been stamped and greened in some way or another . Food for thought Eh !
Old thread I know Matthew, but if you still have the Guardsman in your collection could you perhaps photograph and show us the retouched parts of the hood? I’m researching enamelling on steel fabrications and it would be relevant to that - warping of steel sheet in the kiln if no, or insufficient, enamel’s applied to the ‘back’ surface. On cooling, chips/cracks can arise on the front surface. John
This thread is almost as old as that lamp! I wonder what you have done with it now its mid 2020? Do you still have it?
@presscall @plantpot Oh yes, I’ve still got it and in pride of place. I’ll get some pictures for you later John. I’m surprised how old this thread is now, doesn’t feel like I’ve been collecting that long but I think it’ll be 10 years next year since I bought my first.
@Matthew92 Brilliant, thanks for responding and so promptly Matthew. Great you’ve still got this gem. Don’t mention the passage of time. Scary! One minute I’m kicking a football to and from my little lad in the park, next thing he’s 40 and has been living in Tokyo for ten years. What the heck, loved every minute. That’s the main thing. Hope to see you at Newark next time we’re there. John
“Time flames like a paraffin stove / and what burns are the minutes I live.” ― Irving Layton, The Selected Poems
@presscall prepare yourself and not for the dust that I can't get out. This bit obviously didn't flake off before quality control.
Yeah, a bit more. Not completely sure but I think it was around the £50 mark, still cheap. I remember the seller sold a few around the same time, can't recall what others made but they seemed reasonable. I think because they were sealed and the lamps condition was unknown it put people off.
Ooh yes, that’d count it as ‘seconds’. I mean, I’d reject it in the context of the original purchase if I’d discovered those enamelling flaws on unboxing it. I’m most grateful Matthew, it informs my enamelling experiment very well. John
No problem John, happy to help. I wonder what was used for the touch up, probably just some brown paint that would go black and burn off on first use.
@Matthew92 Yes, just brown paint with no chance of surviving a light-up. Ironic that the outcome was that it would never have to face that test. It’s a mystery why it was applied, because it’s not subtle enough to deceive anyone. On original sale, so many British products then were only occasionally available on the home market, with most destined for export to bring in foreign exchange. Maybe a buyer then would be glad to own a new Guardsman and not be too picky about a bit of cracked enamel. John
It’s interesting that the black hood is far more common in Australia on the X246 than the brown hood. The speculum plated tank and black hood is standard fare here. I note, too, that it has the single lipped hood. Tony
