Not for the first time but this was a batch of lanterns offered on an auction site and now offered separately. They are called military lanterns and a green metal box is included like the BW army box. However this box does not have the instruction sticker. As for the lantern, it seems China made, has crude text "chiselled" in the tank but is still called and labelled as "Petromax". It even has the Graetz logo which is doubtfull, since the company doesn't exist anymore . As for military: I doubt if they want a shiny copy. What do you think?
Looks like a Chinese petromax to me, if it has a 6 digit number underneath and 11 points on the star then yes chinese made.
@WimVe You’ve surely made a sound case that the lantern isn’t a genuine military issue, and yes, the engraving on the tank is crudely done. Have you bought it? Hopefully for a price reflecting its dodgy credentials!
@presscall, hell no ! I don't buy new lanterns unless nos and certainly not chinese lanterns. I was just wondering about the whole set. I see a chinese made lantern, a (legal?) used Graetz logo and a blank military box. The whole combo is very strange.
The (later) Petromax and Geniol mil spec were mostly dull nickel plating, I have some ex-Belgian army ones from the late 1950s and these are bright nickel plated, as is my Coleman 238B ex B a. from 1952.
Your cup runneth over Wim. Bring at least one over to Newark if you get there again in 2022. All the best, John
Can you present them here? I wonder if they have the same bad engravings as the ones I found and if they had the typical green steel NATO case.
Hi John,@presscall , I'd love to come to Newark again next year, all will depend on costs! As far as I can tell, channel crossings have become a lot more expensive, and thanks to Brexit we now have to get a passport which adds another 80something eu to the bill...all for just a weekend. Hi Wim, @WimVe , as they were made in the 1950s, quality is of the usual high German standards. They are identical to the ones sold to the public. Out of 4, only one or 2 are clearly marked (on the bottom) to be Belgian Army ones. I think they are early ones, later shipments no longer being marked. They didn't come in the steel NATO cases, in fact most sat in wooden boxes in pairs, with some spare parts, tools, fuel and enamelled reflectors (I have 4 reflectors, but sadly no cases). They were imported by an iron monger in Wachtebeke, a shop established in 1916 and now waiting to be demolished. I went there some years ago, found some Veritas mantles for Tilley lanterns and some spare parts for stoves (mainly spare nipples). The lady running the business was well in her 80s and did not remember much... I think she was not yet married into the firm at the 1950s. The Belgian airforce also used lanterns, but they wanted to be "different" from the land army, so they bought...AIDAs! We all know they came from the same factory of course. 6 or 7 years ago, a chap bought all remaining stocks from the air force(including some used and a couple NOS AIDAs, and loads of mantles and spare parts) . All spare parts are marked Petromax.
That batch of lanterns are certainly fakes. No doubts about it. They're too new and shiny. The overall shape/geometry and metal work deviate too far off the originals. I'm amazed that they took the trouble to actually produce 'Petromax' copies that look so distinguishable from the real thing. With all the modern machinery available to them these days, I'd be surprised if they really can't make an exact replica. I'm beginning to wonder if the difference was actually deliberate for some reasons. Perhaps using their own brand name or making the styles entirely different might be better choices.
I know I'm late to the party on this, but for those like me that are not in the know, the two things I would look for are whether a Petromax lantern states Germany or Made in Germany, and the other being 10 points on the star versus 11. Just stating Germany tells me it's made in China. If there are 11 points on the star, for me, that's the second guarantee it's made in China.
Well first Petromax lanterns stoped being made when the factory in Altena German stopped making them. The name Petromax as a brand name can be found, now a days, on everything related to outdoor. All petromax branded lanterns are now made in China. If you, as a manufacturer, would make a batch of rare lanterns would they still be rare? Copying an existing model would be fraud, I guess. I think it is simple to let manufacture rare petromax lanterns. Mostly the only part is another shape of tank. Even a flat top to put your coffee cup on is a simple feature.
Now they even stamped the 'G' on the logo. They'd probably stamp the ten-pointed star instead of eleven nowadays. These might be illegally-made ones. If the price is right, they'd do anything. Modern Petromax lanterns made under license from China should be having a 'P' on the logos I think.
I think I have seen some Indian E/Bay sales items with slightly imperfect name punching pretending to be something they are NOT
