Well, I got a lead last weekend and today I followed it up. Oh boy was it worth the trip. Always going to be nervous when you don't know what you are going to find at the other end, but this one payed off. Love to hear what you all think, this has to be the best of my collection now and will take some beating. Best regards Matt.
A real good find. Mid 1930s at a guess and in great shape too. I have seen more of these gold vases than any other colour but you can't call them common. Only 5 more to go then now just like me. ::Neil::
Yeah, same here - Old Gold seems to be the most often seen colour. I've never seen the crimson, green or black in the flesh, er 'pot'. I know of a former collector who has two. He wasn't ready to sell when I asked him, but said that if he did, then he'd be wanting substantial money. One of them subsequently appeared on eBay for £2500. It was a colour I wanted but far too 'rich' for me, sadly. It didn't sell at that price... Did you buy yours from a collector, Matt, or has it just come into the collectors sphere?
Nice one Matthew - not that I'm jealous since it's 'only' in the old gold colour. Like David Shouksmith I would be interested to know how you came across this one? And like David I have yet to see any of the 4 more uncommon colours in the flesh.
Yeah - the yellow and blue ones are as common as muck. I have seen a pink one - although the memory is failing and it might have been crimson. Whichever it was, that was the one that was offered for £2500. I've saved up for the next one but nothing ever seems to materialise. I guess it's like a very expensive game of lamp snooker (except the brown has been replaced by the red...)
The last one I saw on ebay about a year ago was a blue one and sold for between £800-£1000. I can't remember exactly as the chap sold it off ebay. I would be interested to know what the original price adjusted for inflation was.
Ok then Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm sorry to do this but I guess now I should own up to the fact that it had a sibling which I also brought home with me. But as David says common as muck so I bet none of you are really interested. I will put up a picture though just incase anyone is. To answer your question David and Jean, they came from an ex-collector of Tilleys. He had these two plus a KL80 which I also bought and three TL10s and a TL106 that I left behind. The condition as Neil pointed out is near perfect on both. The tanks still retain their black paint and apart from crazing on the gold one (Which I believe is normal and would probably be like that soon after production) the vases are mint. I will take some better photos ASAP. Next question is do I attempt to light them or not? Once again I apologise for keeping the second one from you but hey I thought the excitement would last a bit longer. I tell you what though they like a good sports car they bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. Best regards Matt.
A perfect blue vase and a slightly crazed yellow one? I think I'd better go downstairs and check my fireplace... ...yep, still there! Phew, you had me worried for a bit! P.S. if any ex-Tilley collectors would like to contact me, I'll also be quite happy to relieve them of the cream of their collection!
Hi Matt. What you need to do is come and get a couple of seal kits from me and get them lamps alight. Will they be getting the best spot in the house? Nigel
Hi James, you are right. They are a worry but I am going to be extremely careful when moving them and i'm sorry to say that they will never be leaving the house and therefore won't be able attend any shows with me. Hi Nigel, I still have most of the kits I bought off you last time. I took a couple with me to dorset good job really as the Bialaddin I was using started spraying paraffin out of the pump so I had to replace that. The other was a PL53 that I bought down there. Changed all the seals on it and then found that the tank leaked Oh well it still looks good. Thanks for all the kind comments, best regards Matt.
Crazing on old pots is pretty normal and nothing to worry about. I understand the not taking them out. I won't take my lonely old lady out either. One thing to look for though is the integrity of the tanks. Mine is showing signs of stress. Not cracked yet but you can feel the ridges and it is going to fail sooner or later. Just run your hands round the tank and see if there are any signs of irregularity. Other than that there is no reason not to run them. It is rare to see a broken or cracked vase so the design was good and you have to figure they mostly saw a deal of use when new without suffering any damage so they have to be pretty robust in use. ::Neil::
I have had mine out on show at a local exhibition at different times with no problems. However I wouldn't tempt fate by taking them both out together.
That's a good point, although I don't think it would stop me buying the lamp as long as the colour was one I [strike]wanted[/strike] needed and the price was commensurate with the condition. Just might make me think twice before attempting to light the lamp, of course...
Well I have checked the tanks like you said Neil and the gold one although it doesn't feel terrible is the worst of the two. So if I am going to light one it will be the blue one and I will just have to swap the vases to see what they both look like running. Is this likely to be common on these lamps? or is it just luck if you get a stressed tank or not. Perhaps some of you that have had yours running could check the status of your tanks. It would put my mind to rest a little if it is common. Best regards Matt.
Well two that show signs of stress makes it a worry for all of them. The manufacturing process would have been the same for all of them and whilst there may have been some changes to the brass quality you can pretty well bet that if we know of two then there will be more. These tanks are not made from en extruded tube but from a rolled flat sheet and brazed down the long side. It follows that if they were not subsequently annealed correctly then they are likely to stress crack in time. Not a disaster though because there are folk who can repair the cracks. No reason not to run the lamp either. Stressed tanks don't explode they just leak. So you might get a little fuel inside the vase which will indicate a leak at which point you either stop using it or get it fettled. No big deal, these are old ladies and I for one am quite happy to retire the real thing and use the repro for displays and such. ::Neil::
Thanks Ray, I figured one of these lamps in a day was a pretty good score so that would stir up some interest and then I casually drop in the second one. It just had to be done. Your right Jeff, the poor little KL80 has been forgotten about. It's sat on the floor it the corner. I'll go and get the camera and take some pictures.
Well I've finally bit the bullet and decided to light one of my lamps. Seeing as the tank in the blue one doesn't seems as bad as the orange one, that is the one I lit. Hope you like it. Best regards Matt.
