Last year I found these listed locally to me here in Virginia, USA, online. The seller had bough them at a Flea Market in another state and after having them in his basement for 5 years decided they weren't his style of GPA for his collection. I contacted the late, great Mr Macburner for info after seeing his example he posted years back, and then Dr Terry Marsh who has put these on his site as well. They are in their original Military shipping/storage crate and unfired. They have their top shades that show some aging in the porcelain coating, all tools, spirit cans (including a large glass bottle in a metal can to protect it, spare parts, mantles, and the original paperwork that was placed in plastic for display. One of the original Jena Schot globes is cracked but all there and sadly both founts are stress cracked, something Niel said was to be expected. When I purchased them I fully expected the stress cracks and as rare as they are felt did not take away from their needing preserved. The case is painted on top with the name of PFC Ed Culpepper and the address to a now non-existent US Military housing unit 2 hrs away in Norfolk Virginia. I've tried, as well as did the previous owner, to locate info on Mr Culpepper to no avail, our guess being that these were sold off with his estate after his passing.
What a great find It is the first time that I see such Hungarian Hoda'cs Szeged with engraving on the pressure vessels.
What a marvellous find! For me, who has some of the Szeged lamps, it is not only the engraving in the tank that is unusual. The hat looks chrome-plated or very well polished. On my lamps it is made of aluminium. My lamps also do not have the Ditmar-like support frame, but open support frames with glass cages for 1cm wide glass strips. The tank also looks a little smaller to me than my nickel-plated tanks. More like the size of the military version painted by Szeged. In any case, I am envious of this find (the appreciative version!). Congratulations Oldfoxx66
The vents (hats) are aluminum, they just polished to a shine since they have never been heated. One has a few small dents were the lid was closed on it with the lantern crooked in the case.
Finds like that are one of the things that keep me interested in lanterns - congratulations and thanks for sharing the pics.
“Thank you!” for the info and they are two beautiful lamps. I wonder which route they have taken from Hungary to be looked after by you now.
They are so awesome, you even got the old Hungarian instruction pamphlet @oldfox66 why would they be stress cracked if they have not been fired and just been in storage ?
Stresses in the brass from when they were stamped causes the cracking, it happens over time and not really from use. Some makes are just more prone to it than others it seems.
@oldfox66 Ahh okay , why does this happen on lanterns and not on blowlamp tanks , I’m guessing it’s the size difference?
My blowlamps have thicker brass and run at lower pressure than my lanterns do- they were built for heavy use and abuse by plumbers most likely
@oldfox66 ahh that would make sense, I am a reasonably established blow lamp collector but I am new to the world of pressure lanterns , I haven’t been on this forum long and the amount I have learned is fantastic
It’s not simply the thickness of brass. In lanterns it is obvious that some brands, and/or some batches of lamps/lanterns are prone to developing stress cracks. AGM (American Gas Machine) is an example of a brand that exhibits stress cracking. Stress cracking is likely due to the type of brass used, and/or the process of shaping the tank (pressed or spun), annealing of the brass and other physical and manufacturing factors. Tony
