This lantern is an enigma. It is not listed in any catalogue I have seen but is clearly marked as a Sun Flame. I am not too sure exactly went on but AGM Sun Flame has to be after King Seeley bought out SunFlame Appliances and before the Kamplite range was introduced which was about 1956. Sunflame Appliances had no lamp making business before 1949 because that is when they bought out the Akron Lamp Co. So this has to be about 1952 to 1955 ish. Unless of course Sun Flame and Kamplite were sold concurently which might then make this a tad later but in no case can it be after 1960 when the brand name was changed yet again to Thermos. 300 cp gasoline instant lighting. Very poor qualiy tank which has several large stress cracks and this example will never run again.
We should clear this up since it's languishing on the net. This lantern dates to the late 1930s. It was updated as the AGM/Sunflame 2471 right around 1940. For a while around this time, the SunFlame line was AGMs deluxe line. Sometime after WWII, the SunFlame name was used for AGM export products assembled in New Jersey. I believe they were eventually a virtually independent brand by the time they bought out Akron. The Kamplite brand was introduced around 1949 and produced at the Albert Lea plant in Minnesota. Queen Stove Works acquired AGM in 1950. King-Seeley acquired Queen Stove in 1957. King Seeley merged with Thermos in 1960. Thermos products replace Kamplite and Kampkook lines in 1961. Hope this helps.
I wish it was as simple as you say. The main buy outs and mergers are as you say but quite where SF Appliances fits into the mix is vague at best because they were always an independant company. The Sun Flame brand was owned by AGM before 1940 for sure, But SunFlame Appliances was incorporated 12 July 1939 and from then to dissolution 12 Feb 1996 remained an independant company which used the Sun Flame brand. There had therefore to be some connection with AGM because both SF and AGM used the brand name in the years to follow. The statement of the type of business in the original incorporation document is comprehensive, far more so than any other lamp company. They state "To engage in import and export trade as pricipal or as the agent, broker, consignee or factor of others." Makes sense as we know they were in the 1940s export agents for Akron which is why they were on hand when J C Steese wanted to sell his company. We also know they sold Akron designed lamps as SunFlame after the take over in 1949. Both companies used the SF brand in the 1950s. Possibly made in different factories since they are marked differently. Quite what the tie in to AGM was I don't know as the incorporation documents for SF and AGM don't mention any connection but connection there had to be for two independant companies to use the same brand name and share designs. I have never been sure of the date for this 2470 lantern. It is not listed in the 1938 AGM catalogue or in the 1949. In between I have little info but model 2472 is listed in 1948 so it is reasonable to assume that a 247? numbered lantern was sold at some time between 1939 and 1947. I therefore can't argue with 1939 as a manufacture date although I would love to see some evidence for that if you have any please. I also don't list any model 2471 so that is another item I would like to see evidence for. ::Neil::
