Hi John You have a very beautiful lantern, Anchor No.385. According to the information I have verified, although it is made in China, it is a lantern with a small amount in China. First of all, what I can investigate is that the Pressure lantern may be sold to China as early as World War I. At that time, dealers in China were "谦信洋行". I can't verify the specific production years of these two lanterns, but I think it can prove. The following conclusions are my guessing, there may be many incorrect places, please forgive me. First of all, according to its naming form, I guess it may be established by foreigners at that time in China. Because the “k.s” looks like the first letters of a person's name, Chinese factories are generally not used to named after this method. Second, "Sin Hsin Works" is the transliteration of "新鑫廠". This is a very Chinese name. I guess the "Anchor" should be registered by a foreign businessman named “K.S” in China, and then because of some unknown reasons, It has become the" Sin Hsin Works " run by Chinese people. There may be because of war or politics or simple commercial mergers. Your lantern and lantern globe may not be produced during the same period. The lantern globe is "Red Star". It is obviously a product of the Mao-Era. It should be known that in the Mao-Era, some political movements were experienced, and there was no private factory at that time. At that time, the "Anchor" factory became "上海汽灯厂（Shanghai pressure lantern factory）". which belongs to China. Interestingly, the logo at that time changed again. So I speculate that your lantern may be produced before World War II, and your lantern globe is produced in the Mao-Era, an interesting combination. Hope it helps you Zac
@ZacWang I’m profoundly grateful for the wealth of information that you have compiled and provided Zac. To anyone reading this who may wonder why Zac has mentioned a manufacturer ‘KS’, I had asked him for his thoughts on why an early Anchor stove featured on CCS should have been made by the KS Machinery Factory but my Anchor lantern is attributable to the Sin Hsin Works. Your explanation, Zac, of a timeline in the ownership of the Anchor name and manufacturing makes perfect sense. Yes indeed, a Mao-era globe replacement for the Anchor original. I feel privileged indeed to own a lantern that spans a significant period of Chinese history. John
Thank you @ZacWang for such valuable information on the Anchor lantern and stove. I do have an old Anchor pricker control wheel which I have no idea of how the original lantern would look like. It isn't like the usual red ones on most of the later Anchors. The wheel looks like this:- I found it in a flea market in my location some years ago. Perhaps you might have an idea on this one. On the Petromax, From what I know, the two Petromax lanterns you have shown in the pictures were likely imported from Germany during the 1930s by a dealer(with own stamping) in China. Those bear the characteristics of the design by E&G, Germany of that period. These weren't introduced yet during World War 1. Not even in Germany. They are most likely pre-WWII. Shanghai was indeed the largest and most advanced city in Asia during that time. The 'Bund' area was very famous in the 30s. There were already many factories in China before WWII. Mao Zedong was also rising up to power during that turbulent period.
Sorry, I may not be able to provide useful information. I have never seen this special control wheel. I also did not find its relevant information on some Chinese websites. The control wheel you have is unique. As far as I know, there are two types of circular control wheels in the Anchor, One is red, the other is black (Of course not include this one you own). The red is the most, and its production date is later than the black. I found some photos from the Internet. Obviously, the number of reds is far more than black. I see the control wheels you have merged with two colors: dark green and black. I think its production process must be more complicated than a single color. If I see a similar control wheel in the future, I will pay attention to it. Zac
I have seen the black one as attached in your photo above too, on one, maybe two occasions. Only, it was on a lantern which had been mismatched with parts from other brands and electrified as well. I did not buy it. I do have several Anchors with the common red wheel. The one I showed earlier is a little odd. I don't know if its from a genuine Anchor or some imitations. But it is old.
@presscall I just found this post and read it carefully. This is a fantastic restoration. Chinese lanterns have a reputation for being cheap, but this one is beautiful. I especially love the printing you did on the pressure gauge.
