Hi nzlantern a very nice looking lantern and by the look of the pics a good quality lantern the font graphics look realy nice as well i have seen a few indian stoves and lanterns that look as though the quality is as good as it should but this one looks realy good
I like the statement "MADE IN BRITISH EMPIRE"! Never seen it before on an Indian stove nor lantern. Nice one! Best regards, Wim
I remember that and 'Empire Made' on quite a bit of stuff when I was a sprog in the 50s. It was generally taken to mean 'second class' - in those days, 'Made in Britain' was the mark of quality. Worse quality stuff was marked 'Made in Hong Kong' and was usually cheap and nasty - or 'bruck' as Jeff would say...
A lot of Hong Kong product was marked "Empire Made". This is different because it has "Made in British Empire". Pochee lamps were made by C. S. Pochee & Son. 586 Chira Bazar, Girgaum Road, Bombay 2. India and given that India ceased to be part of the British Empire in 1947 we may assume this lantern was made before that. If this is the case then it is in very nice condition for its age. ::Neil::
I acquired this lantern from a lady whos father had been in the navy and from her understanding would have passed through India in the 1950s. She may have been incorrect on the period he visited or is there a chance he bought it as old stock. All the same I'm interested to hear your comments regarding its possible age. Below shows the state of the lantern when I received it.
I wonder if those are his initials (AR) inscribed on the lantern or whether it's something to do with the manufacturer...
I wonder if those are his initials (AR) inscribed on the lantern or whether it's something to do with the manufacturer... Good question, I can not answer that.
In cases like this you have to go with the evidence provided. We know what is stampd on the lamp and we know when India gained independance. Old stock maybe or perhaps a second hand purchase but made before 1948 is what we got. Could be the makers had some old stock parts they were still making lamps from into the 1950s but the tank was for sure made earlier. All good speculation but from the evidence this is a 1940s product. ::Neil::
Yes, made during the 40s and purchased either new-old stock or second-hand sometime in the 50s is the most obvious explanation. Whilst I'm no great fan of P'max clones on the whole, that looks like a nice lantern...
Thanks for the discussion on the possible manufacture date. When I compare this lantern alongside the European petromax copies, the quality of construction is just as good. Much better than the couple of Chinese brands I have.