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Larry and Carole
        Meeker
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Internet
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LCM@AntiqBuyer.com

 

530-620-7019

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Early Electric Fans & Alternative Fuel Powered Fans

If you have any interesting or unusual early electric fan , hot air fan, water powered fan, or other alternative power fans that that you want to sell please contact us by email at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com as we are always interested in new and different fans.

Battery Fans

The first electric fans were battery powered.  The Edison style fans motor pictured oedison_fan.jpg (23157 bytes)n the right or the Manhattan Battery Fan that is in the top left corner of this page are prime examples of the types of collectible antique fans that I want to buy or help you sell.  The Edison Electric Fan, which derives its name from Thomas Edison was the first commercially available electric fan.  It was offered with or without a cage or blades, and also came in a very desirable version with wall-mount base that I am looking for.  These early battery motors were sold as plain motors as well as fans, and came with different bases when offered this way. 

 Early battery fans can sell for over a wide range depending on the maker model, condition and other factors.  In general Edison fans and motors sell in the $1,000 to $3,000 range although I got my first one for $20.00, and have seen them sell for as high as $4500.  Some other very rare battery fans can command even more, but in general most battery fans like the Manhattans and other similar smaller battery fans sell for much less than Edison fans typically do. 

DC Electric Fans

I fan_e910.jpg (24880 bytes)am also interested in early electric fans that run on DC current.  Most vintage electric fans that are of  interest  are going to date from near the turn of the century to no later than the 20's in most cases.   Most of these early fans will have plaques or tags on the head or elsewhere with the patent and other information about the maker, current, AC or DC, type, etc.  

 Electric Fans w/ Unusual Oscillators

Later fans that are of interest are going to have unusual oscillating features or other unusual features that make them stand apart from the norm.  Some of these fans can go up to 4 figures or more, but most common or typical fans even by good makers made afrer the 20's struggle to sell for more than 100 or so.  These would be greefan_tank.jpg (15942 bytes)n General Electrics with rear oscillators that date from the late twenties, and most other typical fans from later than the 20's.

In general the fans that I am going to be interested in are going to have brass blades at a minimum, and almost all are going to have cast iron bases as opposed to later fans that have stamped steel bodies.  Cast iron bases with "Beads" or multiple steps are better than smooth ones, and so forth. 

Many of these earliest fans represent the first uses of commercially produced electrical power in America back near the turn of the 20th century and are an interesting and important piece in the development of electricity and make a dramatic statement about the development of electricity and this technology.  We are also interested in buying and selling just motors from this same era that have exposed coils and armetures as opposed to fully incased later motors. 

I use antique electric fans around the house, with some running all day long, while I just threw out the new plastic one I bought 2 years ago that had only about 50 hours on it.  That is the kind of statement that much of the old technology we collect and buy makes, and is one of the prime reasons we are drawn to it.

Bi-Polar or Open Frame Electric Fans

I am also interested in other early or vintage open frame or bi-polar electric fan2.jpg (17420 bytes)motors or fans similar to the early Westinghouse fan that I have pictured on the left.  It is actually harder to find than the Edison above, but does not sell for as much in most cases.  As can be seen the condition of this example is marginal. 

Many of these early fans were sold in different configurations and could be had with or without a cage and were also available as just motors for other uses around the home or farm. This style of electric motor can range in size from as small as a couple inches like the toy or demonstration motors that I also deal in (you will find a page about them elsewhere on this site) to those used to power factories and small businesses and weighing many thousands of pounds.  My focus and interest in buying is mainly on the smaller more manageable varieties. 

Vintage fans powered by alternative sources of power, such as the Lake Breeze hot air fan / floor model to the right that is driven by heat supplied by a kerosene or alcohol lamp, are sought as well.  These fans were not necessarily earlier than the firstfan_alcohol.jpg (19619 bytes) electrics, but rather were aimed at consumers in those areas where electricity was not yet available or where it was cost prohibitive.  Hot air fuel driven fans are a contradiction of sorts, and smelly to operate to boot.  The concept of using heat to blow warm heated and smelly air to cool you must have meet with some scowls and disbelief even back then, no matter how hot and humid it was and how much one longed for a cooling breeze.  This is what makes this style of fans so desirable as a collectible today.  In general these style fans sell for 800.00 to 2,000.00 depending on the condition, maker, model, and other factors.  The Lake Breeze came is several different sizes or models over the years. 

The fan just to the left is a water powered fan, and other versions or examples of water powered fans double_fan.jpg (27635 bytes)and water powered motors are eagerly sought.  The fan pictured is a double-headed fan with a blade and cage on both sides to blow cool air in opposite directions.  These are typically referred to as partner fans.  This fan was made near the turn of the century and was marketed to those people who had a seemingly endless supply of water.  What a strange concept given the situation in today's world.  I sold the fan to the left back in the hey-day of fan buying for something near 4,000.00.  I have sold others for nearly as much, while some of the more common varities might sell for 1000.00 or so.

Other antique electric fans that are of interest date from roughly just before the turn of the century to about 1920. fan_ge1.jpg (24447 bytes) Some of the examples shown below are the fans that we are using on hot days.  The big GE below on the right moves as much air as a whole house fan and its breeze can be felt over 20' away.  Another of the fans shown below is nicknamed "the tank" because of the large, heavy circular shape of the motor housing as opposed to earlier and thinner "Pancake" motor fans.  Skinnier and slimmer models with a larger diameter motors are often referred to as having "pancake" motors, and these are always of interest. Prices can  fluctuate over a large range depending on condition, model and other factors.  

I am interested in buying many of these early electric brass bladed cast iron fans, and particularly like fan_ge.jpg (21687 bytes)those with decorative fluted bases and fancy cages or odd or unusual oscillating mechanisms.  

After the 1920's most fans moved away from cast iron as the material of choice and into lighter more streamlined materials like sheet metal, plastics, and the like.  Although there are some interesting designs from this period, I am mostly interested acquiring the earlier models like those I have pictured here on this page.   

 

Click on any of the pictures you  see here for a larger view.  Thanks!


Select Antique Fans Previously Sold

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The above fans are examples of the caliber, condition and quality of electric or other fans that we are primarily interested in. 

If you have early electric fans or other early and unusual electrical powered devices that you want to sell,  please contact us at LCM@AntiqBuyer.com providing as many details as possible. Thank you!! 

To see many other examples of antiques that we have for sale please go to our sister site at www.Patented-Antiques.com.and visit the numerous sale pages you will find there.