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 o
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 
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 gree
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
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 first
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 
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. 
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
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
*****Click The Links
Below*****
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.
