I deal in mining related items
from the California Gold Rush Era and those
mining
antiques that are
related to the gold and silver mining that went on in this area from the
period spanning roughly from the late 1840's to the first quarter of the
20th century.
I live in the foothills of California outside of
Placerville and Coloma, where John Sutter first discovered gold in 1849. It is an area that is rich in history and old lore, but like the gold it
was famous for, seemingly depleted of
all antiques related to its rich mining heritage. I am seeking all
sorts of artifacts having to do with this historic era and locale.
I deal in
mining related artifacts from all over the country and would
love to help you sell what you have. I can help you sell mining related
antiques ranging from different forms
of lighting devices like candlesticks, oilwicks and carbide lamps, to explosive related antiques
like blasting cap tins,
blasting boxes, scales, mining tools
and more.
I will picture a few such items below and give you a
general outline to give you an idea of the sorts of things that
I
deal in.
Lighting
in mines was both a dangerous proposition and a vital necessity and
through the years several different types of mine lighting evolved, and then
disappeared after the introduction of electricity and battery powered
lighting. The relative
safety and reliability that this new technology ended the varied alternatives
in production and development.
The use of live flames from candles or carbide lamps or even the light provided by
Safety or Davey lamps came to an end . All
of the forms of earlier lighting are of interest. From the earliest iron
miners candlesticks, to those that have unusual patented
features, or examples with or
nate file work or other decoration on them.
Candlesticks can be marked with
the maker or mine name. Candlesticks were often made by blacksmiths and so there are many
many unique and different examples that can be found. Some are very
crude and utilitarian, while others are
superb pieces of
workmanship and
are considered pieces of art. I am looking for candlesticks that have fuse
cutters
built in to them, or examples that fold up to be more compact, or even those that
come apart (known as take-downs) for easier transport and storage. There are also
examples with different means to hold the candle, or ones that have storage
area for matches, and even one variety or type that has an
area to try and hide a little bit of gold from the mine owners on the way out of the
mine, and these are called High Graders.
Early mine lighting devices
known as oil wick
lamps or teapots are usually associated with coal mines and came after
candlesticks. I have pictured some on
this page. Oil wick lamps came in a
myriad of different
shapes, sizes, and designs and those that are different
from the norm are of particular interest and can still bring good money
while common or typical ones sell for $50.00 or less. Examples made of different
materials from the normal ---- tin or sheet steel usually command a prmium. Lamps made from
materials such as aluminum, brass, copper, cast iron a
nd other materials are
eagerly sought. Some of these antique lighting
devices have interesting designs etched into them, and others have little
ID plaques attached from the mine, or from mining organizations such as
the Mineworkers of America or MWA.
If you have any old mine
lighting devices or other mining related antiques that are for sale,
please contact me at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
with as many details as possible.
Carbide mining lamps were the next source of light to be
introduced.. This style of
lamp was relatively
short lived but during their heyday, near the turn of
the last century and u
p until about the 20's there were many
different varieties that were patented and put on the market for use in
the mines around the country. Some of these lamps are quite rare
today, while others such as those by the three most common
makers---Justrite,
Auto-Lite, and Guys Dropper---can be found in nearly every antique shop or at
every flea market in
the country on any given day.
There are scores of other much less common names available. Pictured on the left is an example of a fairly hard
to find
carbide that
is made of aluminum called the Lumi-Lamp. These aluminum lamps, unless
unfired
or unused, are usually in rough
condition because of the tendency to corrode from the effects of the carbide
gas, moisture, and the corrosive nature of the mixture and the gas that they
produced when the water was added to the carbide to generate the acetylene
gas that was then lit to produce the light. The basic
idea was right, looking for a material that was strong, light, and would not
rust, but I suppose they did not count on the nature of the gas that was
going to be created, and obviously the choice of material was not studied enough.
Just above is a nickel plated lamp named T I P that is a bit different as well.
Some of the other names of good carbide lamps are Wolf, Anton, Funk Bros, What Cheer, X-ray, Victor, and many
others.
Other
mining related antiques that we are interested in buying would
be dynamite
boxes, dynamite blasting boxes and what are referred to as cap tins, as well as crimpers, and other blasting / mining related
antiques.
I am also interested in buying antique surveying tools that
are related to mining such as unusual plumb bobs or plummets, dip needles
or compasses, as well as mining transits with auxiliary scopes,
inclinometer levels, and other devices used in the construction
and layout of mines.
