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White Satin "Paris II" Miniature Oil Lamp by Consolidated Glass Paris II Night Lamp by Consolidated Glass Co, Ca. 1898, S1-189 About 2 3/4" tall to top of collar About 6 1/4" tall to top of shade Shade and base about 3 1/2" wide at widest point "Paris II" Miniature Oil Lamp S1-189 Manufactured by Consolidated Glass, Ca. 1898 Nutmeg burner marked "Made in U.S.A." Shallow sliver flake on inner edge of shade top, minor paint wear, several tight splits in brass collar Lamp Dates from About 1898 Background & History: This charming little lamp, called "Paris II" by its manufacturer, is shown in Frank & Ruth Smith's book "Miniature Lamps" in Figure 189. According to McDonald ("Evolution of the Night Lamp", page 30) this and a very similar lamp (called "Paris I", S1-188) were manufactured by Consolidated Glass in a ribbed, or paneled, pattern called "Torquay" when used on pitchers, creamers and other tableware. The lamps were advertised in the Crockery & Glass Journal in October, 1898. A copy of that ad is shown on page 181 of "Old Pattern Glass According to Heacock" by William Heacock. There is no explanation of why the pattern had one name when used on tableware and another when used on night lamps. According to McDonald and the Smiths, these white milk glass lamps came with fired-on shading of either blue, pink or yellow. This example of the lamp must be what these authors call blue; the color however has a lot of green in it and might more appropriately be called turquoise, or aqua. The differences between the Paris I lamp and this Paris II lamp are in the size of their bases (the Paris I base being narrower than the Paris II), in the shape of their shades (the Paris I has a combined globe-shaped chimney-shade while this lamp has a somewhat umbrella-shaped shade) and in the fact that the Paris I lamp does not use a clear glass chimney inside the shade while this lamp, the Paris II, does. Consolidated used the same pattern of producing two very similar lamps in at least one other lamp known to collectors as the "Apple Blossom" and shown in Figures 193 and 194 of the Smith book. The two Apple Blossoms vary from each other in exactly the same manner as the two Paris lamps. Condition of this lamp: This lamp is in very good condition with only minor discrepancies to report. First there is a small sliver chip (about 3/4" long but less than 1/8" wide) on the inner top edge of the shade. You can just barely see it in about the one to two o'clock position on the top of the shade in the fourth photo). Second, there is some minor paint wear to the turquoise shading in the panels at the top of the shade and on the very top edges of perhaps four panels on the base. Finally, the brass collar which is firmly affixed to the font does have about 5 tight vertical splits. These do not appear to affect the integrity of the collar or its ability to secure the burner. A Nutmeg burner, marked "MADE IN U. S. A." on the freely turning thumb wheel (there's no wick in this lamp) screws tightly into the collar. A brass shade ring slips over the burner gallery and holds the shade in place. All of the brass hardware on this lamp has been polished. A clear glass chimney, with rough top and bottom edges, completes this lamp. Measurements are provided beneath the first photo to the left. In her 2006 "Price Guide for Miniature Lamps", Marjorie Hulsebus rates this lamp as being "common" (see the note below on our use of these ratings in eBay listings); however, in the past 6 1/4 years we've seen just 20 complete and undamaged examples of this lamp on eBay. That equates to a lamp like this one showing up on eBay about 3-4 times a year. We think that's just a little too infrequent to be called "common". Nonetheless, however you rate this lamp, it is a very charming little antique item manufactured by one of the best known and most collectible glass companies. About the Use of Words Like "Scarce" and "Rare" When we see eBay listings which utilize words like "Scarce" and "Rare"--especially when those words are applied to items that we know to be extra-ordinarily common we find it disturbing. We realize that some eBayers, not having or knowing of a better way of assessing an item's scarcity, use these terms quite subjectively and frequently based on their own personal experience. They simply don't know whether an item is common, scarce or rare. We take two steps to describe the scarcity of a lamp. First, we only use the words "Scarce", "Rare", "Very Rare", "Very Very Rare" and "Extremely Rare" if the item in question is judged to be so by an acknowledged outside and independent source. For miniature lamps, we use the ratings in Marjorie Hulsebus 2006 edition of the "Price Guide for Miniature Lamps". Marjorie's ratings are also somewhat subjective (they are based on the collective view of a panel of 12 experienced miniature lamps collectors--we were members of that panel), but were at least arrived at independently of the sale or offering of any particular lamp. We don't always agree with the Price Guides ratings but if we disagree, we will still quote the guide's rating and then provide the reason why we don't agree. Second, over the past 6 1/4 years we have collected and recorded data on the offering of almost 37,000 listed miniature lamps on eBay and over 3,900 lamps offered at selected live auctions (ones which we attended or from which we were able to get reliable data). Every day we review several thousand new eBay listings; from amongst those, we identify those that are listed in the standard reference books and record basic information (identifying features, condition, auction end-date, etc.) on each one. When the auction ends we go back and record whether it sold or not and for how much. We keep all of this data in an online database and make the database available free of charge to members of the Night Light Club and to others who have requested access. We don't see every listed miniature lamp that's offered on eBay, but we estimate that we see more than 85-90% of them. When we quote the Price Guide's scarcity rating for a given lamp, we generally also provide information, from our database, on the number of times during the period we've collected data that we've seen that lamp offered on eBay. And it's this data that allows us to substantiate, refine or, at times, to respectfully disagree with the rating in the Price Guide. Our objective is to have happy, satisfied customers. We will work with you to satisfactorily resolve any problems. Feel free to ask any questions prior to bidding. We try to answer all questions promptly. Just click on eBay's "Ask seller a question" link above to send us an email through eBay. Please bid only if you intend to honor your bid with payment. All items are sold "As Is". We do our best to describe all items accurately. However, mistakes and oversights can occur. Returns will be accepted within 7 days if item is found to be not as described. In general refunds will be given as money back and will include the original bid amount and initial shipping costs (but not the return shipping cost). Refunds will be given once the item is received and verified to be in the same condition as when it was sold. Shipping Information eBay's shipping calculator should show the correct shipping charges. We charge only the actual postage/insurance costs incurred. We do combine multiple purchases to save you on shipping costs. If you win more than one of our items, contact us for revised and reduced shipping costs. If you overpay for shipping, or if we inadvertently overcharge you for shipping, we will refund the overage. (If we underestimate the shipping costs, which occasionally happens, we absorb the additional costs). We ship using the United State Postal Service and wrap our items as securely as we can. Insurance is required on this item. Information for International Buyers International buyers not using Paypal, please use a form of payment denominated in U.S. dollars. We now offer two options for International shipments. While USPS Global Priority Mail is more expensive, shipments using this service can be fully insured. USPS First Class International Mail is significantly less expensive but is not insurable and has some size limitations (less than 4 lbs and less than 36" in length + height + depth); our own insurance will cover International shipments sent via First Class International Mail up to $200. Contact us before making payment if you'd like us to use the uninsured but less expensive shipping option. Interested in learning more about miniature lamps? Want to meet other miniature lamp collectors? Contact Bob Culver at rculver107@aol.com to learn about joining the Night Light Club. Please check out our other auctions
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