How much is my railroad lantern worth? The two biggest factors that affect the value of a railroad lantern are the railroad marked on it and the manufacturer and model of the lantern. This is the main question we get here about any lantern. How Are Railroad Lantern Values Determined? The popularity and ubiquity of lanterns throughout the railroadiana hobby is a testament to how iconic the image of the lantern is to the railroads, people understand immediately the connection and attraction to collecting them. This means that there is a nice progression of lanterns at different price points that can appeal to any collector. Another great feature of lanterns is that they are fairly easy to display and they are easy to identify because almost all lanterns will have the railroad and the manufacturer on them, additionally there aren’t many fakes out there so collecting lanterns can be much safer for new collectors.Īnother great fact about collecting railroad lanterns is that there is a very good supply of them out there since the railroads ordered and used so many of them. While most people wouldn’t even consider actually lighting some of these old lanterns, many people do still use some entry level lanterns and even some mid level lanterns as lighting in their homes.
People love collecting antique railroad lanterns for many reasons, just one of which is that they are one of the few antiques that you can continue to use and enjoy without damaging them. Why Do People Collect Antique Railroad Lanterns? Entry level lanterns will tend to be short globes which are quite common and worth less than $50 in most cases.
Mid grade lanterns will be tall globe lanterns worth $50 up to several hundred dollars. In general the most valuable lanterns will be fixed globe or presentation lanterns that can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. While there are lanterns out there that can sell for thousands of dollars, they are very rare and you’re much more likely to see hundreds of lanterns that are worth only $20-30 before you ever see one that is worth over $1,000 unless you’re an advanced collector. Most collectors will stick to lanterns that burned kerosene, oil, or gas and they will shy away from electrical models or even old lanterns that have been converted to electric. The most important feature of a railroad lantern though, is the railroad stamp that should be located usually on the dome. The biggest distinction in railroad lanterns are between fixed globe, tall globe, and short globe lanterns, there are also special case items such as presentation lanterns and larger lamps of various types. Antique Railroad Lanterns are one of the most well known and iconic items you’ll find while collecting railroadiana, but they can be very confusing to new collectors as many lanterns look similar to the uninitiated. Thus, this lantern was made between 19.The railroadiana collecting field can be broken down into thirty or forty types of collectibles. Before 1916 the standard finish was japan blue with a polished reflector on both beacon models, and after it was dark green with the reflector painted white. The #30 beacon was produced up to about 1947. The #30 model was "modernized" around 1915 with a design change which involved utilizing the square tank common with the square tank wall lamps and later square tank version of the 8-Day lantern. In about 1912 the tank for the #60 model was "modernized" with an elliptical tank, a change that would last until the end of production for the #60 in 1931. In about 1908 the design was revised to standardize the chimney design with the Blizzard model, replacing the lift lever with a finger ring on the top. THIS LANTERN HAS THIS OPTIONAL BULLS EYE LENS which makes it even more rare! The oldest style was introduced in about 1898, and utilized the Charles Betts double wall chimney design which had a lift lever at the side of the top to raise the telescoping chimney section. In the #30 models an optional bulls eye could be ordered that was mounted on the globe plate. In all versions, the #30 model used a #2 burner. The Dietz #30 Beacon Lantern was produced in three distinct versions.
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