Requesting Feedback :)

[StephM]

Hello folks,

My name is Stephen and I live in Kansas in the states.  I'm not much of a bulb collector but there is a "collector gene" that runs through the family.  My dad's side of the family can't throw things away and can generally fix anything that's broken by using the spare bits that are laying around. Hah.

With that introduction out of the way I would like to present some pictures of a couple of bulbs that we have.  My father swears that he saw identical bulbs on The Antique Roadshow that went for close to a couple of grand despite not working.  The show was apparently quite some time ago but now that we have a digital camera it was one of the first things that he thought of.

He says that they called them "bedroom bulbs".  I think that's a bit vague, myself, but I didn't catch the show.

Anyway, I see that you can add attatchments to posts.  I'll upload a couple of pics here and link to all five photos of the two bulbs so as to save room.

What I'm hoping is that someone can help identify these bulbs and give feedback, especially from the point of view of a collector.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/releasethepenguins/sets/1395649/

That's the flickr set with the bulbs.  Note that I also have a flickr set with game shots containing some nude 3D model shots, so please be careful browsing my other flickr set if you have children around.  Just a heads up.  You should not see those nude shots if you stick to the bulbs set, however.

The attached are pictures of the bulbs turned on.  They work great and their color is far, far better than what the camera was able to pick up.  They're quite lovely bulbs in my opinion.

Thank you for any comments.

~Stephen

[Tim]

Hi Stephen,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing the bulb pictures.

My father swears that he saw identical bulbs on The Antique Roadshow that went for close to a couple of grand despite not working.

This could be, but it is the first I have heard about such an episode.? If true, then it sounds like another hyped and poor appraisal.? See this thread to understand what I mean:

http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=698.0

He says that they called them "bedroom bulbs".? I think that's a bit vague, myself, but I didn't catch the show.

These are more commonly referred to as figural neon glow lamps and were often used for decorative lighting around the house.? They were also used as nightlights in the bedroom and I can picture the term "bedroom bulbs" as being fitting back in the day.

What I'm hoping is that someone can help identify these bulbs and give feedback, especially from the point of view of a collector.

Your bulbs were made the Aerolux Light Company, based out of New York.? Aerolux was one of the biggest producers of these bulbs in America and they were in operation from the late 1930s up to the 1970s.? They produced a lot of these bulbs and some of the most common were bulbs with figural flower elements.? Religious icons were also very popular.? Bulbs with hurricane envelopes, like the one that you have, first appeared during the 1960s-1970s, so it is a little easier to date compared to your rose bulb.? These bulbs have become very collectible and I have quite a few pictured elsewhere on this site.? If you are interested in more detailed history then you may find this article interesting:

http://bulbcollector.com/article004.html

I hope this helps a bit!

[StephM]

Thanks for taking the time to respond Tim.  That's a lot of interesting info about these bulbs.

As far as The Antique Roadshow goes, that's just "wow".  I never knew that they could be so far off on their pricing.  It really makes me wonder about the rest of the show, as well as the people who excitedly tried to sell their items for the prices given on that show. 

Thanks to your information I was able to find eBay auctions of these bulbs.  My father is very disappointed about the price but it's better to find out now rather than after starting some expensive auction for them based on the show's info.

Good day over yonder,
~Stephen