Eagerly Nancy removed the little notebook from the hook. By holding the book directly under the beam of her flashlight, she could make out the words on the cover: Property of Josiah Crowley.
"I've found it at last!" she thought excitedly.
(From "The Secret of the Old Clock," a Nancy Drew mystery, by Carolyn Keene)
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Prior to the invention of the tubular flashlight, individuals needing a "portable" light were long dependent upon such "hazard-free" equipment as torches, candles, and kerosene lamps.
Even the earliest "portable electrical devices" were hardly portable. Based upon the inventions of the incandescent bulb by Thomas Edison in 1879 and the dry-cell battery by Dr. Carl Gassner in 1888, these lanterns weighed several pounds each. The earliest popular dry cell - the #6 - weighed over 3 pounds alone!
It was the invention of the "D" cell battery in 1896 that paved the way for what we recognize today as the true flashlight.
The D-cell was much smaller and lighter than the #6, and though, ounce for ounce, the D-cell outperformed the #6, it still could not produce enough current to keep the early carbon-filament
bulbs lit for more than a few seconds at a time. Hence the term "flash" light.
The American Electrical Novelty & Manufacturing Company of New York, founded by Russian immigrant Conrad Hubert, held the distinction of holding the first patent, issued in 1898, for a flashlight. So successful were their flashlights that the company issued an expanded catalog in 1899 touting their "Ever Ready" branded products. In 1906 the company name was changed to The American Ever Ready Company and the brand name was shortened to "Eveready."
The year 1906 also witnessed an acceleration in flashlight technologies. Tungsten wire replaced the carbon in bulbs, and batteries and switches also continued the march toward greater efficiency. Flashlights not only shone brighter, but could now be kept on for several minutes, instead of mere seconds.
It did not take long for other manufacturers to begin producing their own versions of the flashlight, and more and more models appeared in ever-greater attempts to gain market share. This, of course, is a good thing for collectors as it means that they can specialize in any area of interest, from manufacturer, country of origin, or battery size, to a period (Art Deco, anyone?), function (purse light, etc), or cross-collectible (e.g., movie tie-ins).
Of course, it always takes time and research to acquire those nuggets of information that allow a collector to identify or date a find - like the fact that any Eveready flashlight with a slide switch dates to no earlier than 1911, or that Chase, a brass company, manufactured flashlights only from 1930 to 1942 - so a further study of the following resources is recommended.
Books
"Collecting Flashlights," by Stuart Schneider Link
"Collector's Digest Flashlights Price Guide," by L-W Book Sales Link
"Flashlights: Early Flashlight Makers & the 1st 100 Years of Eveready," by Bill Utley Link
Websites
CandlePowerForums Link
A place for "flashaholics."
The Flashlight Museum Link
Check out their multimedia section, links to collectors' collections, and their index to over 3500 flashlights/440 brands.
Rayovac Link
History of the company, one of Eveready's earliest competitors.
Wordcraft.net Link
Collector Stuart Schneider's expert site offers history, museum, pics, and autographed copies of his book, Collecting Flashlights.
About the author:
Michele Alice is AuctionBytes-Update Contributing Editor. Michele is a freelance writer in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. She collects books, science fiction memorabilia and more! Email her at makalice @ adelphia.net eBay ID: Malice9
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