A few years back I saw some flag Mag Toyota lights at the Joe Gibbs Racing souvenier trailer. I did not collect flashlights at that time and even if I did would not have paid $99 for one. Looked like 3D size if I recall correct.
RARE MAGLITES
- Thread starter willrx
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Nice that description matches liftdT4R Toyota flaglite above.
Crumbly, that's awesome! I hope you don't mind if I steal, errrr re-purpose that photo for my blog. I talked to Don last night and he confirmed that these were only sold at Toyota dealerships and they weren't very popular.
Mr. Fixer, did they look like the ones I posted above? I wouldn't pay $100 either. I think I snagged mine for $20 or so. Interesting to know where they might have come from though!
Mr. Fixer, did they look like the ones I posted above? I wouldn't pay $100 either. I think I snagged mine for $20 or so. Interesting to know where they might have come from though!
It is unbelievable what this thread and your blog set in motion. Being a long time Maglite fan and user I love all these stories and pictures! :twothumbs
Toohotruk
Flashlight Enthusiast
WOW! Beautiful lights! 
oo:
oo:Thanks!! Glad to see there's interest in these lights. I know not as many folks collect mags as they do Surefires but they are much more affordable and fun to get into I think.
I got my TRD light today and boy are these cool looking lights! It's around a 18,000,000 serial which puts it before 1999. I'm going to send the serial to Mag to date tomorrow so I can add that info on my blog. The serial is very close to the Flag-Lite Toyota light I have.
I also noticed a price tag from the dealer in Virginia, $49.95. About $90 in today's dollars. A regular 3D Maglite could be had for less than half that so no wonder they didn't sell well.
And here's a side by side pic with my Toyota Flag-Lite. The box is a little worse for wear but at least it came with it. The owner remembers buying it in the mid to late 90s when he bought a Toyota pickup at the dealer. He said there were only a few there. He planned to put it in his pickup but never got around to it and I was able to catch it on ebay. Pretty interesting, Maglite has made an appearance in a diverse range of cars from Ferraris to Toyotas.
EDIT: Also wanted to show a picture of my modern Maglite collection. It's all Panther lights and my newer style Mini Maglites and Solitaires. It's not as large as some other members collections out there because I primarily collect the 1979 to 1991 lights but I think it's pretty unique! I would like to score a 2D Jade and a 3D Lime Green but I don't think there's many other modern lights I'm missing.
I got my TRD light today and boy are these cool looking lights! It's around a 18,000,000 serial which puts it before 1999. I'm going to send the serial to Mag to date tomorrow so I can add that info on my blog. The serial is very close to the Flag-Lite Toyota light I have.
I also noticed a price tag from the dealer in Virginia, $49.95. About $90 in today's dollars. A regular 3D Maglite could be had for less than half that so no wonder they didn't sell well.
And here's a side by side pic with my Toyota Flag-Lite. The box is a little worse for wear but at least it came with it. The owner remembers buying it in the mid to late 90s when he bought a Toyota pickup at the dealer. He said there were only a few there. He planned to put it in his pickup but never got around to it and I was able to catch it on ebay. Pretty interesting, Maglite has made an appearance in a diverse range of cars from Ferraris to Toyotas.
EDIT: Also wanted to show a picture of my modern Maglite collection. It's all Panther lights and my newer style Mini Maglites and Solitaires. It's not as large as some other members collections out there because I primarily collect the 1979 to 1991 lights but I think it's pretty unique! I would like to score a 2D Jade and a 3D Lime Green but I don't think there's many other modern lights I'm missing.
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^ Beautiful rainbow. However, if I may, more of each needs to be visible. I'm just here for the pictures. Thanks for sharing.
~ Cg
~ Cg
I've been telling my wife for years we need to clear out the china cabinet to make room for now lights! :naughty:
archimedes
Flashaholic
One cabinet, for flashlights ??
I thought that's what the addition to the garage was for ...
I thought that's what the addition to the garage was for ...
^ Chuckled out loud. The Lovely Mrs. Gardiner asked me why. "Nothing dear. Just these flashlight guys making jokes."
That was a close one. :sweat:
~ Chance
That was a close one. :sweat:
~ Chance
I took a pic of all my automotive themed Maglites last night while writing the Toyota 3D post for my blog.
I still have a silver 3D I carried in my 4runner for years and years. It has a cheapy 55 lumen LED conversion and resides in my work truck with a traffic wand now. Still look at it and recall fond memories.
I still have a silver 3D I carried in my 4runner for years and years. It has a cheapy 55 lumen LED conversion and resides in my work truck with a traffic wand now. Still look at it and recall fond memories.
I have a Ford Quality one Lift'd that is the only 'automotive' themed Maglite. Apparently it was a batch made for one of the Ford plant employees in 1998. I showed it in this thread at one point but only Heaven knows which page the 3C was shown.
Oh, hi! Sorry to not be here as much as in the past. PM sent.
Hey guys, just wanted to share a new light I got this week as well as some of my older lights for comparison. I recently picked up a 1981 Blue 2D. It is serial number ~201,000 so it is pretty early in the run and it is almost brand new. The blue is the standard blue on the 1980 - 1991 lights. I've shown it below from left to right with a 4D Midnight Blue, a later 2D Standard Blue, my new 1981 2D Standard Blue, a 1979 Blue Test Color, and a 1982 Silver 3C.
The 1979 Test Color Blue is a very early 2D light where Mag was trying out different finishes for R&D purposes. Unlike today these lights were sold off retail after the testing was done. The blue is very light compared to later lights and it has the large switch cover, Paten Pending barrel, and low focus grip. Even my 1981 2D is noticeably lighter than Mag's current standard blue. It's more of a royal blue, it matches the Vari-Beams, and I like it much better.
Also, I completed my writeup on my LED drop ins finally. They're drop ins I've put together myself that allow for 3 modes and different LEDs and tints to be used because I wanted a 3 mode warm drop in for restorations and nothing was available. I may post it on CPF too but for right now it's on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/ultimate-maglite-restomod.html
The 1979 Test Color Blue is a very early 2D light where Mag was trying out different finishes for R&D purposes. Unlike today these lights were sold off retail after the testing was done. The blue is very light compared to later lights and it has the large switch cover, Paten Pending barrel, and low focus grip. Even my 1981 2D is noticeably lighter than Mag's current standard blue. It's more of a royal blue, it matches the Vari-Beams, and I like it much better.
Also, I completed my writeup on my LED drop ins finally. They're drop ins I've put together myself that allow for 3 modes and different LEDs and tints to be used because I wanted a 3 mode warm drop in for restorations and nothing was available. I may post it on CPF too but for right now it's on my blog at: http://maglitehistory.blogspot.com/2019/01/ultimate-maglite-restomod.html
From time to time I'll buy a new Incan Maglite on Amazon either for a project or to get a finish / size I've never had before. A couple weeks back a fellow overseas contacted me about making him a "New 7D" light. This is easy enough to do in an incandescent model. Just buy a 5D, add a 2D extender and drop in the correct PR-20 bulbs. Adventure Sport makes and awesome 2D Extension! They are reasonably priced and the fit and finish is perfect. So I picked one up and ordered a brand new 5D Incan off of Amazon. Two things immediately jumped out at me:
1. Maglite changed the logo on their Incan offerings. They've used the same Mag-Lite logo since 1992. Now the letters are much wider and match the rest of their lights. I'm assuming it's to make their branding easier to identify. They've also dropped the dash between Mag and Lite. I ordered a handful on discontinued colors in 2017 and the bezel was the same then so I'm going to say this change must have occurred in 2018. Shown below from left to right are the 1996 - 2017 bezel, new 2018 bezel, and an old 1979 - 1986 bezel.
2. The serial number on this 5D is very low! It's only # 2,675,133. Most other Maglites surpassed that around 1990 or earlier. Even current production 6Ds are 6,000,000+. I never realized how slow of a seller the 5Ds are. Come to think of it the only new style 5Ds I own were bought to convert to 7Ds and I've never come across a used one so I guess they are very unpopular.
Anyway, here's a few shots of the "New 7D" I put together with the Adventure Sport 2D extension.
And here it is with my old 6D that I've had new since 2000 and a real 1980 7D.
A number of years back I contacted Mag Instrument about producing a new 7D. It's not that hard really to just cut the tube a little longer. Anyway, I think they wanted a minimum order of like 10,000 pieces. Even at $10 each that's $100,000. Needless to say that is far out of my price range.
1. Maglite changed the logo on their Incan offerings. They've used the same Mag-Lite logo since 1992. Now the letters are much wider and match the rest of their lights. I'm assuming it's to make their branding easier to identify. They've also dropped the dash between Mag and Lite. I ordered a handful on discontinued colors in 2017 and the bezel was the same then so I'm going to say this change must have occurred in 2018. Shown below from left to right are the 1996 - 2017 bezel, new 2018 bezel, and an old 1979 - 1986 bezel.
2. The serial number on this 5D is very low! It's only # 2,675,133. Most other Maglites surpassed that around 1990 or earlier. Even current production 6Ds are 6,000,000+. I never realized how slow of a seller the 5Ds are. Come to think of it the only new style 5Ds I own were bought to convert to 7Ds and I've never come across a used one so I guess they are very unpopular.
Anyway, here's a few shots of the "New 7D" I put together with the Adventure Sport 2D extension.
And here it is with my old 6D that I've had new since 2000 and a real 1980 7D.
A number of years back I contacted Mag Instrument about producing a new 7D. It's not that hard really to just cut the tube a little longer. Anyway, I think they wanted a minimum order of like 10,000 pieces. Even at $10 each that's $100,000. Needless to say that is far out of my price range.
In 1981, living in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill, I used to take my black labrador retriever out for late night walks. While big, the dog was an absolute zero when it came to personal defense. And so, I went to a police supply store in lower Manhattan to buy a mag-lite. I remember it was in what was probably an old police station, but the name is lost to history. There I bought a Black 7 C Cell Maglite. The thing was like a billy club! Used it constantly until we moved to suburban NJ in 1985. I remember posing with it on a foggy night in Maine, the beam shooting to the sky like a light saber!
It's been in my night stand for years. Today, I took it out, and it still works like a champ. (Amazing, because the batteries inside had a "Use By Jan 99" date! - More amazing that they never leaked!) I was going to update it to an LED, but really, I don't need a club now, as I rely on something more purpose built for personal protection when walking the dog these days. I went on line, and found that people are really into this! And that features reveal the dates. Who knew? On the bezel, it has "TM" after Maglite. The shaft is "PATENTED" and the serial number is 70006790. It has a "flat" bottom without a spare bulb.
I also have a mini-mag, that I converted to 3LED years ago, with a TM bezel that I got in 84 or 85 (before George Bush's 1000 points of light).
Finally, I have 2 other silver 2D, one with batteries stuck in it (20883380) and another (20883216) but that is marred by my hand engraving my name and email address on it, since I was a volunteer EMT and frequently left things at the scene when transporting a patient. It was returned to me by the police more time than Id like to remember. I bought these for $10 each at Fortunoff's in Westbury Long Island (NY) before 1991, when I think they closed.
I don't want to be accused of price fishing. So the question I have, particularly for the 7C is; "what site do collectors watch for these, and is ebay auction the best way to make sure I get the most reasonable/appropriate price?"
Jery
It's been in my night stand for years. Today, I took it out, and it still works like a champ. (Amazing, because the batteries inside had a "Use By Jan 99" date! - More amazing that they never leaked!) I was going to update it to an LED, but really, I don't need a club now, as I rely on something more purpose built for personal protection when walking the dog these days. I went on line, and found that people are really into this! And that features reveal the dates. Who knew? On the bezel, it has "TM" after Maglite. The shaft is "PATENTED" and the serial number is 70006790. It has a "flat" bottom without a spare bulb.
I also have a mini-mag, that I converted to 3LED years ago, with a TM bezel that I got in 84 or 85 (before George Bush's 1000 points of light).
Finally, I have 2 other silver 2D, one with batteries stuck in it (20883380) and another (20883216) but that is marred by my hand engraving my name and email address on it, since I was a volunteer EMT and frequently left things at the scene when transporting a patient. It was returned to me by the police more time than Id like to remember. I bought these for $10 each at Fortunoff's in Westbury Long Island (NY) before 1991, when I think they closed.
I don't want to be accused of price fishing. So the question I have, particularly for the 7C is; "what site do collectors watch for these, and is ebay auction the best way to make sure I get the most reasonable/appropriate price?"
Jery
Ah! You guys are a terrible influence. Okay, got a 6C-cell Maglite headed my way from Hong Kong. I can wait. Okay, not really. But not much of a choice. And in case anyone is wondering, yes; I will be removing it from the horribly yellowed blister pack and using it. Hope you guys don't hate me, but I did take the time to order an LED 300 lumens bulb for it, along with a glass lens. Though not sure if I'll be "upgrading" it once it arrives. Most likely.... going to keep it stock. I just really like having different options close at hand, just in case.
P.S. ~ My wallet hates you all.
P.S. ~ My wallet hates you all.
Awesome, be sure to post some pics when she arrives!! No hate from me on removing it. These lights were meant to be used. Some of my most treasured lights aren't the rare NIB ones I have but the beat up lights that came with awesome stories and countless hours of use.
You may want to try an MOP reflector from KAI Domain too. That's hands down my favorite mod. makes a nice even floody beam that still retains some punch for throw.. Even with a cheap LED it makes it into a totally different light.
Are you going with the Malkoff drop in?
You may want to try an MOP reflector from KAI Domain too. That's hands down my favorite mod. makes a nice even floody beam that still retains some punch for throw.. Even with a cheap LED it makes it into a totally different light.
Are you going with the Malkoff drop in?
Possibly in the distant future. For now just an inexpensive LED drop-in. I doubt it's the stated 300 lumens, but did get a good deal on it. My Smartphone has been acting up. But will do my best to post a decent pic., after the light arrives.
