# Vintage?



## AnnieRat1 (Sep 13, 2009)

Hello!

I've just returned from a boot sale with this:












It looks pretty new, except when you look on the back the Pifco label says Empire Made. Does anyone have any ideas on it's age? Is it a repro? Or an old lamp? TBH it doesn't matter to us, we brought it as a lamp, just interested as it looks pretty new, but with this old style label on the back. It has old screw in bulbs in it, not LEDs, and the blue colour looks like some kind of enamel.

TIA 

Annette


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## lctorana (Sep 13, 2009)

I believe "Empire Made" meant "British Empire but not Britain."

My example comes from Hong Kong.

Yours is in really great condition and you will get a lot of pleasure out of it. Particularly nice is the clear switch label.

Not sure of age, but I haven't seen these in shops for a long time, and of course the Empire became the Commonwealth in the early 1950s so this could be that old, just really well kept.

A good buy.


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## ARA (Sep 13, 2009)

Hey enjoy it, looks really cool and retro to me


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## ducat (Sep 13, 2009)

My father had one of those when I was about 10.
I'm now 50, so it makes it about 40 years old.
The red light on the top contained a bulb that would flash once it had warmed up, so I guess it contained a bi-metallic strip of some sort.

Boy, does that bring back some memories!!:twothumbs


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## Mike Rivera (Sep 13, 2009)

Wow - that's a beauty!

- Mike


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## AnnieRat1 (Sep 13, 2009)

Thanks for the replies everyone, really nice to get a bit more info on it. 

This one flashes too. TBH it was only £4 so I took the gamble on it working properly - my OH really likes things like this (he brought an aluminium Ecolamp? from the US at a boot sale a few weeks ago for 50p!) so I knew he'd appreciate this, and I love the colour


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## Big_Ed (Sep 13, 2009)

Nice find!


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## Backpacker Light (Sep 14, 2009)

I searched around a little on the net, and found this light similar to yours. It does not really give an age, but I believe you found an actual vintage light 50+ some years old.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/vintage-red/c...temQQimsxZ20090913?IMSfp=TL090913133003r33021

Nice find!


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## ypsifly (Sep 14, 2009)

Nice find! Very cool!

I wonder if there are replacement bulbs available. Part of me would consider an led upgrade while saving the original reflector, but the other half would want to keep it stock or close to it as long as possible.

BTW, what is a boot sale? Is it what we call a garage or yard sale in the US?


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## Burgess (Sep 14, 2009)

Hello Annie --


Very Cool lantern you've got there.


Bet the Bulb under the Red Lens on top is a *# 407*, eh ?


Those clever little lamps, with a Bi-Metallic strip,
which (after it warms up) permit it to Blink automatically !





As a young boy, many years ago, i always thought that was

Extremely Clever ! ! !

Almost "magical"



Enjoy yer' "new" Lantern.

:thumbsup:
_


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## Vesper (Sep 14, 2009)

Wow, very cool. There needs to be an ongoing vintage thread. Love this kind of stuff. Thanks for posting it.


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## hyperloop (Sep 15, 2009)

a 'boot' sale refers to sales conducted from the 'boot' or 'trunk' of a car, being raised in an education system that was British based (Singapore) we here in Singapore refer to the 'boot' of a car instead of a 'trunk' and the 'bonnet' instead of the 'hood'.

We also buy 'petrol' instead of 'gas' and a whole slew of other different word usages. When i tell people here about flashlights, they ask me 'you mean torches/torchlights dont you?'


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## ducat (Sep 15, 2009)

Asking for a fag can really get you into trouble, (its a cigarette over here)!
And a joint is something that goes in the oven!:naughty:


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## [email protected] (Sep 15, 2009)

hyperloop said:


> a 'boot' sale refers to sales conducted from the 'boot' or 'trunk' of a car, being raised in an education system that was British based (Singapore) we here in Singapore refer to the 'boot' of a car instead of a 'trunk' and the 'bonnet' instead of the 'hood'.
> 
> We also buy 'petrol' instead of 'gas' and a whole slew of other different word usages. When i tell people here about flashlights, they ask me 'you mean torches/torchlights don't you?'



ROTFLMAO yeah here too! 



BTW OP nice retro looking lamp! :thumbsup:


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## AnnieRat1 (Sep 15, 2009)

Wow! So many responses to such a little lamp 

@Backpacker Light: I'm so annoyed you found that - I'd been looking on ebay for similar lamps to compare!!!  I have added it to my watch list, but I *refuse* to start collecting *anything* else, but that ones does look nice ....

@ypsifly: hyperloop has explained a boot sale as well as I could. Basically like a yard sale, but out of car trunks (usually in the middle of a large field somewhere!) This is where my lamp came from: http://www.mammothbootfairs.co.uk/

@Burgess: I did check, but no number on the bulb. TBH it wouldn't surprise me if you could still get them though. 
And thanks to everyone else for ther kind comments. lovecpf Looking at the one on ebay, and Ictorana's, I do wonder if I should have had a handle, and it was replaced with a stand, or if they just varied. Certainly the stand seems to fit with it and it doesn't look modified. 

Here's another picture of a boot sale find - apparently this one is from the US - again, it works very well, and at 50p was a real bargain!


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## Backpacker Light (Sep 16, 2009)

AnnieRat1 said:


> This is where my lamp came from: http://www.mammothbootfairs.co.uk/
> 
> 
> Here's another picture of a boot sale find - apparently this one is from the US - again, it works very well, and at 50p was a real bargain!


 
Thanks for posting your "Boot Fairs" link. We call them flea markets around here, but we pull everything out of the vehicle trunk (boot) onto tables or the ground. I have also found some great vintage lights at these markets.

Rather than e-bay and it's shipping/handling charges, I prefer to handle and inspect the item, or maybe hear some tidbit about it's discovery or history from the seller face to face. I remember the early 1920's Eveready flashlight I bought that came with the story that it was found in the wall of an old house while remodeling. How cool is that?

Anyway, here is a link to the *Flashlight Museum* site, which is documenting a great number of these old lights. A search came up with a Ecolite model #600, but not your #700. If you are not aware of this site, I'm sure you will use it in your future research of your finds.
http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Eco...num-Ecolite-Lantern-with-Plastic-Bale-6V-1960http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/flashlights_list.cfm?method=search

Happy hunting!


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## andy260173 (Aug 21, 2011)

Hi all, I got this Pifco torch / flashlight in a job lot of stuff I bought recently, I advertised it on ebay here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-P..._Consumer_VintageAudio_RL&hash=item336ad02805

There seems to be some interest, it has 2 filters that change the colour of the light between red and green. The interest has got me wondering about the history of the torch, I have never seen a similar one before. It has Made in Hong kong on the base, but I am assuming that it is vintage?

Just curious about the interest, does anybody know the model number, or model name? Has anyone seen this model before?

Just curious, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks


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