Old lamps are more than just lights

By Arthur Schwerdt
Ah, fall, the season so nice they named it twice.
The further autumn progresses, however, the more minutes of our days are given over to darkness. That’s when it’s up to us to light things up.
But if our lighting is just lighting, we’re cheating ourselves out of all the other wonderful things that lamps be.
One of the darkest periods in American interior design was that time in the 1970s when all the lamps disappeared. It was called “Minimalism,” and it was most popular in the big cities.
Back then you didn’t shop for lamps, you bought “fixtures” —spot cans, recessed panels, and track lights. These things were supposed to dramatically illuminate all the ‘nothing’ you had minimally decorated with.
Well-chosen lamps can add so much to our décor—beauty, warmth, interesting depth, and even humor.
And there is no better place to shop for them than in your local antique shops. They will have the greatest selection of the most fascinating lamps you can find anywhere.
Of special interest these days are early electric lamps, electrified old candle fixtures, oil and fluid lamps, and old vases, urns and other decorative objects that have been mounted as lamps.
Collectors of early 20th century lighting usually have their eyes set on two specific types of lamps: statuary and art glass, both of which were created to enhance the well decorated Edwardian homes of their day.
Perhaps the most distinctive of the statuary lamps were the newel post lamps, specifically designed to be mounted on the newel post at the end of a banister. These announced to all who entered the home that this was a house that had electric.
In the early days of electric power, electric lamps were scarce. It was often easier convert old oil or fluid lamps.
You can tell an oil lamp by its small well. Oil was expensive, but burned clean and slow. The fluid lamp had a much larger well to hold kerosene, which was much less expensive.
The electric versions of both of these add warmth to our decor, especially in the bedroom, dining room or as accent lighting in any room with a fireplace.
Those lamps are best if the original has not been drilled or otherwise compromised by being electrified, as are antique decorative objects like vases, urns, and statuary.
The value of these lamps will be based on the value of the original object, plus the quality of the mounting, shade and finial.
Yes, you can find many inexpensive antique-style lamps in the national chain and discount stores, but do yourself a favor and compare them to the real things before you buy.
I’m sure you will find that for warmth and class, not to mention investment value, old lamps are the bright choice.
—Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of The August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions or appraisal requests to aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.