Lot #121 - Norwich & Worcester Railroad Fixed globe lantern

 

la37 Railroad Norwich & Worcester  Size standard  Condition Excellent This is a very unusual fixed globe lantern. Until I saw everything in the John Knowles collection I might have questioned this style of globe cutting. I now can say with certainty that this a legitimate N&W RR lantern.  Only a couple of roads used this style of cut lettering. The lettering is squat with rounded edges. The globe has applied rings to both the top and bottom. This was done to ensure a secure plaster joint. This frame has loads of its original Japan finish. Even the flat band bail has a Japan finish. This was a creosote based product used to protect tin from rusting. It looks like copper and then it even ages to a peeling black paint look if it gets wet.  The pinch-pot assembly is from a brass presentation lantern. This is a real bonus for fixed globe collectors because the brass pinch-pots are very scarce. A tin replacement is much easier to find. This lantern is from one of the oldest collections in the country. It's a great early piece from a road that merged into the New York and New England in the 1870s and then the New Haven in the 1890s. Excellent condition.   Return to Auction Listing copyright Scott Czaja 2011