Queens garbage company finds World War I Victory Lamp in estate property cleanout

Tucked away in Douglaston, one of the historic districts of Queens, lay 50 years of garbage and junk that had been collecting dust in an old basement and garage attic. We were there last week for an estate property clean out, and clean out we did.

Next to a seasoned washing machine and somewhere near a worn portable bed were two rusted lamps that, to any normal eye, would have appeared to be rubbish to the point of extinction. My crew found them when they were separating out the metals to be placed in the recycling unit. And at a closer look, a trained eye could see that these lamps were hardly any old lamps — they were Victory Lamps from the World War I era.

The primary component of the lamps is a 75mm artillery shell that was recovered from the remains of the massive series of explosions at the T.A. Gillespie Loading Company plant, based in Morgan, N.J., which is where these lamps come from.

These lamps sold for just $18.40 back in 1919, when they were first made. It was a $3 down payment, $3 per month for four months, with a final payment of $3.40. Not too shabby.

One of the most important things to look for when buying a lamp like these is the label underneath. Based on the photo on the right, you’ll see that the label should say:

“75 M/M VICTORY LAMP”
Manufactured by the Snead & Company

Founded 1849   Jersey City, NJ
This lamp was made from a genuine U.S. Government French-American 75 M/M Shell saved from the Morgan explosion.
Snead Lamps are patented as follows:
April 22, 1919   May 10, 1919   June 3, 1919
Other patents pending

 

~ by DiMolaBros1956 on August 26, 2012.