Is this old light fixture worth anything?

Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
11,833
Location
The Midwest
My younger sister is updating her house and I took the light fixture down she no longer wants. Probably original to the house built in 1968.
Has a union made IBEW sticker on it. All glass is in perfect condition. If it is only worth garage sale value, I'll tell her to throw it away.






light sticker.jpeg
light.jpeg
 
I’m thinking it’s older that that. As for value that would be up to the buyer.

Now if it were a leg table lamp then that would have value.
 
SKy, Vintage furniture and light fixtures are sought after. Tell her not to throw it away. The key is finding the right business or individual who wants to purchase it. She may have an architectual center near her who could be a resource.
 
I have been selling/trying a lot of old (40's-60's), desirable items lately for very reasonable money in my opinion. Not many people are buying. 1968 is not very old. I would either garage sale it or donate it.

Unfortunately, the collectors are dying from old age.
 
Looks like it was made on March 25, 1944. It's a low end art deco lamp, not sure if it was gas model converted by the manufacturer to electric model with minimal changes.

Are the glass covers for the light bulbs intact? Those might be worth more than the light itself.
 
Looks like it was made on March 25, 1944. It's a low end art deco lamp, not sure if it was gas model converted by the manufacturer to electric model with minimal changes.

Are the glass covers for the light bulbs intact? Those might be worth more than the light itself.

I'd be surprised if it was made in 1944, because of WW II, but I'm no expert. The light bulb bases are white plastic, the glass definitely looks 1960's, but it could have been moved and updated.
 
In the 1960s, union stickers were common even on very basic fixtures sold in hardware stores.
 
I'd be surprised if it was made in 1944, because of WW II, but I'm no expert. The light bulb bases are white plastic, the glass definitely looks 1960's, but it could have been moved and updated.


Do you think both glass shades are original? The white ones look too contemporary compared to the green ones.

The bases look like porcelain in the picture but if they are plastic then they must have been updated somewhere along the way.
 
never know what someone might be looking for and what they might pay
 
All it takes is one coarse photo of anyone famous walking through a corridor with that fixture in the shot........
Definitely a commercial application (size, number of lamps). It appears to be straight.
The few times I've inquired about the worth of a fixture I had salvaged, the phrase, "If only you had two of them", came up.

I like it more than the gauche crystal chandeliers you see hanging above newer homes' foyers.....through the arched window designed so you can see said chandelier from the street.

Consider selling it to a scenic design/prop shop.
 
Last edited:
My wife and I have bought light fixtures and lamps at antique stores in various places across the country. We appreciate the quality of the older US made fixtures. Go price some new JUNK fixtures and you will see that the quality is missing on modern fixtures.
 
Something like this likely need a specific customer who wants it real bad to match the rest of his or her restoration project. You have to run into those customers by chance or online before you can determine how much it is worth.
 
Something like this likely need a specific customer who wants it real bad to match the rest of his or her restoration project. You have to run into those customers by chance or online before you can determine how much it is worth.
Very true. Young persons are not interested in that kind of stuff. Would be very hard to sell.
 
Back
Top