_____________________________________________________________________________________________Here is an amazing antique gasoline lantern by Mr. Pigeon, France(1884-1909).
It is in used condition.
It is in amazing condition for being over 100 years old. The brass has 100 years of patina, could probably be polished to it's original shine, up to you. There are some small scrapes and the shade holder has a bit of corrosion. Any issues are cosmetic, structurally good. The hand blown shade is complete, no cracks, scratches or chips. You can see all the tiny bubbles within the glass.
It does not currently have a wick and has not been tested.
It still has the 10 000 Francs Guarantee on the handle so it was made before 1910.
See pics for condition.
Charles Pigeon became a dealer in cycle lamps and other lamps. His invention and manufacture of the Pigeon lamp, a non-exploding gasoline lamp, in 1884 (exhibited at the Exposition universelle de 1900).
Mr Pigeon who made a fortune after exhibiting them at the famous Paris Exhibition in 1900. His 1,000 Francs guarantee that they are ‘inexplosable’ is written on the handle, however after having to pay out a few times he removed it on later versions from about 1910 onwards. These little lamps were sometimes referred to as ‘Vintners Lamps’ as the ‘vintner’ took them down to the cellar to select the wine. The wick is encased in felt so that if knocked over it was able to live up to the manufacturers guarantee of ‘Inexplosible’.