How do I know if my antique lamp is valuable?
Lamps are often more valuable when left in an original condition with most or all the original parts. Lightly scratch the underside of the lamp surface to determine the type of material it is made from. Some lamps may appear to be made of metal, but they might also be painted to look and feel just like metal.
How do you date an antique lamp?
Antique Lamp Supply recommends picking up the lamp and looking for a manufacturer’s symbol, name or date stamp embedded into the base. Also look on the lighting fixture itself; sometimes, the manufacturer includes a sticker that includes the name, or date of manufacture.
How can you tell if a lamp is bronze?
The only dead easy step is to test it with a magnet. If it’s magnetic, it is plated steel rather than either brass or copper. Copper is not as strong and stiff as brass, and also more expensive, so it usually isn’t used for lamps except when you want the color of a penny; brass is much yellower, bronze is browner.
Who made Rayo lamps?
Bradley & Hubbard manufactured the Rayo Standard Oil Company lamp. Since Standard Oil also was among the largest sellers of oil in the Far East, I wonder if many Rayo’s are still working in the People’s Republic of China today. Figure 14 shows a rolled tin oil funnel stamped “Filler for Rayo Lamp.”
How can I tell if my lamp is real brass?
Solid brass is not magnetic. If the magnet sticks, the item is usually steel or cast iron, with a brass plating. If the magnet does not stick, you can test further by scratching a hidden area with a sharp tool. If you see a shiny yellow scratch, the item is likely solid brass.
Should you clean antique bronze?
It is essential to clean your bronze piece of art regularly, so the original sculpture does not suffer from dust accumulation, oxidation, or corrosion. Many people do not know how to polish bronze statues and how to remove oxidation from bronze properly.