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Light Bulb Collector!...and not just light bulbs, but just about everything electrical that glows! Whether it be bulbs, LEDs, christmas lights, torches/flashlights, if it lights up, I`m probably interested. This page features just a bite sized morsel of the items in my collection which used to be presented here years ago when this page was used as my "web site". More of them, though still only a small portion of the "exhibits", are currently featured on my "Virtual Bulb Museum" web site at bulbmuseum.net, and in the future I hope to expand it to feature a lot more. I`ve a keen interest in boxed christmas light sets too- Pifco lights especially- and plan to feature many of my ~200 sets collection there too. Only a lack of time prevents me right now.
Not only do I collect boxed sets, but every year I enjoy putting up a large display of lights outside, and have been doing so since 1996. For more information about that, please visit my Christmas Displays archive site at displays.bulbmuseum.net
I used to write reviews of Torches (flashlights to my American readers), that was an area I was particularly fascinated by, although due to a rapidly waning interest I closed the review site and am currently selling much of the torch collection. Funnily enough, I didn`t really collect older types but do have a small handful and they may go up for sale soon too. I havn`t lost interest completely and do keep an eye on the latest technology, LED especially, but also the high performance specialist tactical lights. I havn`t purchased any new ones for quite some time now but you never know what will come on the market and tempt me in the future.
Finally, related to my day-job, I have a large and growing collection of old fire alarm parts. Sounds strange but when you`re the sort of person who can`t throw anything away, and you find yourself working with fire alarm systems, you naturally end up with a huge amount of old kit. What else to do but make it an official collection, which we refer to in the office as the "Fire Alarm Museum". Maybe I`ll open it up to visitors one day too? Most is old kit that has been removed from sites during upgrades but I do buy the odd item now and then, especially if it`s particularly old or obscure. Have a look at a small part of the collection at fire.bulbmuseum.net.
Antique light bulbs
I`ve always had a fascination for things that glow, and have collected light bulbs for many years, since 1992 or thereabouts. In 2000 I gained internet access for the first time and that did wonders for my collection. I started searching the net to see if there were other collectors like me out there and was very pleased indeed to discover that there were. What`s more- there were collectors of antique light bulbs. I had never ever seen bulbs so old and wonderful before and was instantly hooked. Discovering Kilokat`s Antique Light Bulb Site for the first time was very exciting indeed- and not long after, I had found Ebay too and the wonderful assortment of these precious antique bulbs offered for auction there. Well the rest is history and now the collection must number over two thousand including hundreds of those fascinating early ones. Here`s 10 of the best...
Hover your mouse pointer over each thumbnail to get a brief description. Click on each one them to bring up a bigger picture, plus a picture of the bulb illuminated on a low voltage and some details about it. Use your browser`s "back" button to return to this page.
My light bulb collection started off with new types of bulbs I could buy in local shops here in Britain, and indeed even since discovering the antique types, I still do collect these. There are seemingly endless varieties of bulbs avaliable today- so many sizes, shapes, colours, cap/base styles.....and it`s amazing to think of how important light bulbs have become in our daily lives. Most people take them for granted, but why not stop and think about it- try and imagine a world where artificial lights didn`t exist- strange, isn`t it? And that`s not all- ever wondered how they are made? The processes that go into making light bulbs today are quite fascinating. I always enjoy learning about the technical aspects as well as collecting the bulbs themselves. Here are five of the more "modern" exhibits in the collection...
Christmas is my favourite time of year! And my favourite part of it is seeing all the lights. I had my first set of christmas lights when I was 8 years old (sadly no longer around), and since then, every year I have got at least one set of lights. Things changed when in 1996 (and thanks in part to an increased "income") I officially declared myself a collector and set about increasing my small collection. It doubled that year! Back then, as with my light bulb collecting (which incidentally started a couple of years later although I`d unofficially collected them for a few years before) it was only new British lights that I could get hold of. My newfound internet access changed all that forever. Now my collection consists of lights from all over the world, both new and old. To be honest I can`t put an exact figure on the size of my christmas lights collection, but there has to be over 300 sets in total, I`m sure. Here`s 5 of the good ones...
Ever since I first got my first bubble lights (the modern-day reproductions) I have been fascinated by them- I think they`re completely wonderful! Since then I have obtained quite a few different types of original vintage bubble lights and here are a selection of them. I have produced animations showing the bubbling action of the different lights, you can see them by clicking on the links that follow. Please be patient, I have made them quite big to illustrate the effect as best as possible. There are 8 animation frames in each one and it could take a few minutes to completely download especially on dial-up connections, but please bear with it. They`re worth seeing especially if you`ve not had the pleasure of seeing a bubble light for yourself in real life... Noma Biscuit (C-6). The first type of bubble lights, produced by Noma in 1946, and again in 1949. The tube contains a substance called Methylene Chloride which is a water-like liquid that boils at a very low temperature. The heat from the little bulb in the body is enough to start this liquid boiling and this is what produces the bubbles.
Noma saucer (C-6). Produced by Noma in 1948, they were soon discontinued after it was discovered that they warped badly due to the heat of the bulb- the space inside the saucer body was too small and they just overheated. A year later Noma went back to their original design which was more succesful. Saucer bubble lights are quite hard to find today.
Paramount Oil-filled (C-6). Produced by Paramount, the bubble tubes in these lights contains oil instead of Methylene Chloride (like in the other bubble lights). The bubbles produced are smaller and move slower up the tube. The result is a quite beautiful effect but it`s not as dramatic as the other bubble lights, so as a result these unfortunately weren`t great sellers. Oil-filled lights are highly sought after by collectors today, and very valuable. There are Paramount lights that are identical to these which have Methylene Chloride in the tubes, they are slightly later than the oil ones but are still sought after by collectors.
USAlite (C-6). These were produced between 1949 and 1956 and the 2 ones I have bubble very vigorously. The bodies are quite "chunky" and are easilly identified as USAlite because the name is embossed on both halves of the body next to the bubble tube or screw-in base. I also recently added some C-7 versions of USAlite bubblers to my collection and an animation will be coming along soon.
Renown (C-6). Produced between 1948 and 1957, these are also known by other names- Gem, Everlite and Santa brands. The 4 lights I have don`t bubble too well, I`m not sure whether this is a characteristic of these lights or whether I just have ones that are defective or in poor condition. I can`t comment yet.
Noma Tulip (C-7). The first multiple burning bubble lights, produced in 1948, they have candelabra bases and are rated at 120 volts. Look closely at the top half of these lights and you`ll see that it`s the same as the top half of the Noma Saucer lights that were produced at the same time.
Peerless Shooting Star (C-7). Rare and wonderful, these were only made in 1948. The tubes contain 2 liquids, a thinner heavier liquid rests under a lighter thicker oil. The thicker liquid fills all the visible part of the tube. The bubbling effect is unlike all other bubble lights- small bubbles rise quickly through the thicker liquid but soon slow down, stop, and decend back from where they came from. The effect is not unlike a Roman Candle firework- the bubbles shooting up then falling down- hence the name, but as it`s quite subtle they didn`t sell too well at all and the tubes were quickly replaced by the more common Methylene Chloride. These are very rare and highly sought after by collectors today. This animation doesn`t show the effect too well but gives a vague indication.
Decorative light bulbs
There are a multitude of wonderful festive decoration light sets that were made in days gone by, and just as many different types of bulbs to go in them. Bulbs of all shapes, sizes and colours. Some made of shaped glass, others of plastic and metal. Here is a small selection of the various types of christmas bulbs I have come accross (unfortunately with many of these, I only have one or 2 bulbs on their own and not a complete set, hence they get this section for themselves)...
Midget base tiny pine-cone shaped bulbs.
The first type of C6 bulbs, smooth-sided cones.
Very early carbon-filament christmas bulbs.
GE Lighted Ice bulbs.
Exhaust-tipped carbon filament figural pine-cone bulbs.
Glass tipped, tin bodied Kristal Star light.
The more common American christmas bulbs- C9s, C7s and C6s.
Faceted crystal-like C6 bulbs.
Flourescent bulbs made by Sylvania.
Matchless Star- a pretty jewel-like bulb made of coloured glass.
Some interesting links
Click the icons to the left to go to each site...
Kilokat`s Antique Light Bulb Collector`s Site. This site is crammed full with fascinating information about antique light bulbs and vacuum tubes including pictures and downloadable catalogues/books on early light bulbs. Plus it is the home of the Antique Light Bulb Collector`s Forums where you can meet with other collectors or post free classified adverts.
Bill`s Antique Christmas Light Site. A wonderfully informative site packed full of fascinating and hard-to-find information about early American christmas lighting. Starting from the very earliest days of electric lighting outfits, this site follows all of the major developments in christmas lighting and shows numerous examples of the wonderful lights in Bill`s personal collection. 
Mike`s Electric Stuff. See Mike Harrison`s personal collection of vintage electrical glassware- lightbulbs, valves (vacuum tubes), neon glow lamps and lots more. Plus see pictures of Mike`s Tesla Coil and find out what to do with all those unwanted CDs, get a glimpse inside some of today`s electronic equipment or build a Nixie-Tube clock. Overall a fascinating site.Planet Christmas. Ever thought that your annual christmas lighting display is lacking something? Well visit this site to see what happens when computers and christmas lights combine. See pictures and videos of people`s light shows and get hints and tips on creating your own computerised sound-and-light displays. Stuck for an idea? Then visit the discussion board where other display creators can help you out.Candlepower Forums. The Internet`s largest discussion board dedicated to flashlights (torches). From old collectibles to the very latest LED and discharge technology, plus talented individuals producing their own technologically advanced products. This very busy place is well worth a visit if you have a fascination for portable illumination technology. Hand Made in Wales. A kind of "hub" bringing together all the pages and sites I have created over the years, ever since the original page I created here when I was a beginner to Web design. Hand made with pride in Wales, I code everything manually with a text editor only. Most of these sites you have seen links to already at the top of the page, and it`s almost all lighting related in one way or another.this page last updated- November 18th 2006.
Pictures and content Copyright (C)2000-2006 by Chris W. Millinship. Please ask me for permission before using any pictures elsewhere.
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