Rare 4" 20th Century Baby Grand Speedboat Steamboat Acetylene Brass Searchlight on 2040-parts.com

 This auction is for an extremely rare circa 1910 20th Century "Baby Grand" 4 1/4 inch acetylene gas marine searchlight. I found the introduction of this little jewel announced in a 1907 issue Of MotorBoat magazine. 20th Century, a NY city based company was one of the 5 top lamp and accessory companies of the period and lasted in various forms till 1921. I can't overstate how cute this is and in 60 years of chasing transportation collectibles this is the only one I've ever seen. It would make an excellent centerpiece to any transportation, brass lamp, lighting, or maritime collection and if you are lucky enough to own a wooden boat or speedboat of this period this would be the crowning glory on your restoration and the one item to spark the most conversation. As nice as this piece is I need to point out there is damage to the door and the hinge is bent. On a restoration forum online a member stated
"Your broken door could be repaired by brazing with Harris safety silv 45 silver solder. This is a 45 percent silver brazing material that melts at 1100F or so and will give a good color match"
The broken green lense appears at first to be a difficult repair but the lamp when viewed from the bottom has 2 tiny screws that when removed allow the bottom of the frame to be removed and a new glass to slide in place. Other than the door damage there are no other age cracks or splits as usually found on brass lights this old. I really hate to part with this as it cannot be replaced but I have other restorations and can't spare the time or money on this very worthwhile project. My loss can be your gain. You'll never see another nor have a better chance to own a truly amazing jewel from the high point of the last century.

Thanks for Looking and Good Luck Bidding,
Howard Dennis

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