The TV Lamp Collectors Blog

I thought this would be a good time to clue everyone in on my recent and future exploits. I’ve been putting a good deal of time into my beloved side-project, texansinc.com, toying around with Flash animation. Since that site doesn’t receive the same volume of visitors that flock to tvlamps.net I’m a little more comfortable using it as a test-bed, a place to make risky changes that might not work properly or simply look bad. (20/20 hindsight and all) As my “bravery quotient” increases I’ll no doubt apply Flash to tvlamps.net as well. At the present time, the texansinc.com header (title graphic) does indeed have a certain goofy quality, and I’ll definitely change it this week. My experience with Flash goes back all of 48 hours, so forgive any “issues” with the pages as I claw my way up the learning curve. Besides the funky moving header on the main page, I’ve also applied a little Flash work to the “71 Fire” page. (shown above) Previously, to view the fire movie footage one clicked on a link that would, hopefully, cause the .mpg file to play from the visitors default movie player. Now the clip is embedded into the page with Flash, a handy play button residing below it. (more…)

One of the main sources of confusion among collectors, and sellers, is the true definition of a TV lamp. The term is used quite loosely, often by eBay sellers that understand how avidly that category is watched. So, in the strictest sense, what constitutes a TV lamp? I’ll start with the Jacquelin panther shown above, as I consider it to be the very essence of the genre, the style that immediately comes to mind for most people. The attributes that make this a classic TV lamp are simple: It dates from the ’50s, it is ceramic, it provides back-lighting, it represents a popular mid-century theme (the panther was one of several “exotic” icons of the day) and it was designed and marketed specifically for use atop the family television. This is a TV lamp in its purest form, no question. But there are others, many others that meet the criteria.  (more…)

This is just personal ramblings, and way off topic, but I’ve got to ask: Where are all the collector websites? All sorts of vintage artifacts are collected, from wall pockets to jigger glasses to stereoscopic viewers, and it baffles me that no one has created websites dedicated to the them. Am I just crazy for posting hundreds of pages on TV lamps? Obviously there’s many enthusiastic TV lamp collectors around, but aren’t there plenty of Rosemeade collectors? Where’s the website? Over the past years tvlamps.net has become hugely popular, and it’s occurred to me that the reason could be because it’s different… an in-depth, perhaps obsessive, website. I’m certainly not doing anything difficult. Anyone that is passionate about a thing can share their interest. On-line commerce will always be the prime user of internet bandwidth, but one can only hope that more collectors/hobbyists will step up and contribute. One doesn’t have to be a computer genius (I’m not), or even have a plan (I didn’t). It just takes enthusiasm.

I’m off to the hospital tomorrow to have a “minor” surgical procedure performed. (Is “going under the knife” ever minor?) I’ll be home same-day, but my recovery speed could put a damper on my posts for a few days…or not. I just didn’t want y’all to panic if there’s a brief, deafening silence!

I knew this would happen. Postal rates go up and eBay sellers try to save a buck by shipping in tiny boxes. I received a lamp today that was packed in a shoe box…a shoe box. What the hell? Does anyone really believe that vintage pottery can be safely shipped in a shoe box? Obviously one person does. If anyone isn’t clear as to the effort needed to safely ship pottery, particularly to me, why not read, Packing Lamps for Shipment. Please!

I’m going to have to say yes, the rising cost of shipping has curtailed the frenzied trading of TV lamps on eBay, at least to an extent. Long-time collectors are accustomed to seeing the holidays slow down activity, but in the past couple of months have shown a similar downturn. I’m always watching the number of listings in eBay’s TV lamp category, a total that was until recently in the 300-350 range. Now it’s wheezing along at closer to 200 (222 as I write this), with no apparent cause. (unless you consider that back-to-school preparations could have people occupied) I’m inclined to believe that the cost of shipping a lamp, perhaps $12 before and now more like $25, to be the culprit. (more…)

This past July I took the family on a road trip that took us to a number of marvelous places, and we made memorable stops in Kentucky, Illinois and Minnesota… all of which were tied in some way to vintage pottery! One of the highlights was a visit to the home of Morton, Illinois pottery historians Doris and Burdell Hall. The renowned experts on the subject, they have researched the Morton potteries for many years, Burdell himself having worked at Midwest Potteries in the 1940s. It’s hardly possible to study pottery without also collecting, and they have a collection that is nothing short of fabulous. (more…)

It’s not often that TV lamps show up on postcards…in fact, this is the only example I’m aware of!  (more…)

For those who haven’t heard, Northfield Minnesota is home to the world’s only TV Lamp Museum. Housed in Antiques of Northfield, Carole Christensen has a tremendous number of TV lamps on display, and still others for sale. How many does she have? Carole confided in me a few weeks ago that she’s lost track, “but it’s well over 1000″. Well over indeed! Any TV lamp collector needs to see this spectacular collection. To see more photos and read an interview with Carole, visit my page, Carole Christensen’s TV Lamp Museum.

Antiques of Northfield

416 Division St.

Northfield, Minnesota 55057

507-664-9599

It’s clear now… I’ve lost my mind. How in the heck can I maintain a blog when I’m already running two websites (that would be tvlamps.net and texansinc.com), researching lamps/pottery, dealing in vintage lamps, etc? Well I’ll tell ya, it’s a simple matter of obsession. I’m completely eat-up with mid-century TV lamps…and I apologize to no one. All this stuff keeps me off the streets, makes a little (very little) money, and satisfies my three basic cravings: (more…)