The Collector's Notebook presents a collection of notes, updates and new additions
to the website made within the past year. The newest additions are at the top of this page.
Please contact me HERE with any questions or comments.
 

         02/17/2005: A new section of the site has been added, telling the history of the
         first company to sell Christmas lights in cardboard rather than wood boxes.
         CLICK HERE to read the history of the Ever Ready Company.

         IMPORTANT NOTE:  IN COMPLETING RESEARCH FOR THIS NEW  SECTION,
         THIS COLLECTOR HAS COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT GENERAL ELECTRIC
         WAS THE FIRST COMPANY TO BOTH MANUFACTURE AND MARKET ELECTRIC
         CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. SOME PUBLISHED WORKS, ALONG WITH EARLIER
         INFORMATION ON THIS WEB SITE, GAVE CREDIT TO THE AMERICAN EVER READY
         COMPANY FOR MANUFACTURE OF THE FIRST ACTUAL STRING OR FESTOON.
         RECENT DISCOVERIES MADE IN THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF THE
         AMERICAN EVEREADY COMPANY HAVE LED THIS COLLECTOR TO CHANGE
         HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE FACTS, AND THIS LEADS TO THE ALMOST
         INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION THAT THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
         BOTH PRODUCED AND SOLD THE FIRST PREWIRED ELECTRIC CHRISTMAS
         LIGHTING OUTFITS FOR PUBLIC USE.           


       02/13/2006: A tiny Depression-era outfit has joined the collection.
         About 1/2 the size of more typical outfits of the era, your can see the
         set HERE.


       02/04/2006: An elusive boxed set of Royal Crown bubbling lights is now in the
         collection. You can see it HERE. 


         02/01/2006: Web site visitor Eric Holzenberg recently contributed several pages of
         his amazing candle powered angel chimes collection to this web site, which are
         featured in the Pre Electric section. For the New Year, Eric has completely revised and
         updated the information, descriptions and pictures in his offering, which
         can be viewed HERE. Again, this collector applauds Eric's kind efforts in sharing his
         one-of-a-kind collection with the world.         


       01/13/2006: The New Year brings a charming advertising postcard from General Electric.
         Featuring their "new" prewired electric Christmas lights, you can view it HERE.
 

       12/27/2005: Two new outfits from the Zell Manufacturing Company have joined the
         collection. One outfit features GE Mazda lamps while the other, less expensive offering
         features imported Japanese lamps. You can see both outfits HERE.


         12/27/2005: The earliest version of the Reliance company's offering of XL lamps
         is now on the site. View it HERE.
 

       12/27/2005: A variation of the NOMA/Starlight outfit featuring Japanese smooth-cone
         carbon filament lamps is now on the site. CLICK HERE.

 
      12/15/2005: A charming little battery powered outfit from Propp has
         been added to the collection. Circa 1920, the outfit can be viewed HERE.


       11/26/2005: This collector also restores vintage phonographs. Just for fun,
         a new chapter has been added to the site, featuring some examples of early
         Edison cylinder recordings of Christmas Music. The files are presented in
         MP3 format for easy downloading and playing on your computer. Enjoy!
         You can hear the music HERE.


       10/23/2005: Web site visitor Eric Holzenberg recently wrote to this collector,
         sharing information about a candle powered angel chime in his collection, similar to
         an electric treetop chime pictured on this site (Click Here). After some interesting discussions
         about his research and collecting efforts, Eric has agreed to present his information
         within these pages. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Eric for both his hard
         work and willingness to share his collection and research with the world. It is through
         kind offers like Eric's that this site continues to grow.  View Eric's pages HERE.      


       10/02/2005: Two additional sets have been added. The first is a postwar outfit from
         Park Electric, packaged in an unusually attractive box. You can see it HERE. The second
         outfit is an early 1930s NRA marked set from Reliance, also in an unusual box. View it HERE.        


       9/25/2005: Two series wired festoon testing devices can now be seen on the
        "If One Goes Out, They ALL Go Out" page of this site.  CLICK HERE.      


       9/25/2005: An unusual 10 socket outfit is now in the collection. A 1920 offering from
         Franco Electric, it can be seen HERE.


       9/24/2005: Collector Gordon Thompson has kindly provided two interesting
         images from a 1918 copy of the Sears and Roebuck catalog in his collection.
         You can view them HERE. 
 

       9/20/2005: A small, electrified feather tree has resided in this collection for
         a few years now. It has recently been identified as Ralph Morris' original
         electrified Christmas tree by a Morris family member. You can see the tree
         and read the story behind it HERE.
 

       8/13/2005: Two new outfits have finally been restored for
         presentation on the site. Both outfits are quite hard to find, and are
         offerings from USALITE and Deal Electric from 1926. It was this year that both
         companies joined the new National Outfit Manufacturer's Association, the
         forerunner of the famous NOMA Electric Corporation. USALITE dropped out of
         the Association after about six months or so. Both sets can be viewed HERE.


       8/13/2005: Through the kind gift from a friend, a new NOMA outfit joins the
         collection. It is an interesting set from 1929, which bears advertising on the
         bottom of the box as well as on the inner flap. CLICK HERE.


       8/13/2005: Web site visitor Ross Stoval has kindly shared some wonderful images
         from his extensive electrical catalog collection.  They are quite interesting, and can
         be viewed HERE.
         

       8/4/2005: Web site visitor Eric Holzenberg recently wrote to me, sharing pictures
         and information about a candle powered chiming tree topper in his collection. It was
         made by the Keydel Company, the same maker of a strikingly similar electrified chiming
         tree topper pictured on this site. You can see the added information HERE. Eric also
         shares some unusual individual chiming candle holders, which can be seen HERE.


       8/01/2005: A Polly window wreath in pristine condition is now in the collection,
         courtesy of a friend. The piece retains all of its original color, and appears to
         have been used for a single season, if at all.  CLICK HERE.


         8/01/2005: Another outfit from The Triangle Electro Trading Company joins the
         collection. Featuring smooth cone C-6 type lamps, you can see it HERE.


         8/01/2005: An outfit from American Decorative Lighting is new to the collection.
         This outfit has a colorful and attractive inner flap. CLICK HERE


       7/26/2005: A very interesting celluloid lighting outfit has joined the collection.
        You can view it by CLICKING HERE.


       7/14/2005: A Timeline has been added to the site. CLICK HERE to
         see it.
 

       5/21/2005:

         A very hard to find NOMA battery outfit has just joined the collection. You
         can see and read about it by CLICKING HERE.
 

       4/25/2005: Another version of the Keydel brand Electric Angel Chimes tree topper has
         been added to the collection. Earlier than the Propp unit, this set of chimes
         includes the screw-in star as well as the original instruction booklet. To see
         this new addition, CLICK HERE.

       4/18/2005

       A Preface has just been added to the site, presenting a brief look at American
         Christmases before electric lights. CLICK HERE.
 

         4/17/2005

       Chapters Ten and Eleven are now finished. Chapter Ten discusses a few of the novelty lighted
         figures, candles and wall plaques that were available in the 1920s, 30s 40s and 50s. CLICK HERE
         to see it. Chapter Eleven presents the popular lighted table top trees and bubbling light trees.
         CLICK HERE to see them.
 

         4/16/2005

       A new outfit has just been added to the collection. With the unusual name of Blighty, the set is
         a good example of the early use of composition sockets, and is of unusually high quality. The
         lithography on the cover is outstanding, and the label is actually on the inside of the lid of the
         box. CLICK HERE to see the new set.

       3/30/2005 

         The recent discovery of General Electric's Catalog of Edison Miniature Incandescent Lamps,
         dated November 8, 1906, has led this collector to the revelation of an interesting fact. Apparently,
         GE could make their lamps tipless (without exhaust tips at the tops of the lamps) earlier than heretofore
         thought. On pages 6 and 9 of the catalog, which contain pricing and options for miniature lamps,
         the company offers a tipless option for the lamps at an additional cost of 4 cents per lamp. In miniature
         lamps, at least, tipless manufacture did not become standard until about 1916 or so. This is quite an
         interesting discovery!   Another interesting fact is that the cover of the catalog specifically mentions
         that these lamps are of the carbon filament type, indicating that there were other types of filaments
         available in miniature lamps at this early date, another surprising fact to this collector. For pictures
         of the catalog, see the Vintage Advertising section of this site HERE.     

       3/26/2005: A new outfit has joined the collection. Sold by T.H. Bullock and Company in 1906,
         the set appears to have actually been made by General Electric, and house-branded with the
         Bullock name. The wooden-boxed outfit can be viewed HERE.  

       3/16/2005

         With the kind help from figural light collector Bob Iwamasa, I have changed the description of the
         figural light set from The Interstate Electric Novelty Company located HERE. Bob pointed out that
         the set contains a mixture of German and Japanese lamps. They were originally described as all of
         German origin. Bob has written a marvelous book on Figural Christmas lights, entitled
         Antique Figural Christmas Light Bulbs, which this collector uses almost daily. Thanks to Bob
         for his kind assistance!

       2/26/2005

         An unusual outfit from The Electric Porcelain Manufacturing Company has been added to the collection.
         This outfit can be seen HERE. This collector is currently searching out more information on this company.
         Please use the link at the top of this page to contact me if you have any additional information that you
         would like to share.

        
       2/23/2005

         Chapter Fourteen has now been added, featuring pictures of early advertisements this collector has used in
         researching some of the information on this site. An interesting glimpse into the past, and constantly being updated.

        
         2/23/2005

         A new set from the Electro Importing Company has been added. This set is interesting in that although quite early,
         it is in a thin cardboard box. Most competitors of the time presented their outfits in wooden
         or very heavy cardboard boxes. The set is pictured and described HERE.

         2/16/2005

       Information on the Evolution of the Christmas Lighting Festoon Sockets has been updated, due to the discovery
         of a 1917 mention of the use of composition sockets.

         1/04/2005

       A new figural light set from The Interstate Electric Novelty Company has just been added to the collection.
         It can be seen HERE. This set retains the original instruction booklet which is pictured as well.

         12/30/2004

       Chapter Two features two outfits new to the collection: A set from The Triangle Electro Trading Company
         and an early Monowatt outfit.  CLICK HERE to see these two outfits, the last two at the bottom of the page.

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