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

09/28/2006: Back again for the Holiday Season is the Music of Christmas Past, a collection of
         recordings from the early 20th century. The recordings are early Thomas Edison cylinder records,
         downloadable in standard MP3 format. CLICK HERE.
 

         11/05/2007: Finally, some new additions to the website! First, a rare set of four photographs I've entitled:
         "Bringing Home the Christmas Tree." The series of pictures depicts a 1920s Christmas in Nebraska.
         CLICK HERE. Second, web site visitor Ryan has kindly shared with us a recently acquired
         21 light NOMA Bubble Lite tree, in remarkable condition. See it HERE. Next, a "transitional" outfit
         from Reliance, featuring unusual Japanese-made C-7 miniature base lamps. CLICK HERE to see it.
         An Amico Stream-O-Lite set has joined the collection. The unusual 20 light series-wired set can be seen
         HERE. Finally, the box for a set of NOMA Sno-Flake Gems is featured HERE. 

         11/12/2006: A charming little musical tree stand has joined the collection. While it
         really has noting to do with Christmas lights, it does fit well into the Vintage Christmas
         Music section of this web site. You can see and listen to it HERE.

         10/27/2006: A tiny battery powered outfit has just been added. Originally sold with three batteries, it can
         be seen HERE

         10/27/2006: An outfit by the Matchless Electric Company has joined the collection. See it HERE.

         10/13/2006: Some of this collector's favorite outfits are the ones produced by the C.D. Wood Company,
         which include on their cover a charming painting by children's book illustrator Worth Brehm. Entitled
         "His First Christmas," the piece is a wonderful image of a child experiencing his first Christmas tree,
         while parents and grandparents peek from the parlor curtain. Another example of this set has joined the
         collection. You can see it HERE.

         10/13/2006: The recent discovery of an extremely rare outfit sold by the American Electrical and Novelty
         Manufacturing Company is now on the site, courtesy of collector Jeff Beights. Click HERE.

         10/08/2006: An outfit by Louis Szel's Five Seas Trading Company has just been added. See it HERE.

         10/08/2006: An outdoor lighting outfit from Royal Electric's first year of offering Christmas lights is
         now in the collection. See it HERE.

         10/08/2006: A TIMCO outfit which includes shunt-type lamps is new to the collection. Click HERE.

         10/08/2006: A hard-to-find set by Crescent has joined the collection. View it HERE.

         10/08/2006: A window wreath from NOMA Electric Corporation's first full year of operation is now in the
         collection. View it HERE.

         10/08/2006: A postwar outfit from Peerless has been added. See it HERE.

         10/06/2006: A brief history of the Novelty Incandescent Lamp Company (NILCO) has just been added.
         Click HERE. This company was one of the founding companies of Sylvania

         09/30/2006: Also joining the collection is a nice American Ever Ready Company 24 light
         outfit. The set retains the cardboard divider and lamps, but the festoons are missing. Click
         HERE to see it

         09/30/2006: Most often found by collectors without a box, a set of Noelite Candles has joined
         the collection. See it HERE.

         09/30/2006: Two outfits have recently been added, both of them unusual. First, another Owl
         set is presented. It has a lot of interesting information on the box flap. View it HERE.
         Secondly, a rare Rudges outfit has found a lace in the collection. This set consists of just
         seven series-wired candles, and was originally made that way. This is the first and only un-
         altered seven light series outfit this collector has seen. View it HERE.

         06/22/2006: Christmas light researchers and hobbyists Bob Iwamasa and Patrick Fay have
         teamed up and are now offering a new book, entitled "The History of the Christmas Figural
         Light Bulb." This book is a companion to Bob's earlier book, "Antique Christmas Figural Light
         Bulbs." The work, the majority of which is previously unpublished information, will be invaluable
         to the collector, hobbyist and historian. Lavishly illustrated and exhaustively researched, the book
         presents a complete and highly detailed history of the Christmas figural lighting industry from birth
         through the early 1960s. It may be ordered by visiting www.lulu.com and using the keyword search: 
         Iwamasa. It is available in paperback for $39.43 and hardcover for $51.91. This collector
         enthusiastically and highly recommends the new book!

         06/08/2006: An interesting article about an early electrically lit Christmas tree has
         been added to the site. It appeared in a social column of The New York Times newspaper,
         and is a report of the second lighted tree that Edward Johnson set up in his house. You will
         remember that Edward Johnson, the President of Edison's electric company, demonstrated
         the first electrically lit Christmas tree in the world in his home in December of 1882. That
         incident was not reported on by local papers, but an account of it did appear in the Detroit
         Post and Tribune. Johnson's second tree, an improvement upon the first, did make the
         local paper. It is an interesting read. CLICK HERE.


         05/30/2006: Two outfits have recently been added to the collection. One is an interesting
         Celluloid outfit (CLICK HERE), and the other is a charming little automobile wreath by NOMA
         (CLICK HERE).

         04/10/2006: A very rare Five Seas Trading outfit has just joined the collection. View it HERE.

         03/03/2006: Work has begun on the restoration of an interesting wooden-boxed
         outfit from General Electric. Upon close examination, it is apparent that  the embossing
         on one side of the box has been purposely altered. On the long side of the box, the area
         where the words "with Edison" appear has been deeply and evenly ground away as well. Later, it
         appears that the words "with Edison" have been ink-stamped (not embossed) in the
         same area. On one end of the box, the words "General Electric Company, Harrison,
         N.J. USA" have also been ground away. Strangely, the same words have been ink
         stamped back on.
              This collector speculates that it is likely that the manufacturer of the wooden box for
         the GE lights originally altered it to make use of it to sell another brand of lights in.
         The removal of the  words "with Edison" and  "General Electric Company, Harrison,
         N.J. USA" would make the box rather generic in nature, and could easily accommodate
         any brand of lights. Later,  the wording originally removed was ink stamped back onto
         the box, making it again suitable for a set of GE lights. Why the box was later converted
         back to include the GE nomenclature remains a mystery. This collector also wonders
         why the alterations were done to only one side of the box. There are many examples of
         cardboard light boxes factory altered to accommodate many different brands of lighting
         outfits, but this is the first time that this collector has seen these practices on a wooden
         box.   CLICK HERE for a more complete description of the set.     

         02/17/2005: A new section of the site has been added, telling the history  of the
         Ever Ready Company. CLICK HERE.

        
         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.


         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.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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