I collected antique mission lights for my 1914 craftsman home until I ran out of space to put new ones. The house had had all of it’s lights replaced in the 60’s as so often happens. I bought so many original antique lights, I ended up having to sell my least favorites at the local historic house parts store. Along the way I learned a few things. I bought all of my lights on Ebay.
1. Antique lights are beautiful, but they are not UL rated even when professionally rewired so most electricians won’t install them for you. They can rewire your lighting outlet if you need it but the actual hooking up of the light is left to you. Luckily it is very easy to do.
2. Rewiring is a fairly easy thing to do, but if you are not up to it, there are professionals in many cities who will do it for you. Often lights are sold rewired, so you don’t have to do anything.
3. Replating is needed on some lights. Many large cities have replaters that work on house parts, or you can find one that does car parts and other objects. You can choose to have a plastic coating put on the finish once it is done to keep it shiny but eventually that finish will wear out so you may want to skip it and let the brass patina naturally. You can also get a shiny brass finish or a more muted brushed brass finish. I prefer the brushed brass since it looks a bit more elegant to me. You want a brass finish for every room in the house except the kitchen and bath where nickel was customary. I didn’t learn this until my second home, so I am afraid my first home has nickel throughout since I liked the color.
4. You can tell an old lamp by the socket and wiring. Removing the socket and the wiring actually can lower the historic and collectible value of the lamp, so you need to decide if the added safety of rewiring is worth it to you. I have had an electrician tell me that the old wires in my house are just fine; on the other hand my insurance company gives a rewiring fire insurance discount, so not everyone agrees.
5. The most valuable part of the light is usually the light shade. Luckily the old light shades were made VERY sturdily. If you buy a light without a shade you can find matching shades that are either original or reproduction. This can be a bit of a challenge since the diameter of the shade opening is not standard so finding original shades in the amount, size, color and shape that you need and like is a treasure hunt. If you are a true collector like me then you won’t mind this too much.
6. Shipping can be a real challenge. Obviously you are shipping glass with the shades so make sure to tell the buyer to “double box” the shades. That means that the shades are packaged well in one box then there is another layer of packing material and another larger box around the whole thing; a box within a box. I have had one shade break that was “professionally” packaged and it was not double wrapped. I got my money back from the seller so it was his loss, but it could have been avoided if the packaging was done right.
7. Periods are another challenge. The early lights were just adapted gas lights so have a different look than the later boxy, craftsman style lights. I love all of them so I just mixed and matched in my home as I saw fit, but a purist may want to consult a lighting style book to make sure that all the lights are at least made after the house was built and even all in the same year.
8. Reproductions are nice and I felt more comfortable having a UL listed reproduction in my full bathroom. They also are good for outdoor lights that get moisture as well. Some reproductions are very nice but I feel that I would rather have the original for about the same price for most of the house. They have more variety in shape and style, are generally better made and have that historic feel that is irreplacable.
9. Parts: Some lights get ripped out of a house and sold at an estate sale or elsewhere and often the lights loose some of their parts along the way. You may have to buy some junk lights for parts to remake your light whole again. I used the local historic house parts salvage store which has a huge pile of light parts in a bin that you can sort through. You can also buy cheaper dented lights for the parts that you want, both internal and external. The most common pieces to loose are attachment bolts and the plate that covers the wires at the ceiling.
10. In the 60’s many lights were taken out of the living room and replaced with 60’s lamps, as was the fashion. The spot where the light was, was covered up with plaster or a matching plate. You can ask your electrician to scan for electrical wires and uncover the spot if it has been plastered over. The spot is usually in the very center of the room’s ceiling so that is a good place to start hunting for it. Adding the light back will restore the room and make it much brighter in my experience.
Despite some of the hassles mentioned above, I really get a lot of joy from my antique lights daily and will probably take them with me when I move, replacing them with reproductions prior to sale.
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