Date | Manufacturer | Notes | Outside of Box | Inside of Box |
1925 | Premo |
Here's a set of figural lights by Premo. The Premo name was used for Christmas lights for only one year, so it is easy to date this extremely hard to find outfit. Many of the figural lights in the set are original, as they match the box art perfectly, as does the string. My search continues to find all of the proper figural lights to complete this set. I've seen only one other example of this outfit, and it was missing the lid to the box. You can read more about this set HERE. |
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ca 1925 | Monowatt |
Monowatt, a major electrical device manufacturer, sold these lights under the name Cheer-I-Lights. A most unusual outfit, this is one of the very few that I've found to originally offer pine cone shaped lamps from the factory. The set is presented in a very creative box that when folded turns into an attractive counter display using the inside flap pictured above. The lamps are German carbon filament exhaust tipped, and the outfit originally sold for $2.35. Notice the metal spring attachments on the sockets, used as an aid in positioning the lights upright on the tree. Monowatt made electrical devices, including plugs and lamp sockets for many years, but offered Christmas lights under their own name for only a very short time. |
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ca 1925 | Monowatt |
In a box identical to the set pictured above, this Monowatt outfit features candle light sockets instead of the standard green composition type sockets. Both boxes feature an interesting and inventive countertop display feature, whereby the box can be folded into its own display as pictured above. |
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ca 1925 | Monowatt | In a box similar to the two pictured above, this is a box of figural lights from Monowatt. The lights are German imports, and some have exhaust tips. These are very high quality lamps, and this outfit is most uncommon. It has kindly been shared with us by Bob Iwamasa, author of a wonderful book on figural Christmas lights You can see the book and get to Bob's web site from the LINKS page. | ||
ca 1925 | Matchless | This set by the Matchless company is very hard to find, and was made by the same company that later sold the famous Matchless Wonder Stars. The set is pictured as found with imported German pine cone lamps, but most likely it originally came with simple round multi-colored Matchless brand Christmas lamps. | ||
ca 1925 | Santalites |
This Santalites outfit is one of the very few outfits that I've found that advertises a specific brand of Mazda lamps, in this case, Edison Mazda. The box does contain the specified Edison Mazda carbon filament lamps |
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ca1925 | Santalites |
Here is a set of imported German light reflectors, intended for use behind the electric light bulbs to enhance their brightness and sparkle. These were offered by Santalites, the same company who manufactured the light set pictured above. The reflectors are made out of thin copper with various colored coatings applied to the reflective surface. The inner ring is made of pressed cardboard, to electrically insulate the conductive copper reflector from the light socket. |
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ca 1925 | Rudges |
Produced by Rudges circa 1925, this outfit uses machine made pinecone lamps, with no exhaust tip. The color is flashed onto these bulbs, rather than being hand painted. |
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ca 1925 | Woodwin |
This outfit by the Woodwin Company has beautiful box art that was done by Worth Brehm in 1921, originally for General Electric. Entitled "His First Christmas", the picture depicts the wonderment of a child looking at his first Christmas tree while his parents peek from behind the parlor curtain. This is a very hard to find outfit. |
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ca 1926 | Unknown |
Although this box pictures and contains ordinary C-6 cone style lamps, they are strangely referred to as "Decorative Ornaments", apparently a creative marketing ploy. This box is not often found, and has no maker's name on it. |
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ca 1927 | NOMA |
The classic NOMA box, from that company's first full year operating as NOMA Electric Corporation, 1927. The outfit has ribbed cone tungsten filament GE MAZDA lamps. Later versions of the outfit are in a box of the same design, but with less color. This box design was used well into the 1930s. |
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ca 1927 | Good-Lite | A circa 1927 outfit by Good Lite, featuring typical GE Mazda fluted cone lamps. | ||
ca 1927 | Propp |
In 1927, Propp reworked their box art, with this result. Boxes like this were issued well into the mid 30s, with the later boxes not being as colorful. |
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ca 1928 | Real Lite |
This set has carbon filament lamps, which is a very late use of this type of bulb, as by this time the tungsten filament ribbed cone lamps were in almost universal use. |
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ca 1928 | Propp |
This outfit can be found with both blue and green box covers. An unbranded outfit first produced in 1928 by NOMA/Propp, the blue cover boxes are usually found with the (by then) very old fashioned carbon lamps. The blue box was an effort to use up huge amounts of the materials NOMA acquired in the 1928 merger with Propp, and is the earliest of the two types. |
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ca 1928 | Propp |
The green NOMA/Propp boxes most often contained Japanese lamps. This set was a "loss leader", offered inexpensively. |
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ca 1928 |
Unknown |
This set is often attributed to a company called I.C. Young, but that company was a folding box manufacturer, not a decorative lighting company. This 1928 issue is actually an unbranded generic outfit, made to be sold cheaply, usually with less expensive lamps. | ||
ca 1929 |
NOMA |
First appearing during Christmas, 1929, this NOMA outfit was actually sold year round, rather than just at Christmastime. The box art suggests Halloween and July 4th as other suitable uses for the set. Less colorful versions of this box were distributed well into the 30s. |
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