Carbide Cap Lamps/Stein Dropper Front

Carbide Cap Lamps

Stein Dropper Front.JPG - STEIN DROPPER - Very rare brass carbide lamp marked STEIN DROPPER on top, with small 2 in. dia steel reflector, smooth sided base, and original felt retainer, 3 1/2 in. tall to top of water door, ex-Bob Schroth collection (Meyer Stein filed for a lamp design patent July 2, 1913 while working out of his father's clothing store to repair miner's carbide lamps. The patent as shown previously was awarded as #45,028 on Dec. 9, 1913 for what is Stein's earliest lamp. Two almost identical pre-patent lamps were made by Stein prior to the patent issue date of Dec. 9, 1913. The only difference between these two lamps is the stamping on top. One lamp is marked "Pat. Apl'd For" and the other is marked "S & S Pat. Apl'd For." Both are very rare lamps. In 1915, the Meyer Stein Mfg. Co. was established in Springfield, IL. Stein's propensity to copy key features of other patented lamps from other manufacturers got him in trouble through infringement suits. The water feed mechanism used on Stein's early lamps which he called the button dropper was an exact copy of the Guy Dropper patented water feed issued to Frank Guy. The patent infringement suit brought by Guy against Stein was resolved by a finding that absolved Stein of accountability since Guy marketed the water feed mechanism two years before filing for the patent. Stein followed up the 1912 PAF lamp with another rare lamp in 1914 called the Stein Dropper, as shown here, which closely resembled the more well-known Guy's Dropper lamp. The Springfield lamp shown elsewhere in the pics evolved from these earlier Stein models and was produced at the Springfield plant. After Stein's service in World War I, he returned to the lamp business with his father Philip with a new business name, the Stein Mfg. Co. He had filed a patent for an adjustable water control lever following the war that is occasionally found on Springfield lamps. In 1922, Meyer Stein sold this patent to Ben Williamson, founder of the Ashmead Mfg. Co. , that was used in the Elkhorn and Buddy lamps manufactured by Williamson. In fact, Stein was hired as the chief designer for these lamps. The Stein Mfg. Co. continued off and on in business until 1937 when all operations ceased and the company went out of business. See Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 89-93 and Thorpe, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 3-6)

Stein Dropper Front | STEIN DROPPER - Very rare brass carbide lamp marked STEIN DROPPER on top, with small 2 in. dia steel reflector, smooth sided base, and original felt retainer, 3 1/2 in. tall to top of water door, ex-Bob Schroth collection (Meyer Stein filed for a lamp design patent July 2, 1913 while working out of his father's clothing store to repair miner's carbide lamps. The patent as shown previously was awarded as #45,028 on Dec. 9, 1913 for what is Stein's earliest lamp. Two almost identical pre-patent lamps were made by Stein prior to the patent issue date of Dec. 9, 1913. The only difference between these two lamps is the stamping on top. One lamp is marked "Pat. Apl'd For" and the other is marked "S & S Pat. Apl'd For." Both are very rare lamps. In 1915, the Meyer Stein Mfg. Co. was established in Springfield, IL. Stein's propensity to copy key features of other patented lamps from other manufacturers got him in trouble through infringement suits. The water feed mechanism used on Stein's early lamps which he called the button dropper was an exact copy of the Guy Dropper patented water feed issued to Frank Guy. The patent infringement suit brought by Guy against Stein was resolved by a finding that absolved Stein of accountability since Guy marketed the water feed mechanism two years before filing for the patent. Stein followed up the 1912 PAF lamp with another rare lamp in 1914 called the Stein Dropper, as shown here, which closely resembled the more well-known Guy's Dropper lamp. The Springfield lamp shown elsewhere in the pics evolved from these earlier Stein models and was produced at the Springfield plant. After Stein's service in World War I, he returned to the lamp business with his father Philip with a new business name, the Stein Mfg. Co. He had filed a patent for an adjustable water control lever following the war that is occasionally found on Springfield lamps. In 1922, Meyer Stein sold this patent to Ben Williamson, founder of the Ashmead Mfg. Co. , that was used in the Elkhorn and Buddy lamps manufactured by Williamson. In fact, Stein was hired as the chief designer for these lamps. The Stein Mfg. Co. continued off and on in business until 1937 when all operations ceased and the company went out of business. See Thorpe, Carbide Light, pp 89-93 and Thorpe, Mining Artifact Collector #8, pp 3-6)

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