Miners Candlesticks/Curtiss Patent Stick RSide

Miners Candlesticks

Curtiss Patent Stick RSide.jpg - CURTISS - Patented original steel Curtiss stick; length 11 1/2 in; 3 1/8 in tall hook; lightly stamped on thumb tab PAT. AUG. 2 1904; marked CURTISS on side of shaft just forward of the hook; patented by Edgar W. Curtiss, Baker City, OR, No. 766,599; #182 in Wilson’s candlestick guide (Edgar W. Curtiss worked as a blacksmith at various gold mines in Oregon after moving his family from New York to Oregon in 1884. Eventually he had his own shop. His idea for a mass producible candlestick was based on the use of interchangeable parts riveted together. Four main parts were fabricated: the shaft, a handle section extended on one side to attach the thimble, a spring clip thimble and a sheet metal hook. The candlestick shown here is one of very few original sticks assembled from these parts. It’s all steel with parts attached with rivets. Curtiss filed for his patent on May 5, 1903 and it was awarded on August 2, 1904. Sadly, Curtiss died at age 62 slightly less than 3 years after receiving his patent. Before his death he assembled 3 or 4 nickel-plated steel display models of his patented stick as salesman samples. These early plated sticks are extremely rare. After his death, his family found crates of parts ordered by Curtiss and assembled just 18 complete sticks from what parts were available. These sticks were reportedly sold to J. J. O’Dair’s general store in Granite, OR. Including the patent stick, the display samples and these assembled sticks, a total of less than 24 complete original sticks were ever made. Less than half of those number are known. See Wilson and Bobrink, A Collector’s Guide to Antique Miners’ Candlesticks, pp 90-91)

Curtiss Patent Stick RSide | CURTISS - Patented original steel Curtiss stick; length 11 1/2 in; 3 1/8 in tall hook; lightly stamped on thumb tab PAT. AUG. 2 1904; marked CURTISS on side of shaft just forward of the hook; patented by Edgar W. Curtiss, Baker City, OR, No. 766,599; #182 in Wilson’s candlestick guide (Edgar W. Curtiss worked as a blacksmith at various gold mines in Oregon after moving his family from New York to Oregon in 1884. Eventually he had his own shop. His idea for a mass producible candlestick was based on the use of interchangeable parts riveted together. Four main parts were fabricated: the shaft, a handle section extended on one side to attach the thimble, a spring clip thimble and a sheet metal hook. The candlestick shown here is one of very few original sticks assembled from these parts. It’s all steel with parts attached with rivets. Curtiss filed for his patent on May 5, 1903 and it was awarded on August 2, 1904. Sadly, Curtiss died at age 62 slightly less than 3 years after receiving his patent. Before his death he assembled 3 or 4 nickel-plated steel display models of his patented stick as salesman samples. These early plated sticks are extremely rare. After his death, his family found crates of parts ordered by Curtiss and assembled just 18 complete sticks from what parts were available. These sticks were reportedly sold to J. J. O’Dair’s general store in Granite, OR. Including the patent stick, the display samples and these assembled sticks, a total of less than 24 complete original sticks were ever made. Less than half of those number are known. See Wilson and Bobrink, A Collector’s Guide to Antique Miners’ Candlesticks, pp 90-91)

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