Miners Candlesticks/Ramstead and Johnson Reverse Side

Miners Candlesticks

Ramstead and Johnson Reverse Side.JPG - RAMSTEAD AND JOHNSON PATENT - Very hard to find Ramstead and Johnson patentfolding steel stick, folding hook style, 10 in. long with 1 1/8 in. thimble and 3 3/4 in. hook height, marked on spike PAT MAY 25 09, patented by Charles J. Ramstead and Peter J. Johnson of Ouray, CO, patent #922,950, May 25, 1909, #214 in Wilson’s candlestick guide (Of the 87 patents granted for miners' candlesticks, more than half were issued for folding sticks. It’s also interesting to note that of the 87 patented sticks, only 37 of them are known in collections as actual examples. The folding sticks were priced much higher than simple fixed models and few were purchased leading to their rarity today. The Ramstead and Johnson folder shown here is an example of the simplest folding model with one folding component, the hook. Although somewhat crude in style, the stick was durable with a positive locking design on the hook. Thehook pivots on a bushing atop the spike. Spreading the handle neck apart allows the lower part of the hook to free itself from a rectangular slot in the handle neck and be folded back onto the handle. Lifting the folded hook separates the neck allowing the hook to slide into the neck slot and locking the hook firmly into an upright position. The Ramstead and Johnson is a sought after folder even more so since it was patented from Ouray, a very well known mining town in Colorado. See Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #11, pp 8-13 and Wilson, Miners’ Candlestick Patents)

Ramstead and Johnson Reverse Side | RAMSTEAD AND JOHNSON PATENT - Very hard to find Ramstead and Johnson patent folding steel stick, folding hook style, 10 in. long with 1 1/8 in. thimble and 3 3/4 in. hook height, marked on spike PAT MAY 25 09, patented by Charles J. Ramstead and Peter J. Johnson of Ouray, CO, patent #922,950, May 25, 1909, #214 in Wilson’s candlestick guide (Of the 87 patents granted for miners' candlesticks, more than half were issued for folding sticks. It’s also interesting to note that of the 87 patented sticks, only 37 of them are known in collections as actual examples. The folding sticks were priced much higher than simple fixed models and few were purchased leading to their rarity today. The Ramstead and Johnson folder shown here is an example of the simplest folding model with one folding component, the hook. Although somewhat crude in style, the stick was durable with a positive locking design on the hook. The hook pivots on a bushing atop the spike. Spreading the handle neck apart allows the lower part of the hook to free itself from a rectangular slot in the handle neck and be folded back onto the handle. Lifting the folded hook separates the neck allowing the hook to slide into the neck slot and locking the hook firmly into an upright position. The Ramstead and Johnson is a sought after folder even more so since it was patented from Ouray, a very well known mining town in Colorado. See Bobrink, Mining Artifact Collector #11, pp 8-13 and Wilson, Miners’ Candlestick Patents)

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