QUESTION: I own a Coleman lantern that was presented to my grandfather in the late 1940s or early 1950s. He was the first person in the Dallas area to sell Coleman products. It is inscribed on the font: “FRANK WINDHAM / DALLAS, TEXAS” above a “Sheldon Coleman” script signature. The lantern is marked Model 202 and appears to be made of stainless steel. It has never been used. What is its value? – DB, Bridgeport, TX, E-mail Question

ANSWER: W. C. Coleman suffered from poor vision. When the light was bad, he often asked classmates to read to him. During a visit to Alabama, he saw the Efficient Lamp, a mantle lamp fueled by gasoline under pressure, in a drugstore window. He went inside, asked for a demonstration, and discovered the extremely bright light was more than sufficient to read even the smallest print.

Efficient Lamp was looking for salesmen. In 1900 Coleman took money set aside for his final year at law school, bought inventory, and approached the merchants of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His initial pitch was the lamp would produce enough light for the merchant to keep his store open at night. His efforts failed. The Kingfisher merchants had a bad experience a year earlier with a shyster lamp seller. Coleman changed his sales pitch. He sold a service, a guarantee that the lamp would work or the merchant would not pay, rather than the lamp. The approach worked. Within a year, the use of these lamps spread to Las Vegas and as far west as San Diego.

In 1901 Coleman purchased Efficient Lamp, moving in 1902 to Wichita, Kansas. Coleman continually improved the design of the lamp. In 1909 he introduced a portable table lamp that became a standard household fixture in rural homes across America. The famed Coleman lantern with its 300 candlepower and ability to provide light over a 100-yard radius was introduced in 1914. The United States government distributed nearly 70,000 lanterns during World War I. Production exceeded 50,000 lanterns annually by 1920.

Sheldon, W. C. Coleman’s son, earned a degree in mechanical engineering and joined the company. He led the effort to diversify. New products included oil space heaters and glass floor furnaces, products that allowed Coleman to survive the Depression. The Coleman collapsible, GI portable stove was introduced in 1942.

A more detailed history of Coleman is available on the company’s website, coleman.com. First click on “Contact Us” and then click on “Coleman History.”

There are dozens of Coleman websites. If attempting to identify or date a Coleman lantern, visit oldtownyucca.com/coleman/tech/id.htm. Since the 1930s, most Coleman lanterns have identification on the frame rest above the lantern’s font.

The webpage geocities.jp/gkpllantern/36_Coleman_202-335.html pictures two Model 202 lanterns and notes: “Both single mantled gasoline lanterns are Coleman Model 202. This model has two quite unique features and, I would say, is different from other Coleman lanterns. First, it has nickel plated brass fount and even the bottom of the fount was also made of brass. (There seemed to be some different 202s which have a ‘steel bottom’.) Second, it used ‘stainless steel’ for main parts including base frame, ventilator bracket and bail etc. It has Sunrise-Mark & model number on brass made base rest and also has Sunrise-Mark on the side of fount. With regard to date, you can see it on the side or bottom of fount. (There seemed to be some different 202s which have no identifying numbers.) The left 202 was made in Oct. 1957 and the right one was made in May 1955.”

The images attached to your e-mail show the lantern and details of the inscription. What they do not show is whether or not you own the “complete unit,” i.e., the box in which the lantern came and all accompanying material. EBay item number 290240333448, which closed on June 28, 2002 with a winning bid of $285.00, pictures the complete unit. In addition to the lantern, there was a box, filter funnel, direction sheet, envelope containing fabric mantles, and a second envelope for a “Sunbeam / Trailer Mantle.”

Your lack of the box and accessories is offset by the commemorative nature of your lantern. Its value is between $275.00 and $300.00.

QUESTION: My late father-in-law, who was living in Hellertown, Pennsylvania at the time, purchased an oil painting of a bust portrait of a young lady with a hairstyle and dress dating from the early twentieth century. The painting measures 10 1/4 x 18in. It is housed in a plain, flat surface oak frame, measuring 13 1/2 x 21in, now painted gold. “W. H. Richards / May 22nd, 1910” is on the back bottom stretcher. There is minor damage in three areas, but it easily can be repaired. My Internet search for this artist was unsuccessful. Your help would be appreciated. – JO, Bethlehem, PA, E-mail Question

ANSWER: The images attached to your e-mail were helpful. The painting is most likely a copy of a Harrison Fisher (1875-1934) or a Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944) “pretty lady” print. If not an exact copy, the work of these artists inspired Richards.

I had no more success than you did trying to track down W. H. Richards. I found no secondary market sales results online or in any of my reference books. The painting’s quality suggests he had some academic training. Richards most likely is one of thousands of local artists whose work was known and sold within a radius of fifty miles or less of his home.

Chances are this work did not stray far from home. A visit to your local historical society or library that has a city and county directory collection (Easton and Bethlehem are good candidates) might yield results. Also try the Allentown Art Museum. Local art is a hot collecting topic. The curators or librarian may be familiar with Richards. Finally, give Brent Souder at the Sanford A. Alderfer Auction and Appraisal company in Hatfield, Pennsylvania a call, (215) 393-3000. Alderfer’s specializes in the sale of eastern Pennsylvania artists.

The value of your painting resides in the attractiveness of its image. It is a decorative rather than a collectible painting. The image is appealing. The size is good. The damage is a deterrent, but not noticeable from a distance.

Your “pretty lady” painting is valued between $100.00 and $125.00.

QUESTION: I have an ancient-looking, very worn, copper pouring vessel or urn. The object has a waisted base, squashed ball body from which extends a long pouring spout and a cylindrical standard with an elongated dome stopper. The urn is engraved throughout with palm-like markings which resemble hands. It originally had red and blue painted highlights, but most of the paint has rubbed off. “India” appears in stippled letters on the bottom. Can you help me identify what I own? – PL, Bangor, PA

ANSWER: Thanks for including a sketch with your letter. First, the urn is more likely made of brass rather than copper, albeit copper is a possibility.

In the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, inexpensive Indian brass household accessories flowed into the American market. They ranged from slipper and other ashtray forms to large chargers, either for wall decoration or serving purposes. Although mass-produced, many featured inscribed handcraft designs.

By the early 1960s America’s decorating tastes changed. Cheap import items, whether from India or another Far East country, fell out of fashion. Indian brass/copper pieces were relegated to storage, e.g., the back of buffet drawers or basement shelves.

The number of collectors for 1940/50s Indian brass can be counted on two hands. Hence, there is no viable secondary resale market. The items are ten to twenty-five cent garage sale fodder.

During a personal appearance in Presque Isle, Maine in April 2008, I visited a person who did collect 1950s Indian brass objects. The collection numbered over fifty pieces. Having never seen this many different pieces at one time, I smiled. It was a fun, funky collection—kitsch in the true sense of the word. The owner bought most of the pieces for less than one dollar.

QUESTION: How do you preserve and stop any damage that has been done to two family documents from 1882 and 1903? They are both under glass in wood frames. It is obvious that the documents have become wrinkled and show signs of water damage and mold growth. I am afraid to remove the documents from the frames. What should I do? I would like to clean them so I can hang them in my house. – TC, E-mail Questions

ANSWER: The first step is to move the documents in their frames to a safe area, one where there is little temperature shift and moisture content (humidity) is steady, ideally around 55 to 60%.

Second, take the documents in their frames outside and expose them to direct sunlight, an hour or two at a time. Sunlight will kill or check the mold from spreading. Light acts like a bleach. Hence, be alert for fading. If you even suspect a change in tone, remove the documents from the sun immediately.

At this point, do nothing further. It is time to call in the professionals.

Since these are family documents, you need to consult a paper conservator. Contact the American Institute for Conservators either via their website, aic.standford.edu, or by phone at (202) 452-9545 to obtain the contact information for the nearest paper conservators.

Paper conservators are expensive. Hourly rates often exceed one hundred dollars. Hence, you are immediately faced with the prospect that the cost to restore your documents will be several times what they are worth. If these are family pieces of importance, put cost aside and view your actions as preserving the documents for future generations.

A paper conservator will provide a cost estimate and discuss his recommended approach. Some conservators charge for their initial consultation, usually credited to the final cost if you engage their services.

Beware of individuals who claim they can “restore” documents but do not have the training of a paper conservator. Local frame shops are notorious for making such claims.

Once restored, follow the paper conservators framing recommendations. Hang your documents on an inside wall, one on which no direct light (from sun or lamp) falls.

Good luck with your project.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth century. Selected letters will be answered in this column. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.goldenbroadcasters.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $16.95), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2009