Plume & Atwood

 Plume & Atwood Lantern

- informational - Article

    The following article comes from a vintage December 1966 Spinning Wheel, A National Magazine about Antiques, newspaper clipping found among a wealth of lanterns at a recent estate sale held in North East Ohio. Unfortunately their is no byline to credit

   The Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company of Waterbury and Thomaston Connecticut was founded in 1869. The company was composed of two branches, a brass strip mill located in Thomaston and a fabricating plant in Waterbury where they manufactured brass lamp fixtures. It was her that the "Acorn", "nutmeg", and Hornet" burners for miniature lamps were made. Some burners were marked "P & A Mfg. Co,." and a few of the Nutmeg size burners bear the patent date February 27, 1877.

    Though they advertised all kinds of lamps for sale, Plume & Atwood made only the brass handles, collars and burners; they purchased the glass bases and shades from various sources in America and abroad. The burners and collars were attached tot he glass bases with plaster of Paris not beeswax as some people have thought.
    Conversely, some glass manufacturers purchased brass lamp fixtures from Plume & Atwood for their own ware; the Consolidated Lamp & Glass Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania offered miniature lamps equipped with Plume & Atwood burners in the trade magazine, China Glass and Lamps in 1894.
    The fabricating division of Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company was sold to Landers, Frary & Clark and is now operating as the Dorset Division of the J.B.Williams Company Incorporated. Miniature lamps with Plume & Atwood fixtures were being offered to the trade by their successors as late as 1920 and probably sold by the them until 1921-22. Many Plume & Atwood are still begin manufactured by the Dorset Division and have the initials "P & A" on the bottom.
www.notyourmothersestatesale.com

Dont throw it out! Its easy when its time to downsize or liquidate a family members estate to head immediately for the trash can. Industry professionals will tell you repeatedly dont  as tempting as it seems throw anything out. Usually the least likely items have the largest values and it is best when left to a professional to help you with those descisions. Most Estate Sale liquidators and consigners will not charge you for an afternoon or two of going through your items. In fact many of us love the find more then the sale itself.
If you can just no longer stand the disorganization and have to throw it out here are some recent examples my personal company has come across. Junk drawer filled with vintage pen knives realized value $30.00- $50.00 each.  Costume Jewelry in an old box headed to Salvation Army realized value $2200.00; old wooden bowls made by local peaseware company - actually antique peaseware $1300.00,two hat pins stuck in a pin holder $55.00,small old dirty vase - once cleaned was a antique Steuben signed vase $985.00.

Rule of the day - Dont throw out your items until you have a visit from a local professional