"Once you are in, you will never get out.  Your friends will think you are insane and your family will abandon you."   I was cautioned with these words by a very dear fellow collector.  At first, I laughed.  Then I realized it was all true.  Maybe not quite literally, but pretty close.

Most Kerosene lantern collectors start out with owning a Dietz Lantern. Then it turns into C.T. Ham, Paulls Leader, Embury and Handlan.  For myself, it all started out with a Marswell lantern that was found up in a tall tree in John Day, Oregon.  As you start to research your treasure, you find out, much to your surprise, that there are hundreds of amazing and vintage Kerosene Lanterns.  Most you know nothing about and have never seen before.  Some are 'one of a kind' and a fair amount of them are quite common.

If you continue to research, you will fall deep into the world of collecting.   Not just collecting American lanterns, but lanterns from Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and France.  This journey will take you back to the late 1800's.  You'll read about the historical role they played during World War 2.  Hopefully, you'll experience a deep appreciation for the inventors and creators of these lanterns and how necessity truly is the mother of invention.

This website is to simply share basic information and photos of my ongoing collection.   Almost all of my lanterns were piles of rusty tin ready to be tossed away.  Through the process of painstaking restoration, they have come back to life ready to be fired up again.  I've included some photos of 'Before and After' on my 'Restoration' page.  I'll continue to add more over time. 

Now, back to talking to my lanterns and assigning names to each of them. :)

Enjoy!