Need Info (Kerosene Heater)

[Quas]

hey guys, I was wondering if anybody had some more information, value, etc on something I came across today


it's a Perfection Kerosene Heater, dated at 1818...there's #185 on it, so I'd assume that's a patten or something of the sort...I'll try posting up a picture, but I was just curious in general because of it being so old, I tried looking up some information but couldn't really find anything


thanks 

[sapphire]

Welcome Quas!  Had to giggle when I saw your post.  Think we had a 'go round' with Perfection a very short time ago.

http://www.antique-shop.com/forums/index.php?topic=6564.0

I know that I did run across some mention of their producing kerosene heaters while hunting for info for this poster.
Will see what can be rounded up. 

[sapphire]

http://www.endtimesreport.com/kerosene.html

"Kerosene heaters have been used for over a century in complete safety. Look at the advertisement for "Perfection Oil Heaters" from 1918.  There were more than 3,000,000 Perfection Oil Heaters in use in 1918!  The background of the ad shows people lined up in the snow to purchase coal. The first line in the advertisement is: "Perfection Oil Heaters saved the situation last winter."  What happened in 1917?  A great influenza pandemic swept around the world after WW I.  People who had a Perfection Oil Heater did not have to line up with strangers to purchase coal...and catch the deadly flu that killed millions of people.  Those with a kerosene heater and a supply of kerosene could avoid crowds - and survive"



http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=DFE

http://www.kountrylife.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?bd=forum&th=166480

http://www.instappraisal.com/node/1203

http://completed.shop.ebay.com/i.html?MA2ShowItems&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283&_rdc=1&MA2ShowItems=&guest=1&_fln=1&_nkw=Perfection+Smokeless++Heater&LH_Complete=1&guest=1

That it for now. 

[waywardangler]

These kerosene heaters are quite common and are being repurposed as decorator items.  My wife has filled the innards with small christmas tree lights (clear) and placed it on our deck.  Plugged in at night the lights twinkle through the pierced openings of the heater body.

The most common colors are black or blue body but I have also seen copper ones and all glass kerosene tanks.  Price ranges go from $5-$20 in my area of the Midwest.  I do not think many people use them for what they were intended.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Love the cat curled up at the foot of the heater in that ad. That is exactly what my cat Peep does. We had to put a couple of bricks down in front of the propane furnace to keep her from curling up there. Propane furnaces tend to occasionally make a big WHOOSH! as the pilot light touches off the furnace. We came home one chilly night and found Peep with the tips of her fur scorched and her whiskers melted into curls on one side!!

[Quas]

thanks for the links! I figured the ones from the early-mid 19th century weren't worth much, because I know they're common, and it seems like a lot of them were made during that time, but I've yet to see anybody with one as old as this...if it's not worth anything, I'm sure it'll be nice to clean it up and use it as a decoration, but with something so old, I've just wanted to be sure...a lot of people seem to have them around the 1910's but this one is around 100 years before that so it surprised me to see it