Lightning rod mystery

[TMWTim]

Howdy!  Let me start of by saying I have been lurking around here for a long time but this is the first time I have had a question that I need help with.  I love reading these forums because you get to see all kinds of things you would not normally see at a trade show or in a shop. 

I have a antique lightning rod that was in my fathers collection but I never asked the story behind it (who made it) or what it is worth.  It was kept in the corner of a room covered up.  I have searched around the internet and eBay and have never seen a lightning rod this large and in this good of condition.

Here are a few pictures for you all to look at..





Close up of the only writing on it..




I attempted to get more of the sun through the colored glass...




So there it is.  Could anyone fill me in on what I have on my hands?  I was curious if it has value enough to be insured?  Could this just be a reproduction?  I highly doubt it is but I can't be for sure.  With kids running around the house I certainly want to know about the value.

Thanks a BUNCH for any info you can give me.  I would really appreciate it!  I would gladly take additional pics if requested.

[sapphire]

WOW!! That's quite the doozie you've got there!! 

Don't know didley squat about them and at first (and second) glance I was thinking it was a regular lightening rod with glass from old lamps added for decoration......... ..but, wrong!!


HENRY F. KRETZER

http://cgi.ebay.com/EARLY-KRETZER-WHITE-MILK-GLASS-LIGHTNING-ROD-BALL-B-/370493813575

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=260737350954&nma=true&rt=nc&si=wz9djGqQx7Rs4WujzXw3f%252F2fhTQ%253D#ht_8339wt_1131

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6560474


http://www.nia.org/timeline/text/0699761.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=VICt1Bmq_eoC&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=henry+f+kretzer&source=bl&ots=VTWlaSgJly&sig=NpIOWS7YTEij64VK6NijTZ3fyAE&hl=en&ei=jSWqTbXhGcqugQf33dDzBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=henry%20f%20kretzer&f=false

This section from Kovels may give you an idea of the lightning ball values........

https://www.kovels.com/Price-Guide/Technology/Lightning-Rod-Ball/Page-2.html


Will see what else I can find.........have yet to come across anything a stunning as yours though!!

[waywardangler]

You have many different lightning rod balls on one lightning rod. The amber ball is worth about $13-15 in my area. The plain white globe about the same. The fancy white one in the middle is about a $50-75 ball. I do not know what the others are worth. The arrow if all original is probably $65-$100 or maybe more. The rod itself is about $20. These are prices in my area of the Midwest (Wisconsin). There are many lightning rods still in use on barns and house in my area. The most common color and style is a white ball, followed by an opaque light blue ball, followed by the amber ball. The prices I stated are prices that one is able to buy them at, at a farm auction and not a dealer price. Dealer prices are higher.

[mart]

Wow !!  That is stunning !!  I have never seen one made like that !!  Usually all you find are the balls !!

[TMWTim]

THANKS very much for the quick replies.  I loved the links about Kretzer.  I did some research on the balls on eBay and it is a mixed bag on the prices.  Some going for a lot and some not so much.  I have yet to find a rod of that size with the value of it as an entire piece.  In fact I haven't seen one that size anywhere.

In my rush to post I realized I posted the same pic twice.  Here are a few more..










Any additional information would be great.  Thanks again!

[sapphire]

Just exactly how tall is that beast ??

[waywardangler]

Take all of the balls off the rod and see how many joints there are. Lightning rods are made up of copper tubing and can be joined together to make rods longer than what was actually used. Some of the metal caps that protect the raw glass ends, appear to be reproductions and are commonly available from lightning rod dealers for about $2.50 each. I know, I priced them for the ones I have but decided to make my own for cents. I have 2 lightning rods in the garden and 4 sitting in the rafters and 4 of the globes sitting in a display case. I bought 6 arrows in various conditions for $40 (none of which have the original glass or animal attached).

The rod on yours looks like it has been polished at some point because rods that have been exposed to the weather for years have the usual green copper patina. I believe your rod was assembled to make a long one for display purposes for all the glass balls your father collected. The center tube on all the rods I have seen extend all the way to the base (roof) where the three feet were fastened. The bottom of the rod should have a bent ear-type fastener that held the conductive wire to actually make the rod useable. I do not see this section or it has been pulled up to that first part of the tripod. As this is now, this rod would be EXTREMELY unstable to have been used and would have bent over in the first windstorm. This is nice as a display item but it is not some rare, unseen, extra long lightning rod. IMO.

[KC]

Agree with Waywards keen observations.....an d I Do LIKE THIS!!!!

This would be great for your garden or a conversation piece stuck in the corner (uncovered, ha). 

Would NOT use it to protect your home.....i t   w o u l d n ' t   w o r k!!!!!!!!  Love the milk glass ones!

[mart]

Good thing we have Wayward to think of all these things !!  That would have been a unique way to display a collection !! So if her father was a collector that would explain the size !!

[Oceans64]

I know nothing about lightning rods...  Did the glass serve a purpose?  Why the arrow? Just decorative (point north kind of thing)?

My fav part is the arrow!

[KC]

Amazingly enough, the glass pieces were used as decor but with a hopeful  function...that when a lightening strike did occur a glass piece would break signaling the homeowner that they needed to look for damage.  However, very often they did not break and was mostly used for fancy roof ornamentation.

This idea came from ships! Balls of solid glass were used prevent lightning strikes to ships and other really tall objects. The meaning behind the madness was that glass objects, being non-conductors, are seldom struck by lightning. Using this idea/theory, there must be something about glass that repels lightning and a small solid glass ball in the tip of the highest mast was used on many a ship.....

[mart]

Looking closer at the pic,, I think Wayward is right !!  Didn`t notice before but the caps in between the balls are different !!  Top two probably were there originally and the rest added later as they were found !!  Had it been originally like it is now all the caps would have been the same !!  So I think it has been added to over the years !!

[TMWTim]

I would be happy to take some additional close-ups of the caps.  I'll post them tomorrow.  If there are any other close-ups needed just let me know.


Thanks again!

[waywardangler]

It is hard to tell what caps are old and which are replacements without looking at the actual wear on them but that does not really make any difference in the value of the glass ball. The color and style of the ball determines the value. Collectors that specialize in these know which colors/shapes are rare and which are common. There is probably a book or two on lightning rod balls. You can buy replacement aluminum caps and replacement caps in copper. They are readily available.

[mart]

Wayward is right, the caps really don`t matter value wise. I just meant that if all the balls were on the one rod originally,, the caps should have been the same !!  If it has had the balls added over time, they would have used whatever came with the addition so they may be different from the original !!  I think this accounts for the odd size !!