We believe this Coleman 200A lantern dated February 1952 is a prototype for the production of the IR lanterns made several years later. For more information see The Coleman Light, Vol 26, No 2, Pages 1, 4-5. This Model 220D dated A 50 is unusual in having the sides of the brass fount painted green instead of being nickel plated. Coleman may have been testing the paint or the market for these prior to making all of them this way in A 51.
One of these items was a Coleman lantern – a now old-school one that you have to fill with fuel and then pump. When you’re ready to light, just hold the match to the mantle and hope the lantern doesn’t explode and blow off your face. So far, this hasn’t happened to me, but if I know my luck, it will. Invest in a reliable and durable LED lantern from our collection, designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor use. With rugged construction and weather-resistant features, these lanterns are built to last. Whether you’re camping in the rain or exploring rough terrains, our LED lanterns are your trusted companion for all your outdoor adventures.
These lamps, notably ‘The Efficient’ Pendant Arc lamp No. 6, were manufactured by Irby & Gilliland in Memphis, Tennessee. Press the pump handle down and lightly place your finger over the hole in the end. If the pump raises, you need to clean or replace your check valve. Coleman made this mil-spec lantern that is date stamped 1952 on the bottom. At some point after that the Civil Defense waterslide decal was added to this unfired lantern. This lantern and another one with the 1952 date and a CD decal came from a seller in Michigan.
This Coleman 237 is date stamped November, 1960. The instruction sheet identifies it as a US made “Marine lantern” perhaps in an attempt to develop a new market for the model. The preheater cup contains an asbestos-like material (lower image), perhaps to keep the alcohol from splashing out of the cup on a boat on water.
Months after Coleman – Wichita stopped making the Model 200, they got Coleman 200 parts from the Coleman – Toronto factory that was still producing this model. The Wichita factory needed parts to fill a special order for the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) (Boschen). The engraved OCD serial numbers (middle image) were apparently done in Sacramento, California. This lantern, in Ed Franklin’s collection, is date stamped November 1951. The fount and direction disk are both marked US. Coleman only manufactured Model 228C after WWII, from late 1945 until early 1947, with some production overlap with Model 228D (below).
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The collar, generator, and cap nut are different from that model. The center globe cage base disk is stamped Sunshine Safety Lamp Co., Kansas City, MO. These two Quick-Lite lanterns are unusual because the pump is only partially mounted in the fount. The check valve can be seen between the pump and filler cap. Air from the pump is piped up to the top of the fount. Shipping records show several hundred were sent from July – December, 1924 (Becker).
Details of the early construction of these models is shown below. Coleman made hundreds of Arc lantern Model H 416 from 1922 – 1925 (Strong – Shipping Records). This coleman lantern lantern was restored by Steve Retherford for Mike Coon, whose collection this is in. Coleman made the “D” version of Model 228 from the mid 1940’s until 1951.
It doesn’t have the engraved OCD number on the fount but has the same parts noted above from the Coleman – Toronto factory as on the OCD model. This lantern has it’s original box with the same label as on the OCD lantern boxes (right image). Collectors have found a number of these non-engraved lanterns in California as well as three, including the one pictured here, that Ron Becker found in Wichita. These lanterns apparently were made in excess of the ones purchased and engraved for the OCD.
This lantern, in Andy Maschino’s collection, is stamped Made in Canada on the side of the fount but in all other features is the same as those made for the US market. Morgan, Corpus Christi, Texas and includes Sheldon Coleman’s name engraved in script. Some of the 202 models presented/engraved to individuals came with a black enamel ventilator, as seen here, rather than the typical green ventilator on most 202s. This lantern, in Dan Boschen’s collection, is dated May, 1959. Model 202, the Professional (left), is dated Jan., ’55.