Note: I buy and trade old flashlights. I am still looking for a Reliable Flashlight and a Matchless Flashlight. If you have anything that might interest me, let me know. The beauty of a flashlight collection is that, if you keep looking, you will continue to find great new pieces to add to the collection. This page contains some of my more interesting great finds. The Rod-D-Lite combination fishing rod/flashlight has a built in USALite flashlight. It was made by Oldfield & Hanson Mfg. Co., DesMoines, Iowa in the mid 1940s. Wally Schirra's personal flashlight used aboard Apollo 7 in October 1968. It was made by ACR Electronics Corp. in New York for NASA. This was the first flight broadcast live from space and this flashlight can be seen spinning in the air as it was being passed from astronaut to astronaut. If you want to buy my flashlight collecting book with over 450 color photos and a price guide, order a copy by sending $29.95 for the book and $2.95 postage to Stuart Schneider, P.O. Box 64, Teaneck, NJ 07666.

The rare Ohio Electric Flashlight ca.1900. The Ohio Electric Company started business in 1895 and was one of the earliest flashlight companies. Until a few years ago, no one had ever found an Ohio Electric light. Now, three are known, two of which are in unused condition in the original box with original batteries. This flashlight is crude and is, in fact, nothing more than a cloth covered cardboard box (lid and bottom) with a few copper contacts, a wooden block and a reflector with a hand blown carbon filament bulb. It flashed on and off by pushing on the metal strip above the reflector. The batteries, early "D" sized, are hand assembled and soldered. The whole thing weighed a pound and was touted as a Pocket Flashlight. This was state of the art in 1898 just before the Ever Ready tubular light came on the scene. Ohio Electric was probably out of business around 1910.

Above is a group of porcelain lighted stick pins displayed on a piece of natural cork. The clown head on the left is circa 1905 while the others are circa 1920. Also shown is the back of a pin. Note that the pin wire is bent in a loop to support the bulb and wire. The porcelain is thin enough so that the light would shine through. The wire would lead down to a battery case that would sit in a pocket. While it is not possible to know exactly where these were made, they probably were made in Germany or Austria. I purchased these in England and Belgium.

A ca.1959 tin lithographed flashlight showing a scene of Indians dancing. It is entitled "Savages Dancing Party". Made in Hong Kong. I was lucky to find it with its original box

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A Sterling silver prohibition era flask in the shape of a flashlight. The interior contains a glass flask for holding one's favorite intoxicating liquor, while the exterior looks just like a simple flashlight.

Here is an interesting addition to my collection. It is a circa 1921 Winchester 2 D cell light with an embossed endcap (also shown enlarged) featuring the buffalo from the buffalo nickel. It has no markings other than patent dates - 1919 & 1920. I wonder what the interesting story is behind the production of this piece.

A complete 1929 Eveready counter display with 20 pocket lights.