Stop Making Antiques “Great Again”

My experience coming across a rare antique find and why the seller chose me to take it home.

This is a Handlan Manufacturing kerosene lantern made in St. Louis, Missouri USA. From the little bit I can find on this particular lantern it seems to be from the pre-1940s-50s but could be from earlier. As for now, I haven't confirmed 100% if this lantern was used on the railway or not but from what the seller informed me it was in fact used on the tracks. Lanterns both with clear and red globes were primarily used in the cabin of a locomotive and were used for communications when arriving at the next stop.

Just the other day my partner and I were looking for something to take up some time over our weekend. We decided to go to a flea market not too far away that I went to fairly often as a kid. As we were walking through the first building I saw a whole outdoor area that wasn't normally very active back in the day. I saw a booth in the back that interested me and started looking around. We found an old record player box with a circus-type theme and a pre-1950s Pepsi-Cola drink rack (a rare find itself being we are in Georgia the birthplace of Coca-Cola). After purchasing these we were very excited and started a conversation with the seller. He was telling us how to clean up the items a bit and was begging us to keep them as is. We explained to him that we loved the items and that we were taking them to a good home to be appreciated as they are. No changes besides a dusting. During this conversation, I heard an older lady’s voice from behind me say to the seller “Hey look at his shirt” I turned around to make sure she was referring to me. When I saw her she was pointing directly at the table in front of me which held the Handlan Lantern.

The Seller realized when I turned around that I was wearing a vintage CSX Railway shirt. We immediately asked for a price as I had already fallen in love. He said $50, We asked if $45 was alright as we didn't have an extra $5. He looked at what we had already taken and agreed almost immediately, then had some extra words for us. He explained that a regular had been coming consistently trying to buy it and would've paid almost anything he said but, that we were the only ones that wanted it as is. The regular wanted to sand, repaint, and in his words “mess up” the lantern. He didn’t want it to be changed just loved for.

For something that has been around outside for 50+ years, I’d say it is in perfect condition. All still in one piece, the glass is free of cracks, and the base is as stable as it was when it left the showroom floor. I see nothing wrong with this piece of history and want to care for it until the last of its days. I still can not believe we found this in person and smile every single time I see it. The seller chose us because of our genuine love for the antiques and the comfort in knowing that they would be taken care of.

If you do happen to know anything about this particular lantern model please comment and let me know! I would love to hear more about its history.

Cheers!