What's the story with this Hipco flashlight I found in my parents' house?

[2262806]

Hello everyone,

My parents moved into assisted living (they are almost 90) and when I was cleaning out their house I found this "Hipco" flashlight in a drawer of stuff. The design seems very old but it's really clean and shiny so I am not sure if it's a real vintage light or a reproduction. I looked online but didn't in any that had the same logo on the cap. It does work and throws a decent beam. Opinions?

Photos:

https://sapnam-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/evan_stoddard_sap_com/Ep6nx5YrOodCsZZmS_E8J5cBKedLTQNpvIWRw5kF3nwy5Q?e=JfFUQq

 

[bykfixer]

Can't open the pix.

Here is a bit of HIPCO info from a site called flashlight museum com.


They made really nice flashlights in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
Many were nickel plated brass in the early days but later chrome was used. And still later they were chrome over steel sheet metal.
At one point many large companies like HIPCO made generic flashlights that were in esscense a HIPCO with no logos. Those were called house lights and sold at gas stations, mom and pop hardware stores and dime stores.

Some of my favorite relic lights are made by HIPCO either being branded or generic as their switches and other parts were made more acurate and durable at the time. So unlike the big companies like Rayovac and Eveready, a HIPCO or a Pittsburgh made Bright Star did not require a whack to the palm to get it working proper. If I recall correct they began in Conneticut but aint real sure about that.

Yours is probably genuine as they used a few logos over time. Check out flashlight museum to see if yours is shown. But be aware that some of the years of said model were simply a guess since back when it was active not much was written down regarding a lot of companies and unlike Eveready and others they did not have a yearly catalog so the era may be off a few years one way or the other.

Be sure and take the batteries out when not in use in case they ooze alkaline.

Welcome to CPF

 

[ZMZ67]

Looks like it is in very nice condition for a vintage light! As bykfixer said,keep the batteries separate when your not using the light. It would be a shame to see it ruined by leaking batteries! With that type of "fish eye" lens it is definitely an antique. The tail cap looks a bit odd but it may just be the finish worn off though sometimes tail caps are mismatched from other lights to make an old light to complete. I don't think it is a reproduction as it looks like it has some slight wear on the body and I don't know that anyone is producing copies of that type of light.

 

[bykfixer]

The only "copy cats" I've ever seen were made in the early 2000's when Eveready opened a factory in China. Mysteriously minty really old Eveready lights showed up at eBay. Yet the tailcaps were stamped "made in China" lol.

For folks who did not know how to spot fake Eveready lights, some may have gotten duped.

One guy a while ago posted a question about one he was considering. But we at CPF quickly pointed out the flaws like 1930's logo with 1950's sideswitch on a 1970's body.

But Hipco brand has never been seen as popular enough to copycat. Besides, if you found it in a house owned by folks in their twighlight years it's not likely they bought it at eBay, but it may have been passed down a couple of generations

 

[bykfixer]

I looked at the photos and the light appears to be an executive type number from the late 1910's to early 1920's when the switch was still pretty primitive in flashlight technology. Maybe early 1930's? But my guess in around 1921/22. The body looks like it has a brass plating over a perhaps steel alloy sheet metal body and some of the plating has fallen off the tailcap. Not uncommon for plated lights that age to have bear spots.

By then the tungston filament bulb was standard but for some reason lights were all flooders back then hence the "walleye" lens. The intent was a magnification of the light produced from the bulb and reflected off of either a nickel plated or white reflector. But all it did was disperse light.

Back then the world was pretty dark after sundown so it didn't take a lot of light from the electric candle to see cracks in sidewalks or find a dropped coin. If you find yourself in a dark room the beam may bring a smile to your face. If you can post a photo of the light bulb that may help date it too. Typically screw in with a round globe. Really old ones had a pearl-esque surface near the screw in point. If the filament is still intact take it out and stash it somewhere safe. Really really old working bulbs like that are pretty scarce. You can easily source modern "E10" screw in bulbs from the 1960's and 70's.

For fueling that one, it would either be a long battery wrapped in cardboard that was often a pair of double a batteries end to end wrapped in a casing. Or perhaps a pair of the new fangled carbon zinc D cells Charles Burgess perfected in 1917 that began by smashing zinc casings over a shovel handle to achieve consistant sizing. By the 20's there were lots of D cells being produced, but Burgess Batteries were the originals. Alkaline batteries are a bit broader in diameter so if you cannot get them to fit Rayovac and Everady still make carbon zinc cells. Rayovac are yellow and Eveready are black. Places like Wal Mart sell them. They are labeled as "heavy duty".

That is a real nice flashlight you have. Much detail and craftsmanship went into that one.