Coleman 242B I think?!opinions on purchase?

Ha, newbie to this, apologies for the mess. I have been looking for a Coleman lamp for a while and wanted something old and a little worn but with some love, functional, not unlike myself! I’m looking at this one for 40€ on an auction site. Any pointers welcome.
Many thanks, I’ll delve into the fettlers section if my bid is successful!

Liam.

 

One pointer I would give is to not show a lamp until you have secured it. Others may see it and decide to find it and bid on it.

 

Hola, I realize that, but it’s in Spain on a local site, advertised as “lamp” enjoy the hunt!! Cheers for the heads up!

 

No worries, I certainly won't be looking for it. You need to understand there are collectors from all over the world on this site. In the end, it is best you do as you please and I should learn to shut my mouth.

 

@WjM Welcome aboard!

 

it took less than a minute to find the offer. But I am not interested in it.
Erik.

 

Cheers George! Eric, just as well!!

 

So, back to the initial question, is it worth it or
Not?!

 

About 35 GBP, I'd buy it at that but that's just me.

 

@WjM
Yes I would purchase this lamp, however I have a few of these so I’m not in the market for one more.
These are good solid lanterns and work reliably and very well. It would be a good one to start on as most of the parts can still be readily acquired.
Hope you get it.
Cheers
Pete

 

Welcome to CPL @WjM
It looks to be in good condition. But the base of the tank is steel so look at the bottom for excessive rust or holes.
Good luck.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Cheers guys, the old be careful what you wish for, the lamp arrived with the glass broken! Not the end of the world, the seller will cover the replacement shade. Nice lamp sturdy construction. I’ve fitted a temporary Petromax Max shade to fire it up. It seems too narrow for the lamp. Any reason not to fit a globe type replacement? Many thanks.

Liam.

 

Shame about the glass, but it possibly wasn't original anyway. These little Coleman lamps normally have a rounded glass like this. Otherwise looks in very tidy condition.

 

Thanks for that Matthew, have you seen any in your travels?! That won’t break the bank?

Many thanks,

Liam....

 

That's the difficult part, there's one on eBay UK at the moment for £22 plus postage if they'll ship it to you. Or perhaps someone here will have something if you place a wanted advert.

 

You can also get them from Hytta.de. It is the globe number 550. The price is €23 but I don't know what the shipping would be.

 

Well I managed to find the globe shade on ebay, as you suggested Matthew. I have purchased the glass and will disassemble and revise the entire lamp before igniting it. There are no visible dings or damage. The pump leather is still functional although dry as a bone. Thanks for all the input. I will post a photo of the lamp lit when the parts arrive.

Cheers...

Liam......

 

Looks to be a 1947-48 242B. The seafoam paint on these can wear off easily so that one looks to be in prime condition! If you're concerned about complete time period originality, the bulged style globe would have the incredibly faint green Coleman printing. On some it is barely legible. But it'll burn just fine with any old 550 globe!

Nice find,

Mike.

 

Hi Mike, it’s the first Coleman lamp I bought. I’m half glad the glass arrived broken! It’s the perfect excuse to install the globe type glass! I’ve already purchased it on eBay. I’ll have what the suggested. I’m looking forward to seeing it lit! I’ve attached a photo with the ink stamp on the base. There is no engraving o. The base just the barely visible Coleman on the side of the fount.
Thanks for the info!

Liam....

 

It's a good first Coleman to get. Very reliable, well built, and nice proportions.

The paint may have filled in the dates just below the logo if they were lightly stamped. Sometimes you can see them if you angle the lantern around in strong light. And of course, being Coleman, it might have missed the stamping process for the date. Coleman--consistent in its inconsistency..sometimes, but not always!

 

This type of Coleman usually work extremely well and with a replacement glass it should give years of trouble free use. Don't forget to post a photo when you get it working.

 

Your Coleman is a Canadian model. The seafoam green, the ventilator nut and the stamp on the bottom of the fount are typical. I bet it will clean up nicely.

 

Many thanks for the information! I wonder how it got to Spain?! The guy I purchased it from said he bought it 50 years ago. When I told him about the glass arriving broken. He said I could come & see the rest of his collection and see if I could find anything of interest. I will try to out some more Of the history of the lamp.
Thanks again for the knowledge!

Liam.

 

You're very welcome, Liam. These are easily converted to run on kerosene as well. Old Coleman Parts has the 201 generator and pre-heat cup for the conversion. I've converted a couple of mine and there's much information available at the Coleman Collectors Forum. Good luck!

 

Yup, I've done it as well and it's very straight forward!

 

How come some people want to convert Coleman gasoline lanterns to run on kerosene? A well taken care of Coleman gasoline lantern is as safe as a kerosene lantern, in fact in some cases safer....

 

Casa Klaebisch in Barcelona sold a Coleman as a gasoline lantern in 1947 which actually has the fuel feed for a kero lamp. They list it as Tipo C and I assumed it was a 249 but they were obviously importing Coleman lamps so could well have also sold a 242B at some time. ::Neil::

 

Kerosene is cheaper than camp fuel and it's just a fun project to undertake. That's all.