The 1949 Aladdin model B Nashville Treasure lamp is a factory hybrid in that it is made from a Treasure bowl mated to a model 12 foot and stem with the crntre draft tube removed. And just when you think that is all there is to it, a lamp comes along to make you wonder about the origins of this lamp. In this case, a centre draft Nashville Treasure that came with a Chicago model 12 burner. The lamp is a model 12 lamp with a Tresure lower bowl and upper bowl with the burner fitting sized for the model 12 burner. The top part of the bowl is obviously stamped by a press and fitted to the lower bowl piece with the same chime as the Nashville Treasure. It is obviously a P&A factory stamped and assembled model 12 lamp. Starting in 1949 model 12 burners were marked Nashville. The puzzle is a lamp made from a combination of model 12 and model B parts using a burner discontinued about 5 years after the model 12 was discontinued? One posibility is that this is a prototype model 12 lamp with a new bowl that didn't go into production before the model B was introduced, and the bowl bottom part was used in the new model B Teasure lamps. Another possibility might be a small number made up to commerate something internal to Aladdin. They never appeared in Aladdin catalogues, price sheets or advertising so I doubt we will ever know where the model 12 Chicago Treasure lamp came from.
1949 was a year of many changes. Aladdin headquarters moved to Nashville, the labeling on the model B burner changed from "Chicago" to Nashville", treaded inserts for the burner in the top of the fonts were replaced with a single formed thread and the fonts were painted instead of plated. This commemorative lamp is a fine example of those changes.
Aladdin made an electric version of this lamp from 1949 through 1953. The electric version, catalog M-251, used a polished brass Nashville Treasure font with an electric burner. The electric cord exited the lamp through a slot in the base. These lamps are a lot more common than the kerosene Nashville Treasure and some people have created their own Nashville Treasure lamp by placing a bronze plated Nashville B burner on a M-251 font that has been painted brown. Genuine Nashville Treasure lamps and good fakes have the identical "Bronzetone" paint as the 1949 - 1953 bronze font lamps.
B-137 is the bronzetone painted lamp with bronze plated burner
B-138 is the nickeltone painted lamp with nickel plated burner.
B-139 The earliest lamps were bronze plated before bronzetone was introduced.
These lamps were usually offered with 14 inch paper shades or without a shade. There were also offered with the 701 style glass shade for people who wanted a glass shade. |