Aladdin Lamp

Q:         I have an Aladdin lamp that has been in our family for generations. The knob on the burner is marked “Mantle Lamp Co., Nu-Type, Model B, Aladdin, patents pending, Made in U.S.A., Chicago, Ill.” It has a green glass shade with a landscape design on it. I’d like to know more about it and how old it is.

A:         The Mantle Lamp Co. of America was founded by Victor Johnson in 1908. The company trademarked the name “Aladdin” that same year. In 1926 Johnson bought a glass factory and began manufacturing glass lamps, shades and chimneys. His lamps were sold by traveling salesmen. Although electricity was common in cities, there were still many rural homes without it, and kerosene lamps continued to sell well. Nu-Type burners were first made in 1932. Model B burners were introduced in 1933 and were made until 1955. The Mantle Lamp Co. merged with Aladdin Industries, a subsidiary, in 1949. The lamp division was sold to a group of investors in 1999 and became the Aladdin Mantle Lamp Co., which is still in business in Clarksville, Tenn. Your lamp was made between 1933 and 1949, when the company merged with Aladdin Industries and moved to Tennessee. Aladdin Knights of the Mystic Light is a club for collectors of Aladdin lamps. The club’s website, AladdinKnights.org, can give you more information about Aladdin lamps.