At home, I cleaned them up and I believe I even painted a couple of the fonts. After having these lamps, I took an interest in Coleman and started buying Coleman products at garage sales, flea markets, and auction sales. Lots of this stuff was selling from $1.00 to $5.00. But I wanted information, too. I contacted the Coleman Company in Toronto Canada but they didn't really have anything so I wrote to Coleman in Wichita and started getting lots of information from Herb Ebendorf. Every few weeks I would get an envelope with a note in it signed H. E. I owe a lot to Herb and have told him so at our conventions.

It was about a year after I started collecting that I thought "Maybe I should fire one up." With mantle burnt off on a 168K lamp, I poured some CAR GAS into the font, pumped it up and what a sight as the mantles burned bright! I remember bringing the lamp into the house to show Cec. Once I SAW THE LIGHT I became more and more interested.

It's a great hobby. There is always something you can 'play' with. It's fun and rewarding to attend the Coleman Conventions and to meet new people. My records show that between 1993 and 2004 we attended nearly 600 auctions (it pays to be retired). There are quite a few people who know that I collect Coleman, so, at an auction I often have them come to me and say "I've got something to show you" or "I've got something to sell you." This saves me from having to do a lot of chasing around looking for stuff. The best auction sale I ever attended was the close-out of The Red Barn Antique Shop on Sept. 15/01. There were only about 50 people at the sale so I had very little bidding opposition.

I literally filled my auction sale cargo van with Coleman stuff. Having your wife interested in your Coleman collecting hobby is a great asset and Cec supports my addiction 100%. She also has "Coleman Eyes." When things start to accumulate you have to sell some things to make room.

I enjoy taking all of my Coleman apart and cleaning it. I play in my 24' x 24' heated shop out behind the house. I have had a lot of hobbies. I have done photography including developing my own pictures in my dark room (Cec says I was 'in the dark' for a few years!), collected guns, restored collector cars, and now Coleman collecting which I think I will stay with. Mind you, I like to buy other makes of pressure lamps and lanterns, too. It used to take me about one thousand hours to restore a car but I can have a Coleman lantern restored in several hours.

Sometimes I sing to myself when I am playing with my Coleman so I came up with a bit of a song. When I was in school I liked the tune of "Oh! Susanna" so I sing to that melody...... Are you listening??

I bought a lamp the other day Coleman was the brand. I cleaned it up and made it burn It's the finest in the land! Chorus: Oh, my Coleman You really throw the light, You chase away the darkness And make the night so bright! One year we went to Wichita And met Historian Herb. We met a lot of collectors there Including Edward Erb! Chorus: Oh, my Coleman You really throw the light, You chase away the darkness And make the night so bright! (More verses to follow...someday!)

George & Cec Rocen

---

Return to the main Member's Page