Vintage Lighting antique 1920s black strap style chandelier

Description

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Welcome to
The Old Above
I sell restored vintage lighting. If you’d like to learn more, please scroll down below the item description. There you will find:
TIPS TO BUYING VINTAGE LIGHTS ON EBAY
WHY MY RESTORED LIGHTS ARE SPECIAL
A NOTE (or two) ABOUT MY RESTORATIONS
A BIT ABOUT ME
Why a BUY IT NOW instead of a regular auction?
I’m very pleased to offer this 1920s strap-style chandelier!
This type fixture is called strap-style because it’s made primarily from flat metal bars, like belt straps. What I love about such fixtures is how curvaceous they are. Just lovely to look at. The style was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and used in a variety of home styles including bungalows, Arts & Crafts, Spanish-Revival, Colonial-Revival, and Four-squares.
The 5-arm fixture originally had a polychrome finish of gold, with likely accents of red and green. At some point the whole was painted black. While I normally restore fixtures to their original appearance, I decided that the black finish offered a dramatic effect.
I will rewire the fixture with lovely new brown cloth-covered wiring, and install new paper insulators.
This fixture will be shipped ready to hang, and with all the mounting hardware needed!
DETAILS
:
The fixture accepts standard base 60W bulbs (not included).
COLOR
: See above.
SIZE
: The fixture hangs down about 32-inches and is 20-inches wide. I can remove up to 6-inches of chain; I can add chain.
CONDITION
:
I love writing this: there’s no damage.
The sockets are original (and in fine shape) and will have new wiring and paper insulators.
The original chain was corroded (this is common). The new chain precisely matches the original in terms of scale and shape.
The black finish is vintage and shows some wear. Attractively so!
SHIPPING
: Insured shipping in the Continental US will be…FREE!
PAYMENT:
PLEASE LET ME KNOW WITHIN 24-HOURS HOW YOU WILL BE PAYING.
Payment must be received within 7 days or sale is canceled. In such an event, I will file a complaint with eBay.
TIPS TO BUYING VINTAGE LIGHTS ON EBAY
STYLE.
People that own, for example, a Colonial-Revival style home will naturally want Colonial-Revival style vintage fixtures. But a great many pre-WWII homes originally had fixtures quite different than one would imagine. I’ve been in classic bungalows with original Art Deco fixtures, and recently I toured a Foursquare with original Spanish-Revival lights. All these fixtures looked very well. I always recommend that people buy what they love no matter the style of their home. My last home was a large 1915 Colonial-Revival. I filled it full of 1950s fixtures. It worked. The fixtures gave the classic house an unexpected zest. It was also common for people to update their homes by changing all the lights. So, your 1905 home may well have had all the lights replaced in the 1920s or 1930s. If you had these lights in place you wouldn’t dream of taking them out. So, buy what you love. Just make sure the scale is right.
RESALE VALUE.
Recently a buyer contacted me. They restored a wonderful old home. All the original lights were long gone and they purchased very nice new fixtures in an old style. When they tried to sell the house there was no interest. For six months. The market is lousy of course but the realtor said that several potential buyers wished the house still retained its original fixtures. That is when they contacted me. Because I specialize in whole house sets, I was able to supply a matched set of fixtures for every room. The buyers were flabbergasted at the difference. They had an open house. The house sold ASAP. For above the asking price. “Best investment we ever made,” they gleefully reported. I do love a happy ending.
RESTORED? RENOVATED?
If the distinction is important to you see the box below for more information: A NOTE (or two) ABOUT MY RESTORATIONS.
WHY MY RESTORED LIGHTS ARE SPECIAL
The Top Ten (plus one)!
1)
Most importantly, I restore vintage fixtures. I do not renovate them. There is a huge distinction between the two. Please see the box at the bottom of my item description for more information.
2)
My lights are rewired and ready to hang; everything to do so is included. They also come with electrical mounting bars. You will thank me for this; it’s incredibly hard to find the correct size mounting bars for vintage lights.
3)
Most electricians HATE installing vintage lights. They assume old, scary wiring, fixtures that will not mate with modern electrical boxes, and a whole host of other issues. But electricians LOVE installing my restored fixtures. I make the whole process effortless. See #2 above, and I also re-wire my fixtures, and ensure there is more wire than really necessary above the canopy to easily connect with your house wires (electricians particularly bless me for this). I even include the mounting screws and wire nuts!
4)
My lights feature original or vintage canopies (the cup that goes against the ceiling). I never use modern canopies as they are not consistent with the scale and proportion of period lighting. A modern canopy is easily recognized. They are basically flat and quite thin (about an inch thick) whereas vintage canopies are like a cup shape and deeper (usually 3-inches or even twice that).
5)
The chain on most vintage lights is corroded and I can rarely re-use it. The problem is that readily available modern chain is thinner, smaller, and not the same shape as vintage chain. Imagine my elation when I found
one
supplier who still made true vintage-style chain. Halleluiah!
6)
I use really lovely cloth-covered wire for all visible areas. If this supplier ever goes out of business I will have to shut down.
7)
I use new porcelain sockets instead of plastic. If porcelain sockets do not fit, I use new Bakelite sockets. If the fixture has brass sockets with on/off switches, I generally retain these distinctive components but with new paper insulators.
8)
I am an incredible packer (see feedback). Worry-free shipping!
9)
When necessary, I forward special instructions on how to hang your vintage fixture.
10)
I answer emails! Quickly!
11)
Read my feedback. You’ll know that if a problem should develop that I won’t disappear! Or snarl at you!
Some recent feedback (as Seller, not Buyer!):
Ross is a total pleasure to buy from – he's helpful and knowledgeable.
Beautiful product & caring seller. Meticulous packaging. Highly recommend.
5 STARS! Super Nice Seller – BEAUTIFUL Perfect Fixtures – wrapped w/TLC THANKS! :)
This Is MR.LIGHTING. Don't Bother Looking Elsewhere. All Are Amazing. Ten**********!
If you think the photos are pretty, wait 'til you see them in person! Gorgeous!!
Prompt shipping, well-packed and GORGEOUS lights; passion and pride are apparent.
The service is wonderful. Items exceeded expectations. Thanks!+++
Spectacular light fixture! Just beautiful! Fast ship, packed safely. Thank you!!
First-rate seller. Exceptional product, service & value. Thank you!
The 1930's Chandelier was amazing and in superb condition, better than new!!!!!!
Fantastic and unique! Shipping box was like Fort Knox! Thank you.
Beautiful lamp. Great seller who obviously loves what he does and does it well.
As always, flawless service and beautiful products, carefully packaged.
This guy really goes the extra mile. 100% authentic, worth the money.
A+ Transaction! Ross is the best – knowledgeable, witty, skilled.
Super eBay...fast and the best packing I have seen.
A real class act – great experience start to finish! Great communication! A+++
There aren't enough superlatives to describe quality and service. Ross rocks!
Best Light Dealer on eBay.
WOW Shipping All-Star! Fixtures even better than pictured! My BEST eBay purchase.
Always a pleasure, no worries, exceptional lights!!!!
Prompt, courteous, honest seller! Flawless transaction. Highly recommend!
This seller was spectacular. We are recommending him to all of our friends! A++
REMEMBER when CUSTOMER SERVICE was NO.1 in our country? This GUY still OFFERS IT.
Should be elected EBAY PRESIDENT!!! MAGNIFICIENT, HIGHEST QUALITY LIGHTS!!!
THE BEST PACKER in the USA!! ABSOLUTELY BEST EBAYER!! HIGHEST QUALITY LIGHTS!!
Very NICE! Among the most professional and committed sellers out there. A++++++
It's a pleasure to do business with Ross. I keep coming back to his store.
This seller is professional, responsive and honest – and he's fun to work with.
Great light – you make everything so easy to install! Thanks so much!
I'll come back to this seller for quality antique lighting – it doesn’t get better!
The best of the best lighting right here – this seller's quality is truly amazing.
Regarding lights on eBay, there is rossmct23 and then there is everybody else.
The restorations are obviously done with care and expertise – it's always perfect.
My favorite seller – you know you'll get exactly what he says.
Simply the best.
ASTONISHING IS RIGHT! MY FAVORITE!!!SELLER! This light KNOCKS ME OUT!
A really great seller! Knowledge, wit, and talent with this seller!!!
WOWZER!! and DOUBLE YIPPEEEEE!!!
TOP NOTCH SELLER!! FANTASTIC PACKING! QUALITY LIGHTING....Thank you
MUSEUM quality + PERFECT packing + LIGHTNING ship = FAVORITE SELLER
SPECTACULAR in EVERY WAY. My FAVORITE seller. ALWAYS A+++PERFECT
Best lighting guy ever; great lights; excellent communication; superstar; thanks
The best seller I’ve ever dealt with on eBay! Absolutely first rate in every way.
Best seller ever...hands down.
Ebay's finest...5 stars and then some!
Stop what you are doing...eBay has been perfected.
SPECTACULAR item and SELLER EXCEEDS ALL EXPECTATIONS = A+++
A NOTE (or two) ABOUT MY RESTORATIONS
Restore
.
Renovate
. Two words with different meanings, and different results.
Restoring a vintage light will bring back its original appearance.
Renovating a vintage light will alter its original appearance. This can be done by changing its color(s), adding more colors than originally intended, and by combining parts from different fixtures/eras.
For me, I simply love the process of restoration. It seems like magic recreating something that has been near-ruined, eroded, or damaged. When each of my fixtures is restored I get such a thrill! It’s like time itself has been reversed! (Now, if I could just apply this process to my aging body/mind!)
A few things I’ve learned:
1) I work hard at respecting original finishes. When a finish is intact but faded, I essentially
wash
a new finish over the old. Thus, the original finish is still visible but looks wholly refreshed. In short, it simply looks as it did when leaving the factory many decades previous. Or, it's very common that 90% of the original finish is intact. To me, it seems a shame to remove all this just because a tiny portion is lost. So I recreate what is missing. And you can't tell that I did anything.
2) In order to restore a finish, it’s vital to use the same materials, colors, and techniques that were used originally.
3) Vintage fixtures used color sparingly and few featured more than three colors.
4) The original finish on vintage fixtures is entirely different than can be achieved with modern paints. Modern paints give the effect of a
plastic
film over the fixture whereas the original finishes were usually like a
stain
. The effect is quite a bit more subtle.
5) Vintage fixtures also have a subtle sheen, so I never spray on a shiny protective coating.
6) I don’t refinish the back of my fixtures. By doing so it is difficult to really know if the fixture is vintage (there are usually paint speckles, scratches, and age marks). Once installed, the back cannot be seen but
you
will know that your fixture is indeed vintage.
7) I also don’t restore electrical components. Eighty-year-old electrical parts are simply dangerous. So my lights receive high-quality new sockets (usually porcelain), new wiring, and cloth-covered wiring for any visible areas. I do retain turn-key sockets wherever possible (but with new paper insulators).
I’ve been restoring lighting since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. One of my great discoveries was the finish material used by almost all lighting companies prior to World War II. This is a hand-applied and hand-burnished product and I use it on my fixtures that require new finishes. Significantly, the colors are also the same that were used originally.
Because of this, I can place a wholly refinished fixture next to one with a mint original finish and you will not be able to see any difference. I occasionally amuse (torture?) my friends with this. Not once have they been able to tell the difference. "Wow."
There are buyers who truly want restored lighting and others who prefer renovated. This is good, because I am a great supporter of diversity!
For the record, I sell restored vintage lighting.
A BIT ABOUT ME
(Or: Who
Is
This Guy?)
As mentioned above, I have been restoring vintage lights since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. An Interstate highway was being rammed through the city where I lived, and I ran (steps ahead of the bulldozers, and with my shag haircut flying) from one incredible building to another, and from one incredible house to another, and salvaged everything I could.
My poor, bewildered parents. Their garage was soon chock-a-block with what I thought were treasures beyond compare. And which they
knew
to be useless flotsam. (I did though once overhear my mom say: “Well, at least he’s not out doing drugs.”)
However, when all their boring lights were systematically replaced with the most stunning lights they had ever seen – and all for free, and rewired and restored – they soon had second thoughts about the flotsam. (I paid for new parts by mowing lawns!)
A brighter light soon proved too alluring though: New York City!
After a few excruciating years, the Gods decided to let up, and I found myself the proud owner of my own architectural design firm. At twenty-eight! It was the heady 1980s, the city was going through a spectacular revival, and I was overwhelmed – quite happily, thank-you – with one project after another. (I set a record for designing the most apartments in Trump Tower – eleven. Today, I usually keep this bit of infamy a secret.)
Yep, it was a wild time!
Then came the early 1990s crash, and a desire for a calmer life. Eventually rural Kansas beckoned, as surreal as this seemed. The peace I found on the prairie (golly, there really
is
a prairie) enabled me to get two books published (can you tell I like the written word?), and when I found myself with way too many old lights in the garage (my parents’ garage redux), I listed a few on eBay.
The rest, as they say…
Why a BUY IT NOW instead of a regular auction?
All my listings are for a BUY IT NOW. I do this because it’s effortless for me
and
you. There’s no guessing with my lights. You know right away if one of my restored fixtures is right for your budget. Another good thing? You can also, well, buy it. Now. No waiting. No worry that you will lose after waiting quite patiently for X days. No worry that a
Them
will abscond with
Your
light in the last four seconds; the light you have your heart set on.
The
light. The
perfect
light. There are likely worse things in life but at the moment I can’t think of one.
Looking for more great vintage fixtures?
VISIT MY EBAY STORE:
The Old Above
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