These Edison era light bulbs just fetched $30K at U.S. auction
A set of rare light bulbs, including two created by Thomas Edison, just sold for $30,000 US at auction. Some of the bulbs were used in a lawsuit over the famous inventor's patent.
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A set of rare light bulbs, including two created by Thomas Edison, just sold at auction for $30,000 US. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Heritage Auctions/ha.com)
A brand new car. Or, five light bulbs. Sometimes they cost the same.
On Saturday, the pricey bulbs were sold at auction in Dallas, TX. The buyer paid $30,000 US ($39,000 Cdn) because two of them were created by Thomas Edison. In fact, they were used as exhibits when the inventor sued three companies he accused of infringing on his patent.
Inventor and physicist Thomas Alva Edison (1847 - 1931) looking at a lightbulb. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Don Ackerman works at the auction house that sold the collection. He spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off about why the bulbs fetched such a high price.
Carol Off: Mr. Ackerman, can you describe these lightbulbs?
Don Ackerman: There's a variety of them, actually. There's a couple that were made by Edison and there are others that were made by competitors. There are different shapes and some of them have labels attached because they were exhibits in a lawsuit.
(Heritage Auctions/ha.com) CO: And these labels are because Thomas Edison didn't invent the lightbulb but he did have a patent fight over it. So what was the innovation that Edison had brought to the light bulb?
DA: You're correct. Edison did not invent the light bulb. I think what he did is he perfected the filament — so that filament would not burn out quickly. He perfected how it was attached so that it didn't break off prematurely. He basically made it commercially viable and practical to sell to the consumers.
(Heritage Auctions/ha.com) CO: So what was the case that he was in court trying to prove? Tell us a bit about that patent case?
DA: The bulbs were retained by his attorneys. I believe in one case he got an injunction but in the other cases the judges decided to hold off until there could be a trial. As in most law cases, it dragged on for a while and during the course of the trial Edison's patent expired.
This undated file photo shows Thomas Edison's incandescent lamp, the first practical light bulb, developed in 1879. Edison used carbonized bamboo for the filament. (AP) CO: Now why would someone pay $30,000 US for these light bulbs?
DA: Well, we're not sure if it was a museum or a private collector. There are people that collect old technology and scientific items. The light bulbs, by themselves, if they weren't associated with a lawsuit, they probably wouldn't have much value. Most of these bulbs here, and there's a socket also, they date from the time of the trial. They date from about 1893 or so. The original bulb, from 1880, those are very rare.
We had a gentleman that contacted us who has one of the original bulbs from 1880, which he indicates is worth about $40,000 US. The Edison bulb here that we had, just the Edison bulb by itself, if it didn't have the court label on it, it's probably about a $500 US item. That's where the value was — that value wasn't so much in the light bulbs but in the little pieces of paper that were attached to the light bulbs!
(Heritage Auctions/ha.com) CO: As you know, there's this craze for Edison bulbs ... What do you make of that resurgence?
DA: I sort of like that. I'm not a fan of fluorescent lighting and these bulbs have a certain charm to them. They were built to last. I don't know, I think they add a certain warm feel and atmosphere.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more on this story, listen to our full interview with Don Ackerman.
