20 Mini Lanterns
Set of 20 shaded screw-in Christmas lights by Pifco.
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Overview
The set consists of gold-coloured lanterns approximately 2.7cm tall and 3cm across at their widest point.
Each lantern has coloured translucent windows lit from the inside by clear bulbs. Six shade colours are present: amber, blue, green, pink, purple and red.
This version of the set's packaging is clearly designed to be suitable for in-store display; the lid can be folded back to form a display and additional cardboard inserts neatly cover all the wiring.
Technical details
- Model number 1294
- 20× screw-in bulb type 242, rated 12.5v 1.1w
- Lamp spacing approx 20cm
Details as observed for this set; specifications may have varied over the lifespan of this model.
Vintage
The set pictured most likely dates from the 1970s or the late 1960s:
- Packaging refers to a patent applied for in 1965.
- No barcode is present; these appeared on Pifco sets made in the later part of the 1980s.
Mini Lanterns appear to have been available right up until the 1990s. A modernised version with push-in lamps and double-insulated wiring was introduced in the early 1990s as catalogue number 2294.
Pifco features
Sets produced by Pifco have certain characteristic features that typically differ from other manufacturers' sets.
Hallmarks of Pifco design that appear in this set include:
- Six colours of shade, rather than the four- or five-colour mixes typical of other companies
- Patented sprung screw-in lampholder design, ref GB1144352
- Run-on loop of wire after final lampholder
Similar designs
Near-identical miniature lanterns were regularly sold by Noma, Premier Decorations and Woolworths among others. In most cases, these sets featured only four colours of lamp and lantern bodies were often black rather than gold.