Author Topic: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps?  (Read 4618 times)
The Lightman
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Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « on: January 09, 2022, 05:55:53 PM » Author: The Lightman
Hi lighting enthusiasts,
recently I got some old English fluorescent tubes wich I bought on an online flea market for cheap.
These tubes with the brands Atlas, Mazda, Thorn, Ekco are very hard to find here in Germany, so I had to get them.

The seller who offered these lamps told me some very interesting stories about these lamps that they were imported to Germany for the British armee. When they began to close the subsidiarys in Germany in the mid 70s, a German man who worked for them took the tubes with him, then they got storaged for a very long time and then his daughter found them and didn't know what to do with these old fluorescent lights, so she offered them and that's how I got them :).

However, the question of  how old these lamps exactly are does not leave me in peace. Therefore I ask for your help. I've already looked for the codes on James' great website, but this time I didn't find anything.
Furthermore I searched for the Brands at the internet and realized that some of them, Ekco is one of them, have discontinued in making fluorescent lamps a long time ago.

Of course I'll add pictures of the lamps and its codes:


Thanks a lot for your help :a_fluor:

greetings from Germany : )
Leon

PS: I am not sure if it's possible to zoom the pictures, in that case I could make more photos of the stamps of the tubes if needed.
« Last Edit: January 09, 2022, 06:07:14 PM by The Lightman » Logged

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Rommie
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Re: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « Reply #1 on: January 09, 2022, 07:02:31 PM » Author: Rommie
The pictures are fine, you might want to think about uploading them to the gallery as well, as we do have members that mainly stay there and do not frequent the forum.

I'm afraid I can't help you personally, I'm not a fluorescent collector.
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Re: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « Reply #2 on: January 09, 2022, 07:03:13 PM » Author: Danny
Hello Leon!
Welcome to LG. Your lamps are likely 1960s / 1970s. They are gems!

Member Lee (known as TL8W) is your man for dating these. He is like a human database. Very clever guy when it comes to dating these lamps! The dots in the Etche are the lamps date codes
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TL8W
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Re: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « Reply #3 on: December 03, 2022, 03:33:50 PM » Author: TL8W
Left to right.
Thorn November 1981. In the unlikely event it has the same rounded soldered end pins A the atlas white, it would be an extremely rare trial batch from November 1976.

Mazda Feb 1973
Ekco September 1966. Possibly 71 but unlikely.
Atlas white October 1974
Atlas cool white September 1974. Earliest use of horizontal export etch before they brought it in domestically the following year.  Very interesting how the manufacturers didn’t talk to each other, cool white is Hellweiß in German!
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Re: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « Reply #4 on: December 03, 2022, 03:37:15 PM » Author: TL8W
In the pic of tubes piled up, Mazda at the top of the pile is November 1969.
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Re: Who knows datecode of these fluorescent lamps? « Reply #5 on: December 12, 2022, 07:09:23 PM » Author: James
Welcome here Leon, and thanks for your great photos!
Actually the date code sheets for these lamps are published on my site, but there were so many different styles for Thorn-made lamps that it is not always easy to know which sheet to use. 
For the Thorn-branded lamps you can follow this one:  http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/Codes/Date%20Code%20-%20Thorn%20-%20Fluorescent%2015-Dot.pdf
For the Atlas/Mazda/Ekco, see http://www.lamptech.co.uk/Documents/Codes/Date%20Code%20-%20Thorn%20-%20Fluorescent%20AME%20Brands.pdf
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