Name/Title
Acetylene LampEntry/Object ID
9209Description
This is a acetylene lamp that uses Carbide and water to generate the gas to run the lamp. This lamp is German, its made of Bakelite, The lamp is in excellent condition and would probably operate if we could access carbide. It has two very small swastika emblems on it as this is a WW2 era item AI....Given that this is a WWII German Bakelite Carbide Hand Lantern (frequently referred to by collectors as a Bunkerlampe or Einheitslaterne), the "P AG" logo and accompanying stamps provide precise manufacturing data. [1]
## Identifying the Manufacturer
The "P AG" in a circle stands for Presswerk AG, a major German synthetic and plastic molding factory based in Essen, Germany. They were a primary supplier of high-grade molded phenolic plastics (Bakelite) for the German military throughout WWII, manufacturing everything from field telephone casings and ammunition containers to your specific carbide lamp body. [2, 3, 4]
## Decoding the Other Stamps
German Bakelite items from this era used a highly standardized testing and identification stamping system designed by the Materialprüfungsamt Berlin-Dahlem (MPA): [3]
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* The Number 45 (inside the right-hand crest): This is the official MPA-assigned manufacturer code explicitly designating Presswerk AG, Essen. [3]
* The Crest Outline: The stylized shield/circle outline surrounding the number 45 and the letter below it represents the official MPA approval mark (Materialprüfungsamt). [3]
* 1608 \ 4: 1608 indicates the specific recipe or batch blend variant of the phenolic resin (Bakelite) used to mold the shell. The 4 likely identifies the specific compression mold cavity or tool index number used on the factory floor.
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If you look closely at other components of the lamp (such as the rear metal mounting hook), you may also spot a tiny Waffenamt stamp (a stylized German eagle over a letter/number code like WaA), which confirms the piece successfully passed military acceptance inspection before field deployment.
