Sandy Hook origin

I'm trying to determine where my Sandy Hook was made.

Most things point to California: light gray felt, rough windows, brown box with stamp,"Oak Carton Corp" "Los Angeles, Calif." The box has a square mark on the bottom which was probably where a sticker has been. The only thing that makes it appear Canadian is a collar around the ventilator ball. Flag #129.

If you have additional specific detail which will help identify the origin of this light, I'd appreciate hearing of it. Thanks to those who may have information.

Welcome to the forums, Dog Lover. I moved your post from the "Marketplace" which is limited to buy/sell/trade postings and responses are not permitted.

I'd say you've got a piece that was cast in Canada very soon after they took over production at Castle Studios. That added collar means it HAD to have been done in Canada.

It's hard to know from the box. Plain brown boxes were used at first and you may have one. When dealers threw boxes away and collectors began to value the 'original packaging,' replacement brown boxes were produced by Castle Studios in Ontario Canada and sent to dealers even though the contents may have been made in California. Later these 'Castle Studios boxes' were printed on white cardboard.

The rough doors and the 'collar' below the ventilator ball could still have been something cast in Canada because the improvements to the doors, windows and ventilator balls were made as production proceeded. That is, the original unimproved molds were first used in Canada and after some (unknown) number of castings were made, improvements were implemented.

HL shipped some of the gray (lamp bottom) felt to Canada so that some Canadian pieces had that kind of base before the green flocking came into use.

From the edition number (#129), it SHOULD be a California casting.

Harbour Lights states that 250 of each of the original 17 pieces were cast in Southern California before production was shifted to Canada.

What may have happened is that the California cast original #129 was broken or damaged before it was shipped to a dealer (or after it got to a dealer) and a new casting was numbered 129 and shipped out as a replacement from Castle Studios.

Your Sandy Hook should have a lightning rod as well. These early pieces usually have a kind of 'antiqued' look to make the sculpture look 'authentic' like the old lighthouse it represented.

You can see more information on the shift to production in Canada at this web page:

www.HarbourLights.com/modifications/pages/canada.htm

John
I have been helping Doglover identify the origin of his #129 Sandy Hook. I told him that I felt it was California made. There are a few more key players that he neglected to tell you.
Doglover’s Sandy Hook has the gray base and the black ledge. According to the Green book, that is the color scheme for a California. The Canadian has a Tan Base and a green ledge. Doglover’s number 129 also has the light gray felt that matches the body of base. It is not cut short like all the Canadians. Even if Castle Studios used the felt that was made in California wouldn’t it be cut short like a typical Canadian?
If this piece was made in Canada how could it have the California gray base and black ledge? If so this would be another version. A Canadian made with California paint.

I was under the impression that some of the California lighthouses had collars. Look at page 25 in the Green Book both versions of CH1 show a collar. Also on page 44 the California Coquille River with green window has a collar.

Does anyone have a low number Sandy hook that they could let us know if it has a Collar or not?

Daniel