What a surprise find in a consignment store in my local city. Here is a photo of the Tilley Sportsman Kit. I will try to add more photos as time passes. The lamp is dated 1958 and the stove is dated 1960. The spare parts (vaporizers) are still sealed. The 'used' pre-heater wick is broken. There was a bit of kerosene still left in the tank of the lamp, but the stove is empty. When I checked the tank of the lamp, air was released, I suppose it holds pressure. The mantle on the lamp is still new. Ken in NC
(Pinky: ... not nickel, but "speculum" - an alloy of copper and tin used for metal mirrors and the like. What a fantastic find, snwcmpr!!!
Good catch Tony! I was too excited and got sloppy. Anyway, wonderful to see such a complete example. Congrats again Ken!
Yes, that is the price in 1957. I didn't pay that much for the whole kit the other day. Lucky??? Oh Yeah!! Makes up (a bit) for the (many) times I spent too much for a stove. Thanks all for the kudos. Thanks also for the word speculum so I could search and find THIS. Ken in NC
Here is a link to a catalog on our sister site 'CPL' showing the price in 1959 ... Link. Ken in NC I took too long and exceeded the time limit to edit.
Great bit of luck there Ken! It will have the UK Tilley collectors drooling with it being a USA ensemble! Do you have the fuel dipstick?
Thank you Ross. As to the UK collectors drooling, we (US collectors, at least me) are usually the ones drooling over collections of UK members. The access is so good there. I have to clean my keyboard regularly. The A.W. Thacker Company decal is on the bottom of the stove and lantern. That makes it USA, correct? I saw the dipstick in the catalog, but I do not have that. Would it have been original, or an accessory? Ken in NC
Wow Ken, great find! So amazing that you found a complete, barely-used kit like that. It'll be neat to see the rest of your pics. Have a great day, sam
I hope not. I seem to have hit a wall in my search since finding this item. I hope this reply to the "find of a lifetime" statement can re-activate my search capabilities. Ken in NC
That took a while to find if it was included. Or did you have to source an addition to complete? Either way a great catch. Hopefully the collector Daemons were banished having casted the spell.
I got it later, but still a long time ago, and just recently noticed that I had not posted it. Thank you Ross for the tip. Ken in NC