Arc Carbon Rods for antique projector for sale!

dannelles · Feb 23, 2014

Hello everybody!
I'm new to this forum, and I'm looking to sell some projection accessories that I have in my possession.
I honestly don't know what they're worth. I was told they were made in Toronto, Ontario in 1928 and I believe they are worth some decent money to a collector. I have not counted exactly how many I have because I have enough that they weighed my truck down enough that I had to drive slow with them. I have different sizes and I believe I have two different companies. The companies are "Marble Double Eagle Projection Carbons" and "National Trademark, Another Union Carbide Product".
I've attached pictures of a few rods and boxes, however if need be I can provide more, as well as more detailed pictures.
I also have 10 Marble Exciter Lamps (Bulbs) that were made in Tokyo. I'm unsure of the purpose of these, but they're very fragile.
In the box with the lamps, there is also roughly 20 rolls of clear tape. Unsure of it's purpose, but it isn't scotch tape that you'd get from the dollar store.
They are all in their original boxes, they have never been wet or used.

If you're not interested in buying, but know something about these I would love to hear about it! Not only am I looking to get some money for them but I'd really be interested in finding out the story behind all this.

I found the following from "9c035 CARBON ARC REFLECTOR & NATIONAL PROJECTOR & MARBLE DOUBLE EAGLE CARBON ARC RODS 2 light '20s" :

Carbon Arc Reflector and National Projector and Marble Double Eagle Carbon Arc Rods. Description from our consignor: "Before the development of high intensity lamps, motion picture projectors used carbon arc lighting. An electric current would be sent through a positive and negative rod. The rods are brought together which causes them to ignite. They are slowly separated until a steady (and extremely bright!) arc is formed. This light would be reflected off of a mirror like reflector through the film, lens, and onto the movie screen. As the carbon rods continued to burn, the gap would become farther apart causing the light to diminish. The projectionist constantly had to monitor the gap to keep the light from going out! Some projectors did this automatically. The tips of the carbon rods reach a temperature around 6500 degrees Fahrenheit!

If anyone has any questions let me know and I will do my very best to answer them. I look forward to chatting with some of you and maybe working out a deal!

Have a great day,
Dan.