Be The Talk Of The Town With Antique Lanterns

Ever since man reached the top of the food chain, we have valued both fire and light more than any other resources of our making. Humans of ancient times constantly refined and sought better ways to carry portable light with them for exploration and convenience purposes. The light provided by antique lanterns acted as a guide to travelers who walked across dangerous lands or sailed over turbulent seas, and aided travelers to see where darkness would otherwise cause them harm. Antique lanterns were a large part of the standard fare required for anyone in times past who travelled by foot or on horse. 
Candles were the very first items to be used in lighting, and were protected by an antique lantern from wind and rain that would threaten to blow any normal, unprotected flame out. Antique lanterns were commonly made from brass if used by those living near the sea, as brass resisted both sea salt corrosion and rust. Nobles and those with money could afford to request lanterns that were made out of different, more expensive metals such as silver or steel. Antique lanterns are both rustic and possess a certain irreplaceable charm unique to ancient lighting technologies, and retain slight wear and age that enhances their features. A buyer can easily discern whether an antique lantern is the true article by the presence of small flaws and stamp marks on the underside that tell of the antique lantern’s original smithy that crafted it. 
Because the antique lantern has passed through many hands and many eras, these antiques are prized for their ancient era charm and subdued sense of quaint country side living they bring with them to a room, especially when used as beach decor. Gas powered lanterns are the most common antique lanterns that many collectors posses and many of these are still in decent shape; some may even be able to be turned on through their respective mediums, but the buyer should be warned to try this at their own risk. Antique lanterns are assuredly not dangerous in any way, but if oil is left inside the lantern it can have unintended consequences. 
With candles made of fat or soy, the early Chinese created grand lanterns from rice or bamboo fiber paper that reached great sizes and could be hung at dizzying heights. These particular lanterns are known to have lasted for a comparatively long time. Another culture that used great numbers of lanterns were the Fertile Crescent Mesopotamians, who created crude, fire resistant fiber nets and wove them around candles to create antique lanterns. Though usually put upon the banks of the Nile to sail down the sacred river as a symbol of death and afterlife passing, ancient Egyptians made small vessels out of papyrus with candles on them and set them onto the water. Specialized torches of the Dark Ages were oftentimes encased in metal, and could be aptly considered lanterns in the strict of the definition of the word.