1939 Dietz Little Wizard

[TelePlay]

Got this off of eBay for $31 including shipping. Only 2 poor eBay images but I took a chance on it anyway. Seemed all the parts were there. For $31, it could turn out to be a lantern, or, it could be scrap metal.

Seems someone put a gold metallic paint on it at some time in the distant past. A bit of the paint still exists and under the paint is NOS tin plate. Where the gold paint came off over time, the tin plate developed a strange patina that looks like the tin was being eaten away. My thoughts are the solvents and solids used to create the paint changed the tin plate to a different form of tin (other than pure tin) leaving it more susceptible to corrosion over time.

Other than surface dirt, there wasn't much to take off the surface to restore this lantern. I decided to leave the gold in place as character leaving it in the condition it was when last used. It's a nice looking lantern unique character that makes one do a double take when looking at it.

Images are before, after restoration and the after restoration bottom, a very good example of NOS tin plate (slightly pitted in a few places).