C Cell Quick Dating Guide

On to Part 2, for those wondering: How old is my C cell Maglite?

The D Cell Quick Dating Guide can be found here.
The Mini Maglite Quick Dating Guide can be found here.

C cells are far less popular than D cells. Even now, aside from 5C and 6C lights, there isn't much collector interest in them. A lot of it is likely due to lesser variety vs. the D cells. This guide pieces together the little information I have on them. My contact information is on the right if anyone needs assistance too. Parts are sometimes switched making the lights difficult to identify.

Below is a checklist of which features are found on which age range lights. Below this checklist I'll go into detail and provide pictures of the features in each age range.

Early 1981 - Late 1981
1981 was the first year of manufacture for C cell Maglites. The early production was already hammered out on the D cells so there are less early differences on the C cells. I did a post on early C cell history here. Only a handful of the very lowest serials are stamped "Paten Pending"opposite the serial. These early 1981 C cells are extremely rare.

TM Bezel
TM is stamped after the Maglite logo as the trademark was claimed but not registered.

Paten Pending Stamped Barrel
Only serials 1 - ~3,000 of each model are stamped "Paten Pending" as production started in early 1981 and the patent was approved by August. They are so rare I only have one example. A 5C Vari-Beam.

1982 - 1986
In August of 1981 the Maglite Patent was approved. Going forward all C cells were stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." opposite the serial number.

TM Bezel
TM is stamped after the Maglite logo. The trademark was registered at this point but the bezel wasn't updated until later 1987.

Patented Made in U.S.A. Stamped Barrel
Barrels are now stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." as the patent for the light was approved early into production.

1987 - 1989
An R with a circle replaced the TM after the Maglite logo.

R Bezel
The Maglite trademark was registered in 1981 but it wasn't until 1987 that Maglite decided to update the bezel and step up enforcement of their trademarks due to competition from other manufacturers.

Store-A-Bulb End Cap

Starting in 1987 C cell Maglites come with an extended end cap that had room to store an extra bulb. A store-a-bulb end cap is shown on top and a standard end cap on the bottom.

1990 - 1991
1990 marked a minor change. The bezel is laser etched instead of stamped. Also, 7Cs are discontinued.

Laser Etched Bezel
In order to save on production costs bezels are now laser etched. 1987 - 1989 stamped bezel (left) vs. 1990 -1991 laser etched bezel (right).

1992 - 1995
In 1992 the panther logo is added to the bezel.

Panther Logo Added
The panther logo is added to the bezel. The trademark of the panther logo wasn't approved until late 1995 so 1992 - 1995 models have a TM after the logo.

1996 - 2002
R Panther Bezel
The trademark of the panther logo was registered in late 1995 so starting in 1996 the TM was replaced by an R with a circle after the panther logo.

2003 - 2009
In 2003 the C cell lights were modernized into the model that's currently available today. I've detailed these differences here. These lights are typically referred to as New C Cells, Panther C Cells, or Letter Serial C Cells. 5Cs and 6Cs are discontinued shortly after the changeover.

Letter Added to Serial
C was placed at the beginning of serial to designate the cell size and to avoid confusion when ordering parts. 2003+ Letter Serial (top) vs. a 1981 -2002 Non-Letter Serial (bottom).

Patented in U.S.A. Stamped Barrel
In Late 2003 the barrel stamping was changed. Some early 2003 lights are Letter Serials and are stamped "Patented Made in the U.S.A." but are few and far between.

After 23 years of being "Made in the U.S.A." Maglite could no longer source enough parts made in America to meet the California definition. As such the barrels are stamped "Patented in U.S.A." instead of "Patented Made in U.S.A." as shown below. Please find more info in the following article: http://maglite.com/maglab/made-in-california-but-not-the-usa

O-Ring Moved
The O-ring was moved from being placed in the head to on the barrel. Shown below is a 2003+ light on the left and a pre-2003 light on the right.

Barrel Wall Thickness Increased
The wall thickness was increased slightly and as such the inside diameter is a little less.

R Panther Bezel
The trademark of the panther logo was registered so this carries over from the prior year.

Switch Redesigned
The retaining ring on the switch is replaced by a retaining clip. Examples of each are shown below with the retaining ring on the right and the retaining clip on the right..

2010 - 2017
The "Patented in U.S.A." stamping is abandoned all together. Lights now carry no stamping opposite the serial. All other features of the 2003 to 2009 lights remain.

2018 - 2020
The bezel logo is updated to look more like Maglites LED offerings. The remaining C Cell incandescent product line, 2C, 3C and 4C is discontinued in early 2020 after a 39 year run.

2018 Bezel
The Maglite logo on the bezel is updated to conform with Maglite's new lights. The text is now wider to make the branding easier to identify and the dash has been dropped between Mag and Lite. All other features of the 2010-2017 lights remain. All of the 2018+ lights I've seen are now bi-pin bulbs where as 2017 and earlier lights were a mix of bi-pins and PR base.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.