Most lights in my collection I'm able to research and find out a good bit of info on. This research is mostly through other collectors I've met and from folks in the industry that include former dealers and distributors as well as people who have worked for Maglite and other companies. I only have one other light that I've not been able to get resolution on, a 6D light with an odd serial number. I also have this 3C:
Aside from the end cap the light is a very standard 1982 3C, serial number 62,351. The light has the early standard TM bezel and it is stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A." opposite the serial. These details can be used to help date the light as a 1981 to 1985 model. It also has the older style flat end cap and not the later "store-a-bulb" style but that is where the similarities stop. Pressed or glued on over the standard Maglite end cap is a solid bare aluminum knob. The knob is pretty heavy and I'm not sure what purpose it would serve.
What's also very strange is Maglite hasn't been able to provide a production date. If you send Maglite an e-mail with the serial number of a light they will tell you the exact date a light was produced. 1979 and 1980 lights are an exception because the record keeping wasn't very good in the early days. However, from 1981 onward I've always been able to get an exact date. I've inquired 3 separate times over the past year and I either get back a ~2005 date, which is way too new, or that they don't have it on record. I've dated the light myself based on my C Cell Quick Dating Guide and other similar serials I've sent to Maglite.
I also researched out other companies like Safariland and Monadnock that have produced police equipment and accessories for flashlights for a long time but I still didn't have any luck finding any info on this particular accessory. Other collectors have speculated it's intended to make the Maglite more of a weapon either by increasing the weight of the end or providing a grip like a baseball bat to help swing it. I don't see either being very effective though. Most officers also carried the light on their duty belt and this setup will not fit through any standard belt holder.
I purchased this light from another collector who purchased it at a second chance shop in Michigan. The prior owner did not have any info on it so I didn't luck out there either. I hope you enjoy this one of a kind Maglite and if you have any information on this light please give me a shout. My contact info is on the right and I'd love to hear from ya.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
My first instinct as a Firefighter/EMT is that the knob was used as a glass breaker for fire-rescue, and that heavy aluminum knob would certainly accomplish the task easily, sparing the tube or end cap from damage. This is especially true for tempered glass, as is found on automobile side and rear windows, which requires a solid strike in order to fragment the glass.
ReplyDeleteI also wonder if the knob was used as a 'stop' of some sort, so that a rope could be tied around the barrel of the light and it be lowered down a hole or pipe. Something akin to a lanyard tail cap. Could also be for search/rescue purposes, or maybe something like a well driller or sewer repair, where you'd need to lower a light down a pipe.
Either way, interesting mod that is probably not stock or aftermarket, but was custom fabricated.