1979 Test Color Lights

Summary: Maglite started production in 1979. During the first year of production Maglite put out some "test batches" of different color anodized lights to see how the anodizing process worked and how well the lights sold. These examples are extremely rare today and a few examples are shown below.

I knew that I'd probably add to the Maglite knowledge base over time and that my last post might not really be the last. However, I didn't think I'd run across such rare lights so soon.

I have some good contacts with some ex-Maglite employees and one of them is from the very early days. From time to time I am fortunate enough to acquire some very rare and one-off lights. One of these lights that recently came into my possession is hands down the rarest Maglite I have seen and one of the oldest. It is also a super interesting peek into Maglite's early days and their very early R&D. So what is it?

It's a 1979 Burgundy 4D, serial number 932. 1979 lights have many unique features due to the design still being a work in progress. I've posted about these features before but this light goes a step further as it is even earlier in the Maglite R&D process. This light has many previously unseen features. For starters it is the second lowest serial D cell, and second oldest Maglite I've ever come across, the oldest being a 1979 2D that I also own. I previously did a post about the oldest NIB Maglite and this light has an even lower serial. I've discussed some of the difficulties in dating the very early serials in that post but I do believe this light to be the oldest Maglite for several other reasons.

Unlike other early lights this one has the word "Patent" spelled correctly. As per my D Cell Quick Dating Guide, and based on every other light I've seen, all early lights had the word "Patent" misspelled as "Paten". I've heard several stories about this but haven't been able to confirm or deny any. Some say it was Tony Maglica's broken English from have grown up in Croatia. I've also heard it was because the original stamping machine didn't have enough characters. Another less interesting, but more plausible story is that it was just a common oversight because spell check was nonexistent in 1979 and by the time it was caught thousands of barrels were already stamped and the patent was approved. I believe that this light was a prototype light that was hand tooled by either Tony or Don which is why the spelling is correct. Mag Instrument has subcontracted various phases of production during the early days and when they were very busy which has contributed to a great variety of finishes and features of lights. This is a fairly common practice across many industries. Only the earliest lights, likely before serial 1,000, have "Patent Pending" spelled correctly.

The most obvious difference between this light and a standard production light is its finish. This is a non-standard finish and was only produced on this one light. It is officially "Burgundy". It is shown above compared to the standard Red finish on a 1990 Transitional light.  This finish is an interesting look into what could have been on early Maglites. It was a finish done to examine how different red anodizing would appear and unfortunately this beautiful Burgundy finish wasn't chosen as a standard color for Maglites. This single example was kept and used by the Mag Instrument employee until very recently.

I also recently found a 1979 Blue 2D. Before I found this light and the Burgundy light I was under the impression that only black lights were produced during the first year. The original owner of this light lived very close to Ontario, CA where Mag Instrument is headquartered, and told me this light was from a test batch that Mag did to see how well the anodizing process worked and how well the lights would sell. I confirmed this through the original owner of my Burgundy light who worked at Maglite in the early days.

Maglite also did another test finish that was rather surprising and is seen below. I know silver didn't come out until the later 80s. The serial is right around 10,000 which puts it even earlier than the black 1979 2D I have. Both are pictured below along with a pic of them in my collection. The light is not faded but is a very light blue, almost silver.

I've also run into a third very early and surprising light. I always welcome e-mail from other collectors and just really anyone with a good Maglite story or question. My contact info is at the right if you want to get in touch. A little while ago I was contacted by someone whose grandfather left him a Maglite. The Maglite sounded super interesting and unlike anything I've ever seen before.

It's a 1979 Gold 4D. This light is Maglite's attempt to see how gold anodizing worked long before they made production models in 1989. Like the owner of my blue light the original owner of this light also lived close to Ontario, CA. The gold finish came out great and my contact from the early days of Maglite says about a dozen were produced in various lengths to test the anodizing process and its effect on the lights. Once complete they were packaged up and sold to re-coup some of the R&D cost. Unfortunately they didn't sell well even though they are some sharp looking lights.

The serial number is a very low 1,935 and is the fifth lowest D cell serial number I've seen or heard of. This is the only light I've posted on my blog that I haven't owned and the pictures are courtesy of the grandson of the original owner. I don't imagine he'll ever sell it and it's so rare that I had to find a place for it in one of my posts.

I should note that Maglite did later experimenting with "test finishes". One of these lights is a camo light that I've detailed in this post for those that are interested.

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