So, on to Part 3, for those wondering: How old is my Mini Maglite?
The D Cell Quick Dating Guide can be found here.
The C Cell Quick Dating Guide can be found here.
AA Incandescent Mini Maglites are not stamped with serial numbers so Mag Instrument will not identify a date of production like they will with C and D cells. However, with a little research on Patent and Trademark dates you'll find that the lights fall into 1 of 5 generations with the biggest difference being the logo on the bezel.
1984
Stamped Bezel with White Paint Fill
Mini Maglite TM MFG by Mag Instrument - Ontario, Ca. - USA
The stamped bezel resulted in a lot or QA/QC issues due to the small size of bezel. As such the production cost was very expensive and this bezel was only used for one year, 1984. These are the rarest Mini Maglites and had the least color variations. I've previously covered these in my Early Mini Maglite History post. I have only seen the following colors:
Black
Red
Blue
Camo
Silver
Pink
Bronze (Extremely Rare, Special Order for Zimmerman, a Swiss retailer)
Gold Plated over Brass (Done as a Christmas special for various retailers)
1985
Laser Etched Mini Maglite TM Bezel
Mini Maglite TM MFG by Mag Instrument - Ontario, Ca. - USA
These were only produced for a year or less and I haven't seen any color variations. It's likely the prior colors were still sold in the old style stamped bezel since they were far less popular than black.
A Vari-Beam AA Mini Maglite was also produced in 1985. (1985 was the end of the Vari-Beams and before they ended production Maglite made only 1,000 or so AA Vari-Beams. These are extremely rare.)
1986 - 1991
Laser Etched Mini Maglite R Bezel
Mini Maglite R MFG by Mag Instrument - Ontario, Ca. - USA
The Mini Maglite Trademark was approved in April 1986 so the TM was changed to R. These lights came in many colors.
1992 - 1995
Laser Etched Panther TM Bezel
Panther Logo TM Mini Maglite R AA Mag Instrument - California, USA
The Panther logo debuted in 1992 on the larger lights but the Trademark wasn't approved until 1996 so a TM appeared next to the Panther logo. AA was added to avoid confusion between the AAA Mini Maglites that were introduced in 1988. Ontario, CA was changed to California, USA to avoid confusion with Ontario, Canada where consumers sometimes thought the lights were being produced.
1996 +
Laser Etched Panther R Bezel
Panther Logo R Mini Maglite R AA Mag Instrument - California, USA
The Panther logo Trademark was approved in 1996 and an R appeared after the Panther logo instead of the TM. These lights are the most common and have the highest color variation. They are perhaps the most collectible.
As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.
The 1985 Mini Maglite Etched Bezel came in all the same colors as the 1984 model. I have a Black, Red, Green, Pink, Camo, Blue, and Gold.
ReplyDeleteThere is a new design on the bezel, I'm not sure when it was changed. I bought a brand new Mini Maglite the other day and instead of Panther Logo R Mini Maglite R AA Mag Instrument- California ,USA it goes Panther Logo R Mini Maglite R Mag Instrument, Ontario, CA, USA
ReplyDeleteThis helped me a lot. I thought my first minimag was bought around 91 but the info provided shows me it was at least 96.
ReplyDeleteHi, I love your blog as I’ve recently got into collecting Maglites myself and there isn’t a huge community like there is for other collections. My grail is an original stamped bezel Mini Maglite but despite searching everywhere I can think of, I’ve never seen one for sale or been sold. Do you have any leads on where I could find and purchase one please, and a rough guide to price?
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for the message! They do pop up from time to time on ebay but you have to keep your eyes open because most folks won't advertise them as vintage. I probably have an extra laying around if you want to shoot me an e-mail.
DeleteThanks a lot for your reply, I have sent you an email
DeleteThere is a new symbol that i have just recently noticed. It is just below the focus head on the tube. It is a triangle with a couple odd symbols within it. Any ideas what this is?
ReplyDelete