C Cell Colors

Summary: C cell colors are very rare because C cells did not sell as well. I do have a few different finishes and they are shown below including one rare special order finish.

C cell colors are pretty rare. As I've detailed in earlier posts C cells have traditionally been fairly slow sellers compared to D cells. As such, Mag Instrument has not put as much effort into marketing of the C cells. This is a bonus for collectors like me because these lights are rarer and tougher to find! I have a handful of C cell finishes and I've seen of heard a couple more so I'll share all of the info I have.

The lights at the left are the earliest C cells, both TM and R bezels from 1982 to 1989. The 2 center lights are transitional lights from 1990 and 1991 and the 3 lights at the far right are Panther bezels from 1992 on as detailed in my C Cell Quick Dating Guide.

I've covered some of these lights before. The early C cells are extremely rare in anything other than black. The silver 3C I think is a prototype light due to its odd end cap. The blue 4C is mentioned on an early Maglite insert and I've covered it under my Personalized Lights post. I've covered the gold 2C too and as with other full sized gold lights it was likely done for a commemoration or special occasion.

The transitional C cells I haven't covered. Both came from large lots of Maglites I purchase either at estate sales, thrift shops, flea markets, Craigslist, Letgo or Flea-Bay. The transitional C cell lights have a laser etched bezel but without the Panther logo and they were produced in 1990 and 1991. Up until I found these lights I thought just a handful of early C cells were produced in some one off colors and then there weren't any C cell colors until Mags became very popular in the late 90s. Anyway, here's a pic of both of those lights. The dark green 3C is in great shape and the blue 3C has been well used.

I'd eventually like to have all of the finishes Mag has offered but for now I have a pretty small collection. So, what colors were C cells manufactured in? Well, I only know of colors on 2Cs, 3Cs and a few early 4Cs. I have seen or heard of the following but please feel free to contact me if you know of any others:

2C
Blue

Silver (1985, 1992+)

Red

Standard (Dark) Green (1990+)

Grey (1992+)

Purple (1992+)
Manufactured in both letter and non-letter serials

Lime Green
Special order finish
Manufactured in non-letter serial only, approximately 1999-2003

Gold
Only a handful manufactured

3C
Blue

Silver (1985, 1992+)

Grey (1992+)

Standard (Dark) Green (1990+)

4C
Blue (TM Bezel 1982 to 1986)


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

1999 Y2K Maglites

Summary: Maglite capitalized on the power outage fears of Y2K by producing a special Y2K model in 1999.

For those of us old enough to remember Y2K, the year 2000, it was an exciting but also frightening time. There was a lot of uncertainty, namely how technology would react. In response to this consumers stocked up on essentials, water, canned food, generators, batteries, and flashlights in advance of the celebrations. I can certainly remember clutching my Maglite as the countdown to 2000 happened. Luckily, we didn't need any of it.

Maglites have been the go to light during natural disasters and power outages for many years. Maglite has made many donations to disaster relief efforts like 9/11. So, it is no surprise that they capitalized on the Y2K fears by promoting and selling Maglite flashlights. Can you blame them? After all it was an entirely man-made fear that looking back seems to be very silly and fun.

Shown below is a very special 3D light they put out for the Y2K celebration. It is one of their first screen printed lights and shows a map of the world that wraps around the light with the year 2000 on one side and on the reverse the "MAG 2000" logo. Very few of these were made and I believe they were done as part of a marketing campaign for the supposed Y2K power outages and sold through regular retailers. If anyone has any of the marketing materials or ads for that campaign I would love to see them. My contact info is at the right.

This light, unlike other full size lights, has no knurling. This was done to aid in the clarity of the screen printing. The screen printing offered many advantages, like the addition of color, which couldn't be obtained with their standard laser etching and was much more durable than die cut decals Mag tried for a while. An AA Mini Maglite was also produced in an identical design scheme but I unfortunately don't have one. I heard they may have been packaged together as a set.

There weren't very many of these lights produced and they are coming up on 20 years old so they are very rare. I haven't seen very many come up for sale but if they did I don't imagine they'd be worth a ton of money like the 7Ds or 7Cs because not a lot of folks know about them. I was lucky enough to find two from a fellow collector and ex Maglite dealer. The serials are 23,205,194 and 23,205,197. They are very close together, only 3 units apart. All of these lights are going to be around 23,205,000 serials. Shown below are both of my Y2K lights with their nearly sequential serials.

I'm always up for trading for lights I don't have or ones I'm really interested in so I'll likely trade one of these away to another collector in the future.

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

Lithium Ion Maglite Conversions

DISCLAIMER: These Maglite modifications are to be performed at your own risk. Maglite does not recommend them and I take no liability for them. You need to be well versed in electrical principles as well as lithium ion battery safety before attempting.

I previously posted about mods for vintage Maglites as well as some awesome lithium ion Adventure Sport Maglite conversions but what if you really want to take it a step further and build a great, bright, rechargeable Maglite yourself? (I also wrote another post about custom lithium ion LED lights too.)

The idea behind the light is to use lithum ion batteries as a power source. Lithium ion batteries are nominally rated for 3.7 volts but actually put out around 4 volts. An alkaline cell puts out about 1.7 volts on a good day. What you're getting is more than twice the volts out of a rechargeable cell of a comparable size. It's a win-win. The trick here is sizing a bulb or LED that matches up with a larger number of alkaline cells and then substituting a lesser number of lithium cells at the same voltage. The most common mod is 2 lithium ion cells powering a 7D or 6D bulb.

7D and 6D PR based bulbs are nominally rated for 6.3 and 7.5 volts and put out more than double the amount of lumens vs. a 2 or 3 cell bulb. 6D batteries actually put out 10.7 (1.7 *6) volts and 7Ds put out 11.9 (1.7*7) volts so these bulbs are actually rated for more than what they are labelled. These bulbs can easily be installed and run in a 2 cell light with 2 lithium ion batteries for more than double the brightness out of a smaller package.

The most common platform is a 2C Maglite. The C lends itself well because most lithium ion batteries have a smaller diameter than alkaline. 2 C cells are also the exact same length as 2 - 18500 lithium ion cells. The D cell lights aren't as lucky. None match up with lithium ion cells and all D cells require either modification to the end cap or barrel or the use of a not so easily found spacer. The 18mm diameter of the 18500 cells (18mm diameter by 500mm length) is a little narrower than a C cell (26 mm diameter by 500mm length) but this is easily remedied with a small length of 3/4" PVC Pipe that acts a spacer as shown below. As a side note make sure you order button top cells so they will work in series. Flat tops will not work in series and the light will not power. A protected or safe chemistry cell is highly recommended. Also, there are 26mm lithium ion cells but they all measure greater than a 26mm diameter and will not fit in a C cell Maglite so I stick with the 18mm lithium ion cells.

Drop in the 6D or 7D bulb of your choosing and you have a nice little thrower!!

I went a step further and picked up a TAD Customs bi-pin setup. These bi-pin setups are pricey but there are a lot more bulb choices. (i.e. brighter) The bulbs are commonly used in track lighting and as such come in a large range of wattages and voltages. The bulbs do put out a bit more heat though so you'll want to switch to an aluminum reflector, like the one from KAI Domain, and glass lens so you don't melt the stock plastic reflector and lens.

I also added a FiveMega recessed tail cap that allows me to use a slightly longer 18650 battery for more capacity and to dress it up a little I added a FiveMega scalloped bezel. You can also machine out the standard "Store-A-Bulb" end Cap to recess the spring and accomplish the same thing. Shown below is this very powerful 2C along with a beam shot. It easily lights up my neighbors tree at 100yds away and will likely throw much further. The warm white tint is easy on the eyes. too. It's not an overpowering light up close.

I can't take credit for this mod, it's been kicking around the various hobbyist message boards in one form or another for at least the last 10 years. As my fellow hobbyists say: "It's a 7D Maglite in a smaller package". So, how about a 7C in a smaller package? Shown below with my very rare and newly restored 7C.

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

1994 Remember Sarajevo Mini Maglites

Summary: The "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglites were produced for use in the closing ceremony of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics and were intended to raise awareness of a growing military conflict in Tony Maglica's home country. They are one of five lights Maglite has produced as giveaways for historical events.

Mag Instrument has only produced a handful of "giveaway" or donation lights. These are special lights that are laser etched as part of a donation or promotion. These lights are highly sought after by collectors because of their rarity and history. I've detailed the George HW Bush and 2001 George W. Bush and 2005 George W Bush Inaugural Mini Maglites and the 9/11 3Ds. There is a 5th that I've been searching for and it is the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglite.

In 1994 the Winter Olympics were hosted in Lillehammer, Norway. That year's Olympic games were fairly typical as far as the competitions go. However, at the end of the games there was a special closing ceremony that offered remembrance and hope for the site of the 1984 Winter Games, Sarajevo, Bosnia. Sarajevo was a booming town when it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics but around 1992 it was be-seiged as part of the Bosnian conflict. Thousand of civilians were killed, displaced, and the city's infrastructure was bombed during the siege. The siege lasted almost 3 years, the longest in the history of modern warfare.

So why would Maglite produce lights for a Winter Olympics and conflict half way around the globe? Well, Tony Maglica was born in New York City but was raised in Croatia. At the time Croatia and Bosnia as well as handful of other states were all part of the former communist Yugoslavia. Tony loved his homeland but detested the communist government. He moved back to California near the end of his youth and started Mag Instrument. In the democracy of the U.S. his business flourished and he supplied flashlights to the world.

As the 1994 Winter Olympics was drawing to a close Maglite sent 40,000 AA Mini Maglites inscribed "1994 Lillehammer Olympics" and " Remember Sarajevo" to the closing ceremony as shown below. The lights were used during a the closing speech where a speaker offered hope for Sarajevo.

Like the George W Bush lights 40,000 were produced. So, why are they so rare today? Like other giveaway lights they came with batteries and like many other Maglites the batteries were not taken out before storage which destroyed the lights when the batteries leaked. Also, because all of the lights were sent to Norway they very rarely show up on the second hand US market. I see about 1 every year or 2 for sale and they never fetch more than $50 or so likely because most collectors don't know the history of them.

What's also interesting is that the head has TM after the panther logo. As per my Mini Maglite Dating Guide this is because the lights were produced in 1994 but the panther logo registered trademark wasn't approved until 1996.

UPDATE: I received a picture of a 2C "Remember Sarajevo" Maglite from a reader in Norway so I wanted to post it along with some info. This is basically an up sized version of the AA "Remember Sarajevo" Mini Maglite. It is one of the few lights displayed on my blog that I don't own. From what I can gather these appear to have been made for VIPs attending the Lillehammer event and were likely made in only very small numbers. I would love to be able to purchase one eventually so if you have one or know where I might be able find one please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. My contact info is at the right.

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

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.

Mini Maglite Quick Dating Guide

I've been saying I was going to do a Mini Maglite Dating Guide for a while and I haven't posted in months now because I thought I covered all of the info I had. But I had some requests to do this post as well as post a pic of my entire collection so this may be my second to last post. This covers Incandescent AA Mini Maglites only. Most of the new LED ones have serial numbers and are easily dated by Mag Instrument.

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.

2002 to 2009 2D Hummer Lights

Summary: Maglite partnered with many 3rd parties over the years to produce licensed lights. One such example is a light they made for Hummer which came in a tool kit with their SUVs.

I have a couple previous posts about special Maglites that Mag Instrument made for auto manufacturers. They include both Chevrolet and Ferrari. Another example is the 2D special edition light Mag Instrument made as part of the service kit for model year 2003 to 2009 Hummer H2s. Like the Maglite the Hummer is both rugged and dependable so the match was a good fit. Most folks buying these trucks were paying a premium for this vehicle and valued extras such as the service kit and other luxury features. Shown below is my 2D Hummer light.

This light is a standard 2002, serial number 20,608,805, from the first model year of the Hummer H2. It is easy to tell because it is stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A.". Lights form 2003 and after were stamped "Patented in U.S.A." due to an obscure California law. For those interested in these features and dating lights please see my D Cell Quick Dating Guide. As far as I know these lights were all 2Ds and silver with the laser etched Hummer logo near the end cap. I am not sure if they came with the Hummer H1s or H3s so if someone does I'd appreciate you dropping me a line. My contact info is at the right. Shown below is a light, not mine, in its original service kit that also included a tire gauge, Leatherman tool, and first aid kit.

Hummer H2s were produced from 2002 to 2009 as model years 2003 to 2009 and were ultimately discontinued during the 2009 financial crisis as GM was forced to scale back and the market lost it's appetite for large, expensive, SUVs. The Maglite lives on in many incarnations ad I hope to see some special editions one for other vehicles too. All in all about 150,000 Hummer H2s were sold so I imagine a similar number of Maglites were produced and included with them. These lights are not very rare but are still a cool collectible that can be had for under $20. Shown below is the 2003 model year Hummer that this light came with.

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

1979 to 1982 7D Lights

Summary: 7D lights were made from 1979 to 1982 and were very slow sellers due to their size and minimal increase in light output over other models. They are the most desirable Maglites today among collectors.

I get the question a lot: What is your favorite Maglite? or Which Maglite do collectors want the most? The answer is without a doubt the 7D and as I near the end of my collection and the information I have, I figured I'd make a post on them.

For a while most folks online thought the 7D was an urban legend and didn't exist. That's not true although they are one of the rarest and most sought after Maglites. Most folks that aren't into Maglites have heard of them and they fetch the highest price out of most collectible lights. Maglite only made them for 1979, 1980, 1981, and early 1982 before they were discontinued and only produced around 19,000 total.  They were likely discontinued around August of 1982 based on some sales literature I've seen including old Cabela's catalogs. Like most other old lights many had the batteries corrode in the barrel after they were left sitting and are no longer around. Now they are at least 36 years old and finding one is very difficult but not impossible.

Maglite discontinued these lights for a lot of the same reasons as other lights. They were a slow seller. They were mainly a slow seller due to their size. Lights of this size are very tough to carry and are very heavy. Shown below is a picture next to my forearm. I'm 5'9", a pretty average height, so you can see this light is YUGE!

It isn't a whole lot longer than a 6D, which is still produced. You can see both my 7D and a 92 to 95 Panther 6D in the picture below. Overall length on the 7D is 22" and the 6D is 19 1/2". Unfortunately the 7D doesn't have many advantages over the 6D. The original Vacuum/Argon PR Base Bulbs were designed for automotive use and didn't really match up too well to D cells. As such, the 7D, PR20 bulb put out the same amount of light as a 6D, PR18 bulb and the run time was only marginally better. Later on Krypton bulbs came out and the 7D, KPR120 bulb put out 151 lumens vs 100 for a KPR118 but the 7D was already discontinued by this point. I have specs and descriptions on all of these bulbs in my post about PR Flange Base Bulb Specs.

The other question I get a lot is why did Maglite produce the 7C until 1990 when the 7D was discontinued after only 4 short years? I think the picture below speaks for itself. It shows a 7C vs. a 7D. The 7C is much shorter. In fact the 7C is shorter than a 6D. I have a few 7Cs that I've covered and below are pics showing a 7C vs. a 7D.

Believe it or not longer lights have actually existed. Kel-Lite had a very short lived C cell BTL-26 baton light which was the equivalent of a 12C. The light had a spacer in it that knocked it down to a 5C and it was designed to be used as a baton by law enforcement. It's overall length was around 26" hence the BTL-26 model name. This made the Kel-lite Baton Light 4" longer than the 7D Maglite. I have one of these and I've included a picture below with some of my longest lights, and the longest lights I know of.

From top to bottom they are:

7D Maglite

6C Maglite with ASP Baton

This collapses and it's aftermarket so while it's technically longer extended I don't count it as the longest light. It could be installed on a 7C for an even longer light! It is 30" long extended.

BTL-26 Kel-Lite

7C Maglite

3D Vari-Beam for scale

At the end of the day the 7D was not a great self defense tool because it required far too much effort to swing and was very rough on the wrist. Were they intimidating? Sure, but that's about it. They would have also been very cumbersome on an officer's duty belt. I've always preferred a 3 or 4D for self defense. They'll provide all of the oomph needed while still being manageable to carry and swing. Use of flashlights as a defense tool is now frowned upon in most departments and small Streamlight Stingers and Surefires have all but replaced Maglites and Kel-Lites.

I also figured I'd throw in a few more pics for your viewing pleasure. Shown below are two of the rarest Maglites in my collection. They are also on opposite ends of the size spectrum. The Marquis (Solitaire) is the smallest light Maglite makes, an AAA, and the 7D was the largest Maglite made. For those interested in the origin of the Marquis please check out my post about it.

The serial number is 70008675 as shown in the above pic. This looks like a low serial but all other D cells surpassed this number early on in their first year. This is a 1980 light as can be seen by its "Paten Pending" stamping below so the light is not as early as the serial suggests. I put out a D Cell Quick Dating Guide that explains the differences from year to year and how to date lights. The highest serial 7Ds I've seen are 18,000 and they are stamped "Patented Made in U.S.A.". This corresponds with about 4,500 lights sold a year which is a very low number. It's far lower than 7Cs which were the next lights to be discontinued in 1989. Interestingly enough due to their value now several collectors have made inquiries into Mag Instrument to resume production. Mag Instrument actually will but requires an order of 10,000 lights. Even at the wholesale price of $15 per light you'd be looking at an $150,000 order. Given the limited collector demand I doubt anyone would place such an order. 

Like most lights I buy and collect I always try to get a backstory where possible. Some I am not able to get a backstory on but this one I was and I am very glad because it's a light I was chasing for a long long time. I purchased this light from its original owner on a large auction site. He purchased it from a firearms store in the early 80s before a camping trip. However, he found it to be very unwieldy so he stored it, luckily, without batteries, and purchased a 4D instead. The light sat for many years before he decided to sell it. The light would be nice for warding off critters on a camping trip but that would be about it.

I've seen these 7Ds also produced in blue, red and gold. As with most larger lights the finishes are very rare. I've only ever seen 1 blue 7D, 2 red 7Ds, and 1 gold 7D and they almost never come up for sale. In fact I have heard from fellow collectors that the finishes were never done for retail sale. They were likely only done for Mag employees or for "test runs". I almost never post pictures of lights that aren't mine on my blog but a fellow collector sent me the pic below of a red, blue, and gold 7D all in one pic. It is so amazing I couldn't help but post it here. He was very tight lipped as to the back story but I suspect they were acquired from a Mag employee similar to other one off lights I've acquired.  

So, the big question! What are these lights worth? As of the posting date I've seen them go for between $200 and $400 depending on age, demand, and condition. They aren't the rarest Maglite but they are the most expensive.

Shown below are pics of my full 7 cell collection which includes 4 - 7Cs and 4 - 7Ds. The top 7D is a 1979 model and is very rare. It has a later lanyard ring end cap but otherwise it is all original and has faded to a really cool purple. The others came from owners in the mid-west where these lights were somewhat popular due to their extended run time. With a fresh set of D cells these lights may not have been super bright but they could run for 11+ hours. As with other 7Ds these have seen only marginal use and have little wear. I've owned a handful of others too over the years that I've traded off or sold to folks that are interested in them or wanted one for nostalgia purposes.

I also wanted to clear up another urban legend in this post. I see from time to time folks talking about Maglite having made an 8D, 10D or even larger lights. That is simply not true. I've spoken with ex Maglite employees as well as numerous other collectors and there is no record of larger lights being produced even by a special order. In fact if you take a look back through flashlight history you'll see lights up to 7 cells but never any larger. Longer, yes, but more cells, no. This is because brightness and run time just did not increase with the old style PR bulbs.

Some online retailers do sell extension tubes for D cells and C cells that will allow for the use of extra cells. These lights were popular around 2007 when adding more alkaline or lithium cells allowed for use of very bright industrial incandescent bulbs that were popular with hobbyists. These extension tubes are still sold but have little use since LED lights have become available. They are still purchased though and every now and then you'll see one installed on a light that is advertised as a 10 or so cell Maglite. A quick check of the first digit of the serial number will tell you what the actual size is of the light.

In fact I've actually made a 7D from a 5D before I was able to find one for my collection. From time to time I still make them for folks through my blog. You can make one at home too if you don't have the money for a 7D or don't want to spend the time searching for one. Just pick up a new style 5D incandescent light and a 2D extension. I like the one from Adventure Sport as it is inexpensive and the fit and finish are perfect. You'll also need to swap the 5D bulb for the correct, PR20 bulb, or a 6D bulb that can handle the correct voltage. Shown below are some pics of my "new 7D" before and after assembly along with a true 7D and my old 2001 6D.

As a side note this will probably be one of my last regular posts since I'm only hunting for a couple of lights and I've posted my entire collection. 53 posts over the last 6 months have gone by so fast. I started this blog to post a couple of the cool lights from my collection but wound up posting all of my lights and all of the knowledge I have from the last 7 years of collecting Maglites. I have had some requests to show a shot of my whole collection and I'm also sure I will come across some other interesting lights and tidbits of Maglite history in the future. Until then I'm going to round it out with this post. So long and thanks for tuning in!

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