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| Info about this bulb |
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Rating: 110-114v, 50w Came from: U.S.A. Manufactured: 1909-1917 Purchased: November 2002 Price paid: $9 plus sh. Bulb rarity: a bit rare Best feature: unique extra-flexible filament |
| Edison GEM Lightbulb |
This is an original Edison GEM bulb. The GEM bulb was dropped from the market in 1917, this means that this bulb is at least 87 years old, and could be up to 95 years old. The GEM bulb used a filament that was 25-30% more efficient than the carbon filament used in earlier bulbs (gave more light and used less power) but was later left in the dust by the much superior tungsten filament, which appeared in 1907 and is still used today. In the beginning, GEM lightbulbs had twin hairpin filaments in series but were later changed to a single continuous filament (like in my bulb) in 1909. See my 187w GEM bulb with twin hairpin filaments. The higher wattage GEM bulbs disappeared first, the smaller sizes were produced until 1917. The GEM filament is the work of Dr. Willis R. Whitney. Westinghouse also made its own version of the GEM bulb, which was called the "Westinghouse Metallized" lightbulb. It is interesting to note that GEM filaments are extremely springy and quite resistant to rough handling.
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