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Mysto (Gilbert) 6"
Ornate Fan |
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Circa 1915 |
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The ‘Mysto’ Fan was
produced by Gilbert for a couple
years before they changed the
name to the Gilbert Polar Cub.
There are a few variations to
the ‘Mysto’ fans with the most
obvious being the size of the
badge on the blade which shows a
‘polar cub’ being cooled by a
fan. The earliest had a
significantly larger badge as
mine does. By the way, mine is
all original including the wire
and plug. The later ‘Polar Cub’
fans are very common unlike the
earliest ‘Mystos’ which seldom
show up. |
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Gilbert Pen Set |
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Circa 1935 |
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This Gilbert Desk Set is
a really neat item with probably
the smallest blade of any of my
fans. Not super rare but a
favorite of mine. |
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10 Gilbert 'SilverSwan' |
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Circa 1935 |
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This fan is often
referred to by collectors as the
Gilbert ‘SilverSwan’ for its
similarity to the Emerson ‘SilverSwan’.
Although a less expensive fan
than the Emerson when new, I
find the Gilbert to be easier to
work on as well as more quiet
and smooth when running. In
addition to this model, it was
also available with a different
cage design almost identical to
the Emerson ‘SilverSwan’, a very
rare (only two known) 10”
pedestal which I have in my
collection and a larger 12” size
which is quite rare too. |
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8" Gilbert Aristicrat Cream with Black Badge |
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Circa 1937 |
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As you may have
noticed, I really like this
fan. A lot. In fact, it is the
only fan I have ever felt the
desire to own every model
produced of this style and I
think I only lack one version.
The 8” are far scarcer than the
10” or 12” fan and are the only
size sold in this particular
color. It also came in the
Green finish and was only
available with one speed. |
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12" Gilbert Aristicrat Black Base with Chrome Motor |
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Circa 1937 |
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Until just last
year, I had never seen one an
Aristocrat with the chrome
plated motor and I found two
within a period of a few weeks.
It appears this model came
painted black with a round base
where as the model with the
black painted motor came with an
oval shaped base and egg shaped
blades and the green painted
version had a bound base and
traditional shaped blades. |
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10" Gilbert Aristicrat Green with Round Base |
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Circa 1937 |
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This is one of
the few green version I have
found with good original paint.
Typically, the finish is so bad
it needs to be repainted. I
also have this size fan with
black paint and oval base. |
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12" Glibert Aristicrat Black with Oval Base |
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Circa 1937 |
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By far, this is
the nicest original condition
Aristocrat I have ever seen. I
bought it on eBay from a seller
in Indianapolis who didn’t take
the best photos hiding how nice
the condition was. I could tell
from one image it was in nice
condition but I had no idea how
nice until I unpacked the box.
It looks like it was only used a
handful of times and I will be
sure to keep it that way. One
of the aspects of this fan I
like the most cannot be captured
with a still photo. Because of
the wide and flat chrome design
of the cage, when the fan
oscillates, the light in a room
reflects of the cage and really
shows the beauty of the very Art
Deco design. Also, if you look
at the fan from the side you
will notice the motor is not
connected to the base as most
fans are but is held by the cage
struts making it appear to be
suspended in midair.
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