"New Stewert Werner stop light"

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Outsider

Junior Member
Trying to find any information on this little jewel. It was made in 1928 and was to be mounted in the rear window. Neon tube says "STOP" and illuminates red/orange. This was handed down to me from my dad who got it from my mothers dad in the mid 70's. Original box with instructions. The only info I can glean from the inter webs are a few original adds, an old listing from eBay and photos that my dad posted years ago looking for information and possibly a value. I'm not interested in selling as this is all I have from grandad.

A google image search will show the photos my father posted. Other than some cracking of wire insulation, it is in new condition and it works, never installed.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
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Outsider - What a unique accessory! I would love to have one in my rear window.

I wonder if a vendor would be interested in making a replica, but instead of using a neon tube; LEDs or incandescent could be used.

I really like the shape, and the fact it glows the word "STOP".
 
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that is so cool, I love old authentic automotive accessories . I have a whimsical traffic cop stop signal that puts out his arms when you hit the brakes. I posted a couple of pictures.
 

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What makes this unique is that it's NEON. Neon needs about 7,500 volts (minimum) to light them up. That explains the ignition coil in the photo. I've not seen this before, thanks for posting!
 
on my '31 coupe I use 3 stop lights to make sure the guy in back sees me braking. One in the back window is probably the best since it's high up in the guys face. These 2 were quite easy to find in a one month period on ebay. The one on the license plate was nos at $60. the one in the window was $40.
 

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Thank you all for the replies, the thing is amazing and sits in its box on display in my living room. Great conversation starter.
Would anyone here know the possible value on it? My dad was offered $1,000.00
For it in the mid 80's and turned it down. Glad he did.
 
OH that is really cool. I am going to put a stop light on mine and this would be great. Anyone know of repo?
 
I did a Goggle search on neon and found this:

Georges Claude - Inventor of the First Neon Lamp

The word neon comes from the Greek "neos," meaning "the new gas." Neon gas was discovered by William Ramsey and M. W. Travers in 1898 in London. Neon is a rare gaseous element present in the atmosphere to the extent of 1 part in 65,000 of air. It is obtained by liquefaction of air and separated from the other gases by fractional distillation.

The French engineer, chemist, and inventor Georges Claude (b. Sept. 24, 1870, d. May 23, 1960), was the first person to apply an electrical discharge to a sealed tube of neon gas (circa 1902) to create a lamp. Georges Claude displayed the first neon lamp to the public on December 11, 1910, in Paris.
Georges Claude patented the neon lighting tube on Jan. 19th, 1915 - U.S. Patent 1,125,476.
In 1923, Georges Claude and his French company Claude Neon, introduced neon gas signs to the United States, by selling two to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles. Earle C. Anthony purchased the two signs reading "Packard" for $24,000. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising. Visible even in daylight, people would stop and stare at the first neon signs dubbed "liquid fire."
 
Unfortunately the insulation on one of the wires is cracked where it intersects with the housing so more than likely if I put power to it it would esplode on me...don't want to do that. I haven't even seen it lit up. I figure when I finally get around to building a T, I'll make the necessary repairs.
 
Outsider said:
Unfortunately the insulation on one of the wires is cracked where it intersects with the housing so more than likely if I put power to it it would esplode on me...don't want to do that. I haven't even seen it lit up. I figure when I finally get around to building a T, I'll make the necessary repairs.
Click to expand...

Liquid tape does a great job for such repairs. :)

I don't see a ********, but maybe it's inside the can with the coil (transformer). It should have a ******** to change the DC to a pulsing current to make the transformer work. Also does the neon have black over the parts of the tube between the letters?
 
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