Featured The Whitehall Sperm Candle!!! 19th Century

Got these with a whole bunch of other junk in a big lot.

I think they’re so cool I just had to get them.

Luckily there was other cool things with them! Including a marvellous polished horn butchers steel.
Can’t find sales for any old spermaceti candles only later ones from the 60s/70s. So I have no idea what they are actually worth.

If anyone has any better luck finding a sales result please do share, I can’t bear not knowing good luck and thanks for any info.

 

In shape they are very like taper candles you can buy now. Would have to wonder if this is relatively new wax in an old box. May be just as well if so. Think we have already had some conversation around the legality of selling whale-based products.

 

"Established nearly 300 years."

"Founded by Thomas Field of Lambeth before 1642". So probably 1940's?

 

Spermaceti candles were banned from production in Nantucket in 1970 which was the last place in America where they were to be made.

Cool! that gives a more accurate date could be a little before but likely 30/40s.

The ones from the 70’s sell for around £75 so I’m not sure how much more these are. I think if I did sell I’d throw out something like £200-300 because I want to keep them

The packaging is beautiful and the candles are all there. I’m assuming they are original, they got the age the size of the box and the description of them being fit for lampshades. Seems very convenient. Thanks for the help everyone. Just need an example of any others selling now

 

There is apparently one of these packs of candles in a museum near me.
Cool to have an iconic, even be it brutal part of history in your family.

I just like to know price point on everything if come to sell it but I think to me this might be priceless so who cares xD

 

It's important to keep track of purchase prices and current values....
we're just not much of a costing site...

 

Made of sperm? Scented with sperm? Sperm-coated..? Fill me in here.

 

A sex-shop will buy them

 

Ooooooh!!

 

Oops sorry I forgot to explain what they were haha

Originally hunters of whales thought the substance in the heads of the whales was sperm. Spermaceti is from the Latin for seed, sperm and the Latin for whale, ceti. Ta dah!!!

This is what whale oil is. I think the advantages were something like it burns slow doesn’t smell strong and something else I don’t remember. They were quite expensive in their time though in comparison to regular candles and were not used by everyone.

 

I thought they were made of sperm ..

 

Goodness, there is raft of schoolboy jokes just bursting to be told.

Best not