Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion CAPCO Frame

Do the reproduction CAPCO frames have the following raised lettering at the base of the frame?

Capcolite No 216
US Pat #1966866
The Cinn. Adv Products Co.

Or do the originals only have this raised lettering molded into the frame?

Thanks! Greg

I looked at one 5 years old and one two weeks old. Both have the same markings as yours.

Yes they have the same lettering. If your trying to find out an original from a reproduction look at the notches the lenses fit into. An original will have a total of four notches two per side of the body. A repro will have a total two notches one per side.

Thanks guys for the info -- Good info. Was trying to determine if a frame I was looking at buying was an original or a repro. Glad I asked. Now I know what to ask the seller and what to look for. Greg

I will try and post a picture tomorrow when I get off work showing the difference

The notches should be at 3 and 9 o'clock on both sides of an original body.

Ok here is a picture of the notches it's not the best picture sorry. But if you look on the left side you can see a notch that's where the lens fits into it. Like I said before on a original there will be 4 of these notches. If I get time today I will take a globe apart so you can really see it better

Thanks for posting the pic Shawn.

The info about the notches is good to know. When I asked the seller about the number of notches the frame had that he was selling, the seller's response quickly identified it as being a reproduction. Your info saved me from over-paying for a reproduction CAPCO frame. Many thanks! Greg

I'm going off topic here. How much does it matter to collectors if it's an old CAPCO frame? or a new CAPCO frame as long as the lenses are orginal. since it's the old CAPCO Co. making them.

IMO..The plastic is different in the new compared to old ones (the way it looks with light shinning thru it).

I would rather have an original and the lite does shine better through as keystone stated

Originals fit the lenses better also. I had a heck of a time with a couple repo bodies getting the lenses to fit so I keep extra originals around. I have heard some repos fit better from different vendors though.

The reproduction CAPCO bodies that feature the correct 'lettering' formed into the plastic are made from ORIGINAL molds - so they are exact in every way to an original body with the exception of the plastic material used.

The new bodies are more flexible than an original. This may be due to the material difference - or the age of the plastic.

Other manufacturers do produce 'CAPCO' bodies - but these are made from NEW molds. IMHO - some of these bodies have issues on lens fitment.

As far as I know, all the reproduction lens manufacturers produce lenses specifically designed to fit the CORRECT reproduction bodies. Try using any other body and you could run into problems.

If in doubt, bring your lenses to any of the shows we attend and I'll fit them into a correct body in the color of your choice.

Later . . .

Jim

I've always purchased my white CAPCO's from Jim as his are the good ones and fit together correctly. I made the mistake of buying some on-line once and they are the ones that leave the gaps on one side as they don't fit the lenses well.
While most collectors understand this fact, lenses for glass bodies are quite often thicker than lenses produced for CAPCO bodies and you can risk damage if you try and stuff those lenses in a CAPCO frame and over tighten the screws!
Darin

Nothing but original for me...all of my globes metal, glass, ripples, and CAPCOS are on original bodies.