Crookes tubes
The third page, fluorescent tubes.
A small phosphorescent Crookes tube.
Height 22 cm incl. stand.
phosphorescent bird figure
An early small 16 cm height
Crookes phosphorescent tube.
Crookes flower tube
30 cm in height with a Puluj electrical radiometer on top, early 20th Century. This tube can be found in the Max Kohl catalog nr.100 band III page 1015 on the site of the Max Planck institute, The Virtual Library.
It was one of the most expensive tubes, made probably by Emil Gundelach.
The Crookes phosphorescent flower tube or bouquet tube
is also a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, these tubes were
made in different sizes. The copper flowers are covered with
different phosphors, the vanes on top are made of mica and
turn when the tube is activated forming a moving shadow on
the flowers below. The stream of electrons demonstrates the
kinetic effect (which in fact is caused by heat) in form
of the turning vanes. This shows that electrons travel in straight
lines which can be seen by watching the phosphors lightning up
when there is no obstruction in the way of the electrons.
Crookes tube with dancing figure
One of the two similar tubes from the
famous cancelled Christie's 1998 auction.
A tube with a story
Here a tube from the famous 1998 Christie's Pressler auction
which was cancelled due to the fact that the tubes were not
as "old" as stated. Just before the auction someone noticed
the yellow M from a well known fastfood restaurant crafted on
one of the radiometers.... (see page 12 from the catalogue)
The tubes in the catalogue appeared to be recently made by
some skilled glassblowers with the use of remaining parts
from the old Pressler factory. The auction was cancelled.
These tubes are still regularly for sale on auction sites.
Despite it's young age these tubes are fine pieces of
craftsmanship and become real collector items.
Crookes tube with rose and bee
A 35 cm high Crookes tube from the early 1900. Pressler
Original drawing from the
1914 Pressler catalogue.
Click on the picture for a large view.
Crookes tube with butterfly
A 35 cm high Crookes tube from the early 1900. Pressler
Click on the picture for a large view.
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Crookes beetle tube
height 34cm
This is a restored tube using the original connections and beetle.
A very tall 50cm butterfly tube ca 1930
This tube is present in the 1929 Leybold catalogue
All The replica tubes from the 1998 "Pressler Collection" have al artificial corroded caps with thick wire around it. The used lead glass looks typical bluish.
Butterfly Crookes tube Pressler ca1930
The very nice detailed butterfly
The Cathode Ray Tube site
150 years of CRT evolution
The Dutch collection