Sweaty folks have resorted to fans since ancient times, and all kinds of fans, are popular collectibles, from the flirtation accessories of Regency and Victorian ladies, to the advertising fans on a stick that touted everything from funeral homes to insurance brokers. Early room fans were made of canvas and wood, and operated for the comfort of the gentry by slaves or servants.
With the advent of electricity, Edison, Telsa and Westinghouse made the room cooling electric fan a reality. Earliest fans were developed for stores, offices and factories usually in the form of ceiling fans, which were introduced in 1882 by Phillip H. Diehl, whose Diehl Manufacturing Company also developed the technology for the oscillating fan in 1907. Dr. Schuyler Skatts introduced a desk top fan that could be used in homes also in 1882.
After World War I, when the war effort no longer drove up the cost of steel, large and small companies began producing table top fans for home use. The earliest fans had no cages over the blades, and even after cages were added, they offered little protection against the razor sharp spinning metal blades. Table top fans were enormously popular until the 1960s, when air conditioning became prevalent.
A wide variety of fans are collectible today in vintages from the 1920s to the 1950s. As with most collectibles, rarity and condition influence price. Probably the most valuable fan is an early Edison model on a tripod base, with an enclosed motor, but no housing on the blades. This fan has brought as much as $10,000. at auction. Top dollar goes to fans in working order with intact paint, brass blades, and original cords
