Edison Light Bulb Archive Heads to Auction

An important collection of 37 original British patent letters pertaining to Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb and the birth of incandescent lighting, dating from 1878 to 1884, is the expected headliner in an Internet-only auction ending May 14th at 8 pm Eastern time by One of a Kind Collectibles.

The archive also features patents for Joseph Swann, the English inventor also working on the light bulb at the same time; and George Westinghouse’s Chesbrough patent of 1878, which he used to get the contract to illuminate the Columbian Exposition, as chronicled in the film Current Wars.