vindje.com / Guides / Vintage & design
Lamps are one of the best categories for finding vintage design second hand, because many good ones are listed as oude lamp without a brand. Dutch makers from the 1950s to 1970s are common and still affordable, while Danish and Italian classics are worth knowing but heavily copied.
The Netherlands had a busy lighting industry, and its lamps are all over Marktplaats. These names are worth searching on their own.
Louis Poulsen (PH5, PH Artichoke), Le Klint pleated shades and Fog & Morup glass pendants are the Danish names that come up most. Le Klint shades in good condition are still affordable.
From Italy, the Flos Arco floor lamp, Artemide Tizio desk lamp and the Guzzini acrylic mushroom lamps are popular. The Arco is one of the most copied lamps: an original has a heavy single block of Carrara marble and the Flos name, while a copy's base is often lighter or composite. The PH5 and Panton Flowerpot are also widely copied, so ask for labels and close-up photos.
Many sellers do not know what they have. Search for descriptive words instead of brands: hanglamp messing (brass pendant), bureaulamp knikarm (desk lamp with hinged arm), glazen bol lamp, teak lamp, opaline. Look at the shapes in the photos and compare with what you know.
This is where vindje.com helps: you can describe the shape and era you want, like a 1960s brass and opaline glass pendant, and the AI reads the photos and descriptions instead of needing a brand in the title.
Old lamps often have cracked cloth or rubber cable, no earth wire on metal bodies, and brittle sockets. Plan to rewire anything you buy older than the 1980s, especially metal lamps. Cable, plug and an E27 socket cost little; if you are not confident doing it, a lamp shop or electrician will rewire a lamp for a modest fee.
Test the lamp at the pickup if possible, but do not take a working bulb as proof of safe wiring. Look for brown, stiff or taped cable.
Original paint and finish matter for value. A Hala lamp with original paint and some patina is worth more than a repainted one. Dented shades, missing diffusers and replaced glass lower the price a lot, especially for pendants where the glass is the design.
Check that all parts are there: springs on hinged desk lamps, shade rings, ceiling cups on pendants. Missing parts are hard to find for older Dutch lamps.
Glass pendants and opaline shades break more often on the way home than in forty years of use. Bring a box, towels or bubble wrap, take the glass off the fitting before moving it, and carry the shade on your lap rather than in the boot. For a lamp further away, ask the seller whether they ship; many collectors do, packed well, for a reasonable fee.
For a big floor lamp like an Arco copy or original, bring a second person and check that it fits in your car diagonally before driving across the country.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| Hala or Anvia desk lamp, working | EUR 40-180 |
| Dijkstra or Herda pendant | EUR 40-200 |
| Raak glass pendant | EUR 100-600 |
| Le Klint pleated pendant | EUR 60-250 |
| Louis Poulsen PH5, original | EUR 350-700 |
| Flos Arco, original with marble base | EUR 900-1800 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Vintage 1960s Dutch desk lamp with hinged arm, Hala or Anvia or similar, original paint, working, under 150 euro, within 50 kmSearch Marktplaats like this
Look for maker marks or labels on the base, under the shade ring or on the socket, and compare the shape with known designs. Brand, original condition and completeness drive most of the value.
Only if the wiring is in good condition. Most lamps over 40 years old benefit from new cable, plug and socket.
An original Flos Arco has a solid Carrara marble base weighing tens of kilos, a Flos marking and a specific hole through the marble for lifting. Light bases and missing marks point to a copy.
Usually 1960s and 1970s designs with round shapes, acrylic or chrome. It describes a style, not a brand.