Longest Life Photo Flash Battery contender!

Okay I think I've got a contender for the longest life photo flash battery...

 

These batteries were in a Jacobson Synchronizer Flash unit. The flash being part of a Leica kit I got that was in a storage unit being cleaned out. Lucky, because everything was going to the trash as it was all boxes of old files.

 

Anyway...

 

They're made by Bright Star.

"Dated. High Flash Power" is on the front and on the back.

 

Date code: "1-64" making them just over 54 year old batteries. Look brand new, vintage.

 

I was curious... Why didn't these leak? So I hooked them up to a multi meter just for the goof.

 

Can you believe, not only didn't they leak after 54 years but they still have a charge?

 

Check out the pic I attached.

 

Now, I had to take the pic one handed with a smart phone so the voltage dropped trying to fiddle with the phone and take the pic. Voltage just holding the meter is .85 volts on both of them.

 

That's pretty impressive. And puts new meaning to what it says on the back of the base.

"Extra Long Life"

 

And.. FYI, they were made in Clifton, New Jersey.

 

Well, there you go folks. My contender for longest life photo flash battery.

 

Life is amazing sometimes.

Extra long life indeed - Zn carbon I suppose? I wonder if it would still power a flashlight? I guess there'd be no trickle current from something as simple as the Jacobson gadget, so leaving it in that would be similar to leaving the batteries on a shelf, but that's still an impressive 'shelf life'. It must be a monster flashgun to take two D cells!

Photoflash batteries are designed for higher current, and shorter life, than flashlight batteries.

 

More modern flash units use battery and capacitor, with the capacitor to supply the high current pulse.

 

I have some #40 flash bulbs (shown here: Vintage SYLVANIA 8 Press 40 Clear Flash Bulbs With 30,000 Light Lumens Output | eBay )

though I got them for a lot less than $30 each. I haven't tried them yet.