Hand-held fan19th century depiction of ancient Egyptian fans and other items.19th century depiction of a Japanese folding fan.Hokusai's Five Fans.
Here you can find a variety of hard-to-find militaria collectibles, collectible furniture, lamps, linens, knives, and autographs.

Electric Fans

A hand-held fan is an implement used to induce an airflow for the purpose of cooling or refreshing oneself. Any broad, flat surface waved back-and-forth will create a small airflow and therefore can be considered a rudimentary fan. more...

Home
Animals
Arcade, Jukeboxes & Pinball
Autographs
Banks, Registers & Vending
Barware
Bottles & Insulators
Breweriana, Beer
Casino
Clocks
Furniture, Appliances & Fans
Electric Fans
Furniture, Large Appliances
Housewares & Kitchenware
Knives, Swords & Blades
Lamps, Lighting
Linens, Fabric & Textiles
Metalware
Militaria
Pens & Writing Instruments
Pez, Keychains, Promo...

But generally, purpose-made hand-held fans are shaped like a circle segment made of a thin material (such as paper or feathers) mounted to slats which revolve around a pivot so that it can be closed when not in use.

The movement of a hand-held fan provides cooling by increasing the airflow over the skin which in turn increases the evaporation rate of sweat droplets on the skin. This evaporation has a cooling effect due to the latent heat of evaporation of water.

Etymology

Old English fann referred to a basket or shovel for winnowing. It was a loan from Latin vannus, with the same meaning, derived from ventus "wind" or a related root (cf. vates). In the sense of "device for moving air" the word is first attested 1390, the hand-held version is first recorded in 1555.

History

Ancient

Fan history stretches back thousands of years. Since antiquity, fans have possessed a dual function – a status symbol and a useful ornament. In the course of their development, fans have been made of a variety of materials and have included decorative artwork. The simplest fans are leaves or flat objects, waved to produce a cooler atmosphere. These rigid or folding hand-held implements have been used for cooling, for air circulation, as a ceremonial device, and as a sartorial accessory throughout the world from ancient times. They are still widely used.

The earliest known fans are called 'screen fans' or 'fixed leaf fans'. These were manipulated by hand to cool the body, to produce a breeze, and to ward off insects. Such early fans usually took the form of palm leaves. Some of the earliest known fans have come from Egyptian tombs. Early Assyria and Egypt employed slaves and servants to manipulate the fan. In Egyptian reliefs, fans were of the rigid type. Tutankhamum's tomb possessed gold fans with ostrich feathers, matching depictions on tomb walls. Long-handled, disk-shaped fans were carried by attendants in ancient times and were associated with regal and religious ceremonies. They had handles or sticks attached to a rigid leaf or to feathers. Plumage of birds was used in fans, such as those of the Egyptians and Native American Indians, that had both practical and ceremonial uses.

In the ancient Americas, the Aztec, Maya, and South American cultures used bird feathers in their fans. Among the Aztec fans were used to depict merchants in illustrations of trades. The use of various feather types had a religious connotation. The Paracas people of South America (modern Peru) have left numerous examples of ancient feather fans among their mummies. In India, the Hindi term for a fan is 'pankha' (a derivative of "a feather" or "a bird's wing"). Pictorial evidence records that the Greeks, the Etruscans, and the Romans used fans as cooling and ceremonial devices. In Greece, linen was stretched over leaf-shaped frames. In Rome, gilded and painted wooden fans were used. Roman ladies throughout the empire used circular fans. Chinese sources link the fan with mythical and historical characters.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


Great Art Deco Vintage Chrome Fan $9.99 Vintage Eskimo Electric Fan Model 1110R Works Great $16.99
Old Metal Electric Fan Part Deoderizer Cap Vtg Ornate $9.99 Antique Vintage -Vornado Electric Fan/Heater---Works $9.99
antique fan westinghouse $1.00 Huge 16" Antique General Electric Oscillating Ge Fan $50.00
antique fan General Electric Metal blade $1.00 Antique Westinghouse Oscillating Fan 1910 $18.50
champ electric heavy duty evaporator cooler motor, usa $19.99 1941 Antique Emerson Electric Fan - Model 79646-Az $11.49
vintage westinghouse box fan lt blue color watch movie $31.00 Menominee Electric Mfg. Co. Brass Blade Fan/Vintage $104.07
Vintage Emerson Electric 4 Blade Oscillating Fan Works $34.99 Minty Eskimo 12 Inch Box Fan $50.00
16 Inch All Original Westinghouse'"Ta nk"Desk Fan $100.00 Rare Vintage Art Deco Style General Electric Fan $36.25
Antique Vintage Hunter Type 52 Ceiling Fan Motor $195.00 Ge Pancake Electric Desk Fan – Bb/Bc $227.50
Antique Cast Iron Base Table Top Fan,Century Zephair $15.00 Table Top Fan,Super Lectric $12.00
Vintage Old Iron Deco 6" General Electric Ge Table Fan $29.50 c 1910 Ge General Electric Fan/Brass Blades & Cage $31.00
Vintage Retro Victor Miracle Breeze 4 Blade Tilt Fan $30.00 Ge General Electric Brass Blade 3 Speed Antique Fan $406.89
Vintage Westinghouse 4 Brass Blade Tilt Electric Fan $100.00 Vintage Retro Aqua Blue Dominion Floor Cooling Fan Nos $27.00
Vintage Large Vornado 3 Speed Table Fan~Works Great~Nr! $21.01 Vintage Vornado 20C2-1 2 Speed Table Fan~Works Great~Nr $9.95
Rare Vintage ''Air Castle'' Deco Style Electric Fan $9.99 Very nice late 1940's Robbin & Meyers 12" fan. Runs grt $12.99
Vornado Mid-Century Metal Fan Model B20C1, 2 Speed $9.99 Vintage Ge General Electric Whiz Fan Works $20.50
Vintage Emerson Electric Oscilating 11 inch Fan $9.99 Vintage Hunter Osculating Fan --16" tall and works fine $11.05
Emerson Electric Fan 29646 Working Antique $29.99 Fine Vintage Westinghouse Electric Fan 50's - 60's $29.99
Antique Cast Iron Base Reliance Heater Fan Zr17 $6.35 Old Gilbert New Haven Electric Fan Parts Project Zr27 $6.35
Neat Old Knapp-Monarch Heat Lamp 446 $6.85 Vintage 8" Frosti-Aire General Circulator Fan All-Metal $9.99
Antique Emerson 77646-As Oscillating 3 Speed Desk Fan $31.00 Diehl Green 18" Electric Fan $25.99
Vintage Torcan Fan still in box $9.95 Vintage Western Electric Brass Blade Fan No. 7600 $12.50
Antique 1930's Westinghouse 3spd Oscillating Table Fan $89.99 Vintage Early Everite Green Table Fan L@@K $6.99
sanrio Hello Kitty figure electric fan $45.00 Vintage Oscillating Dominion Electric Fan $9.99
Vintage 4 Blade Eskimo Desk Fan-It Works!!! $12.95 Patton Model # U2-20 20 Inch Metal Blade With 1/2" Hub $9.99
Lakewood Plastic 5 Winged Blade With 1/2" Hub $4.99 Old Hunter 3 spd Oscillating Art Deco Chrome Fan $45.00
Vintage Signal Cool Spot oscillating all original fan $9.99 Vintage Retro Chrome Zero 1250R Fan Air Ventilation $10.52
Braun Hl-1 Desk Fan Colombo Kartel Panton Dieter Mod $20.49 Vintage Hibbard Air Flo 8 inch fan works looks original $9.99
Vintage 1950S Diehl Electric End Table Fan Works $45.00 Antique Hunter Ceiling Fan Fancy Iron Casting $586.76
Vintage Westinghouse Electric 7" Fan $10.50 Antique Westinghouse Art Deco Electric Fan / Fast Ship $9.99
Oscillating antique Vintage Ge Fan Gold Blade & Cage $67.00 Seville Mini Electric Rotating Fan $2.00
Antique Robbins & Meyers Oscillating Fan $39.95 Vintage General Electric Oscillating Floor Fan $103.50
Vintage Emerson Electric Oscillating Fan Works $9.95 Vintage Working Hunter Oscillating Table Fan $29.99
Vintage Polar Cub Electric Fan P-1849 $11.50 1920's Emerson Electric Naval Ship's Fan Navy 14" 2 Spd $39.00
Vintage Cinni Fan Occilating Table Top Stainless Nice $51.00 Diehl Antique Cabinet Fan...Rare Cherry/Mahagony !!!!! $85.00
Vintage Dominion Fan Turquoise Two-Speed Fan Excellent $54.99 Vintage Montgomery Ward Floor Foot Fan $24.99
Vintage Retro 12 in Ge General Electric Fan, used, Nr $4.99 Vintage exquisite rare bone phoenix fan $3.70
Bio-Energy Ethanol (Alcohol) Fuel Cell Electric Fan $99.00 Antique Fan, Radio Cloth Covered Wire $15.00
Vintage Antique Ge Oscillating Fan $225.00 Kenmore Automatic Fan With Stand $45.00
Fan, Portable Oscillating Tower , Feature Comforts $3.00 Vintage 50s General Electric Dual Fan $29.99
Emerson Electric Fan "B Jr" $19.99
Click to see more Electric Fans items
Prices current as of last update, 08/27/08 2:43pm.


Home Contact Resources Exchange Links eBay