Rented lights are VERY popular here. Some neighborhoods even have post top lights (many of which are 175w MV) rented from the power company. It makes me wonder if they actually service the MV post tops or if they just replace them with LED post tops like they do with the cobras and NEMAs. I don't spend enough time in areas with MV post tops to have noticed yet.

I used to have a 1500w Metal Halide "ball field" light that was brand new.!   It was 120v.  I don't remember exactly what happened to that, or my GE PMC-117.  I sold my American Electric 245 contempo post top which I regret.  I guess I could always buy another but I have noticed that the paint on the 245s have flaked off and doesn't stick on very well anymore.  I also never should have parted with my GE PMC-117.  They were both 100w HPS

I Have MANY HID lights in my collection-rotate thru them perodically.Right now 450WPSMH-favorite,400WPSMH-favorite,400W CMH Philips Master color Retro White,wish these were still made.100W MH yard sale spot fixtures from a track light from a former clothing store.35W HID portable lights,Streamlight HID Lightbox,Polarion Abyss-30,40W use these lights mostly.

In the 80's I saw in a living room (on the table lamp with a shade) what looked like a mercury lamp and was probably a self-ballasted. I guess the guy took it from the factory he worked.
In 2005 I saw a kitchen whose ceiling light had a self-ballasted lamp installed, probably a 160W or a 100W. The woman told me someone gave her the bulb and she liked it because it was white and bright.

The MBFTs in living room sorta lanterns were not all that rare in the 90s. I recall seeing that in a few occasions

Here is another one:
There is what I think is a barn-shaped house with a deck. Inside it has fluorescent lighting and the walls don't appear to have drywall on them (the frame is showing). On the second floor is a deck, and above that is what appears to be a black GE m400A2. It runs dusk to dawn and I think it has a 250 or 400w clear merc. Here is a picture:
(that's not paint missing, it is shiny and it is the sun reflecting off of it).

Here is another one:
There is what I think is a barn-shaped house with a deck. Inside it has fluorescent lighting and the walls don't appear to have drywall on them (the frame is showing). On the second floor is a deck, and above that is what appears to be a black GE m400A2. It runs dusk to dawn and I think it has a 250 or 400w clear merc. Here is a picture:
(that's not paint missing, it is shiny and it is the sun reflecting off of it).

I would expect Yardblaster/NEMA Head for that.

One of my neighbors had an ITT HPS cobrahead for a yard light. I remember when it was on the side of the road when it was replaced. Of course I wasn't allowed to have it along with other cool things my neighbors threw out back then.

Another neighbor still has two big square flood lights. I'm not familiar with these, I guess they are the type being discussed in this thread. Anyway there are two on the pole, look like ones seen in parking lots, so guess something the power company would rent. But they appear to be controlled manually because they aren't on very often.

I have a restored 1000 watt wide-light flood to light my backyard, two lithonia 400mh floods and a ov-10 clamshell missing refractor with a 400w ed-28 to light my work area between the house and the garage (I can see quite well at night!)