Hey everyone I recently procured a 100w DX MV from the wild that is still in active use at an industrial park. The 100w cooper designer security lights there were mostly replaced with LED wall packs, some of which are already EOL. One security light is still left and running although a little ballast noise is present. It was spared because the tenant below the light has junk cars under it so they were not able to reach it well enough with a ladder to replace it. Anyway, I swapped out a bulb to get a look and it seems to be an old one being USA made. I need help dating it. It’s an A shape bulb too. What I think the date code is in the etch says “C3” I haven’t been able to find any data on this code. Any help is appreciated!

Hi
It says C3 as date code, so I would say it is March 1983. C for March and 3 for 1983.

If you are right that means this lamp has been in D2D service not long after that time until now!! thats nigh on ~35 years!!! Wowza

edit: let me see if I can get a better pic of the etch for you to see to make sure.

Here is a better pic and one of the stamp on the base I found “C3BR”

Yes, that code is march 1983 in the barth N.Y. factory.

Thank you for the help on that! I have confirmed that the building was built in 2004 so the lamp won’t have more than 14 years of service d2d. It is either a replacement or came with the fixture. The arc tube is reasonably blackened but the lamp seems to still put out ~70% of what I think is a new lamp.