I see a lamp with an internal label stating... Made In USA Levitron 660w 250v. So many old gorgeous lamps are for sale and no easy way I know of to discover what the max wattage bulb is that they can power, I suppose other than trying bulb after bulb.

Is there a better way to know for certain?

This lamp is older so I can't imagine the label means the bulb can go to 660watts as I've never seen an incandescent with a rating that high and especially not decades ago.

Anyone lamp knowledgeable?

There is NO way to tell without a sticker. The label you read is the socket maximum rating. Even this is misleading as a socket like this is rated for 250v, but is only legal to use on 120v.

Safe to say, a table lamp would easily have a max of 60w, quite possible 100w or 150w.

Thank you for responding. You say it's the socket's maximum rating. Well isn't the socket the element that the bulb depends upon? Isn't that the sticker we need?

Absolutely not. The design and make up of the fixture is the important part. The socket itself may be able to handle the heat, but can the fixture?

Is the lamp (light bulb) enclosed?
Is there a shade?
Is the lamp oriented base up, base down or sideways?
What is directly above the lamp?
Is there a glass shade?

All this contributes to the maximum wattage of a fixture or table/floor lamp.

I know all of that. ELIMINATING THOSE FACTORS however, just in terms of PURE POWER TO bulb how big a bulb.. That's all I want to know about. I know a suede vs parchment shade, a narrow shade vs wide makes a diff in the lamp's capability.

Sorry, you CANNOT "eliminate those factors". If you do then you are asking two very different things.

Original post:
1) How many watts can be used in an "old gorgeous lamp"?
See post #4

Post #5:
2) How many watts can I put in a bare lamp socket?
Depends on the socket and operating conditions. Probably 250 watts or more.

The answer is different to both questions.

Exactly... attempting to eliminate those factors will result in a serious burn and fire hazzard. Because finite numbers ARE dependent on those factors. And it stops being safe long before something burns out or catches fire.

Stick with compact Flourescents and odds are you will be safe with any available CF's on the market. They still generate heat (which is where the problem lies in this case)... but far less of it.

The Lamp will usually have a different rating than the Socket.
If you were testing bulbs, and this was not a Lamp where the shade as mentioned, will not usually handle the amount of heat the socket can,
Then you could safely put in a 660 watt/250 volt bulb, or a 120 volt equivellent, it just can't be near anything... flamable.