ASR, Colibri, Dunhill, Dupont, Evans, Negbaur, MTC, Rolstar, Ronson, Rowenta, Zippo and many others... Price guide included! You will also find books, catalogs, patents and magazine advertisements on lighters!
The first Zippo magazine advertisement was published in Esquire on December 1937. This black and white full page ad depicts the famous pin-up girl called Windy or the Varga Girl. But the design was the creation of Enoch Bolles, one of the earliest and most widely published glamor illustrators at the time. His works can be seen here.
This ad is quite rare and it fetches prices above $50.
A black&white magazine advertisement published in The American Magazine on November 1929. It depicts the Ronson De-Light Series including the table lighter Ronson Tabourette.
It is not the most expensive table lighter in the world but for sure a very unusual one. It was sold yesterday on eBay.
The opening bid started at $25 on June 8th 2013. Seven days later
this rare Dunhill table lighter had received 33 bids from 15 bidders. The seller described it as being in overall very good condition.
This lift-arm table lighter was manufactured by Dunhill (model Unique) in the late 1920's. It is marked STERLING, GERMANY and DUNHILL NEW YORK along with three silver hallmarks. Lighter stands about 2-38" tall. It is about 2.25" wide and 1.25" thick at the base. The lighter is made of sterling silver and has a beautiful enamel painting of birds in flight at the edge of a lake. Below some more pictures of this lighter:
Another interesting
document from the past worth reading will be provided for my donators. Two chapters are devoted to lighters and matches. It was written and published in Leipzig in 1910 by Dr. Alfons Bujard. The
text is in German, so German reading skills are required. Below couple
of paragraphs of the lecture entitled "Zündwaren":
Durch die Wirkung des Blitzen und durch der Erde entströmende brennende Gase oder Dämpfe wird der Urmensch wohl zuerst in den Besitz des Feuers gekommen sein. Ursprünglich mag er die Feuerbrände nur als Kampfmittel, also als Waffe gegen Raubtiere, gebraucht haben, er hob aber diese Naturgabe sorgfältig auf und verehrte in ihr eine Gottheit. Das Feuer wurde bei manchen Völkern durch besondere Priester unterhalten, wie die religiösen Gebräuche, Sagen und Dichtungen lehren. Es hat gewiß lange Zeit gedauert, ehe an den einfach lebenden Menschen der Vorzeit das Bedürfnis der Feuererzeugung herangetreten ist, und bis er ein Mittel zur künstlichen Feuererzeugung benutzt haben mag. Funde aus der Steinzeit, Gerätschaften aus Feuersteinen, deren Gebrauch man sich erklären kann, deuten auf eine erste Anwendung künstlicher Mittel zur Erzeugung von Feuer hin, und es ist wahrscheinlich, daß man damals durch Aneinanderschlagen der sehr harten Feuersteine mit anderen Steinen (Pyriten) Feuer erzeugt hat.
In Pfahlbauten fand man dagegen schon den Feuerstahl nebst Zünder (Feuerschwamm). Auch Drehfeuerzeuge, die sog. Drillbohrer (ein Holzbohrer, welcher mittels eines mit einer Sehne gespannten Bogens gedreht wird), find in frühester Zeit bekannt gewesen. Nach den Schriften der Alten hat schon Prometheus Feuer aus harten Steinen zu gewinnen gewußt.
Stahl, Feuerstein und Zünder waren den Römern bekannt, ein Feuerzeug, welches heute noch Anwendung findet und von Leuten, die sich viel im Freien bewegen, zum Anzünden der Zigarren und Pfeifen bei windigem Wetter benutzt wird. Die Zündholzverteuerung führt ohne Zweifel wieder zur vermehrten Anwendung dieser Feuerzeuge, wenigstens soweit die Raucher in Betracht kommen.
Als Zünder (Fomites) verwendete man im Altertume trockene Blätter, Schwämme von Bäumen, Holzspäne, auch Schwefel. Die Griechen kannten auch die Brenngläser aus Bergkristall und die Hohlspiegel. Sie wurden von Ihnen unter anderem in den Tempeln zur Hervorrufung von Göttererscheinungen und zum Anzünden des Holzes auf den Altären benutzt. Das Material dieser Spiegel war polierten Erz oder Silber. Die Brenngläser waren radförmige Gläser, sie wurden nach Plinius in der ärztlichen Praxis verwendet, auch war es schon bekannt, daß mit Wasser gefüllte Glasgefäße von geeigneter Form eine ähnliche Wirkung erzielen.
Im Mittelalter war das Schlagfeuerzeug aus Stahl und Stein das herrschende...
The 20 page long text (PDF document) is now reserved for my donators who will also receive the "Lighter Repair Manual. For All Cigarette Lighters" from 1954 and a lecture given by Dr. Rud. Benedikt in 1895 on lighters: "Die Feuerzeuge". Please donate $5 or more to this blog and you will get all three publications as a thank you.
I have bought today a very intriguing postcard from the First World War period. It is dated on the reverse May 1915. On the front a soldier is holding a fired bomb which he uses to light his cigarette. "Un nouveau briquet" means "A new lighter".
French postcard dated 1915, Un nouveau briquet. Editeur PARIS, 552
The 14th International Lighter Convention which took place in Krefeld (Germany) on the 4th May 2013 came to an end. Below three short Full HD movies from the meeting. Enjoy!
The official part of the convention lasted approximately five hours from 9:30 to 14:30. I have meet collectors and dealers from such countries like Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, UK, Austria, Poland, France and Spain. I have counted more than 25 stands on which one could find pocket and table lighters, lighter parts, adverts, books and even displays. One could swap buy/sell lighters and over all exchange knowledge and experience. People who regret not attending this event should know that already two other meetings for lighter collectors are scheduled for this year:
1st International Convention of Lighter Collectors in Eastern Europe - it will take place on 5th October 2013 in Brno, Czech Republic. Contact person Vladimir Danek.
5th Rhein-Main-Lighter-Convention - it will take place on 27th October 2013 in Offenbach am Main, Germany. Contact person Matthias Burgey.
Trying to expand my knowledge on lighters I am constantly looking for any historical sources that mention or describe lighters. One of the documents worth reading is a lecture by professor Rud. Benedikt given on 1895. It is all about lighters, including their history and development. The text is in German, so German reading skills are required. Below couple of paragraphs of the lecture entitled "Die Feuerzeuge".
Ich war im vergangenen Sommer Zeuge davon, wie ein Hausierer eine ganze Gesellschaft damit belustigte, dass er eine neue Sorte Zündhölzchen, und zwar solche ohne Köpfe, an ihrer Reibfläche entzündete. Alle waren aufs höchste befriedigt, nur ein ganz alter Herr meinte: „Zu meiner Zeit war's doch schöner, als man sich zu allem Zeit ließ und lassen konnte und seine Pfeife noch in aller Seelenruhe mit Stahl, Feuerstein und Schwamm anzünden musste." Der Herr war, wie gesagt, schon sehr alt und hatte offenbar daran vergessen, dass er sich dabei manchmal ganz tüchtig auf die Finger geklopft hatte.
Mir aber scheint es, dass es wohl angezeigt sein mag, wieder einmal über die Entwicklung der Industrie der Feuerzeuge in unserer Gesellschaft zu berichten, über eine Industrie, die wie so vieles Andere erst in unserem Jahrhunderte entstanden ist, und welche Erfindungen in sich birgt, die von größter Bedeutung für das tägliche Leben und die Wissenschaft sind.
Die leichte Art, in der wir heute Licht und Feuer entzünden, lässt uns vergessen, wie mühevoll und umständlich dies noch vor hundert Jahren, war; es wäre aber gut, wenn wir uns dies gelegentlich vor Augen hielten und nicht schon ungeduldig und ärgerlich würden, wenn uns einige Streichhölzchen versagen und erst das vierte oder fünfte brennt.
Ohne Feuer sind selbst die ersten Anfänge der Cultur undenkbar, und es ist nachgewiesen, dass selbst die Menschen der Eiszeit seinen Gebrauch kannten. Was das Feuer dem Menschen ist, kann man wohl nicht schöner als mit den Worten des Dichters sagen...
The 10 page long text (PDF document) is now reserved for my donators who will also receive the "Lighter Repair Manual. For All Cigarette Lighters" from 1954. Please donate $5 to this blog and you will get both publications.
What is the most expensive lighter sold on auction at eBay up to date? It is a 18K Cartier Watch Lighter sold for $18,988 (ca. €14,500). The opening bid started at 50 cents on the 1st April 2013. Seven days later the solid gold pocket lighter received 45 bids from 19 bidders. By far it is the
highest price for a lighter fetched on eBay. Till today the record belonged to an early example of a Zippo
lighter which was sold on January 2009 for $11,758.98.
This luxurious Cartier Watch Lighter is a rare 18K solid gold lighter with a build in 15 Jewels Watch made in the 1930s in France. It measures 50 x 36mm and weights 82.8 grams. The wick lighter is marked "Cartier Paris Made in France 05396". It is extremely well build and looks very Art Deco taking into account the enamel details. A true masterpiece for a substantive pile of cash. The seller stated the condition of it as excellent.
I received today an email from "Koller Auktionen" - a swiss auction house - with an invitation to the auction on pocket and table lighters (auction no. W236). It will take place in three days on 20th of March. You may look at the over 200 lighters listed here.
Most of the lots are overpriced but famous auction houses attract wealthy people so there is a probability that some of the cigarette lighters will find a new home. One of the table lighters I have spotted has though a tempting starting price:
Lot 5609 TISCHFEUERZEUG "WELTKUGEL", U.S.A., Art Déco. Metall silberfarben gefasst und teils verchromt. Erdkugel, die Kontinente profiliert dargestellt. Auf rundem Sockel. H 13,5 cm. CHF 200.- / 300.- € 170.- / 250.-
The table lighter is in good condition and it is the famous "The Globe" lighter sold and advertised by Dunhill in the 1930s. It was manufactured by Demuth New York (Demley) and was available in chrome-plate and bronze-plate finish.
I have recently discovered a fantastic field of ephemera collectibles; namely the advertising trade cards from the Liebig Company (producer of meat extract) issued between 1872-1939. The colored lithographed cards instantly become very popular and collectible. Each series has 6 or 12 cards and the size
of each card is approx. 4.1" x 2.8".
One set of Liebig (Oxo) cards might be of interest to lighter collectors. The set no S0932: The making of fire was issued in 1908 and was available only in French (La production du feu), German (Erzeugung des Feuers) and Italian (La produzione del fuoco). This particular lot costs between €15-30.
Picture 01: Das Feuerreiben in der Urzeit
Picture 02: Feuererzeugung durch Sonnenstrahlen
Picture 03: Das Platinfeuerzeug
Picture 04: Bäuerin gebraucht das Zunderfeuerzeug
Picture 05: Das Stippfeuerzeug
Picture 06: Die ersten Phosphorzündhölzer
On the 4th of May, 2013 the 14th International Lighter Convention in Krefeld, Germany will take place. Below more information about the meeting. I hope I will be able to be there!
A blast from the past - Ronson Corporation paper stock certificates were issued between the 1960s and 1990s and today have only collectible, historic and maybe sentimental value. Many things have changed over the past years...
In the 1960s Ronson was ranked on the 7th place of World's best-known and recognized brand names in the United States. Not anymore as on October 25, 2011 Ronson Corp, incorporated in 1928, went out of business. Also the stock ownership exists today rather as electronic records than physical documents with signatures on paper printed by the Federated Banknote Company.
The average value of the Ronson Corp stock certificates lies between $3-10 although there are many factors that determine its value. These include condition, age, historical significance, signatures, rarity, aesthetics, original face value, bankers associated with issuance, transfer stamps, cancellation markings, issued or unissued, printers, and type of engraving process.
The earlier stock certificates issued in the 1940s and 1950s bared the name Ronson Art Metal Works and their collectors' value is higher (approx. $15). The earliest issued in the 1920s and 1930s bared the name Art Metal Works and are rare (approx. $40). Although all of them have the same vignette of an allegorical man sitting in front of a gear holding a hammer.
Common Stock Certificate dated November 1992, 1 share
Common Stock Certificate dated February 1969, 1 share
Common Stock Certificate dated May 1968, 100 shares owned by Merill Lynch...
Worth to know: the study and collection of stock and bond certificates is called scripophily. The word was coined by combining words from English and Greek. The word "scrip" represents an ownership right and the word "philos" means to love. Wikipedia claims that there are "thousands of collectors (scripophilists) worldwide in search of scarce, rare, and popular stocks and bonds. Collectors who come from a variety of businesses enjoy this as a hobby, although there are many who also consider scripophily a good investment. In fact, over the past several years, the hobby has exploded in popularity".
Zippo collectors never cease to amaze me. There is no other lighter company that has so many devoted and well organized collectors. What does attract them? What makes the Zippo lighters so collectible? The simple design? Life warranty? No.
Somewhere in the 1960s Zippo discovered that sales droved only by customers willing to pay for its pure function would not make it successful at all. A new marketing strategy was implemented which aimed the collecting spirit of some of the potential customers- limited editions and special editions of Zippo lighters were issued; a wide range of various finishes and designs were introduced each year. Zippo is easy customizable and need little space. Many storage and display cases are provided by Zippo itself and by many enthusiasts. Furthermore Zippo supports Zippo Clubs and closely cooperates with many of them.
The strategy works well and Zippo still exists whereas many other great lighter manufacturers like Evans, Ronson, Thorens with good quality products vanished or almost vanished from the market.
Zippo lighters attract a lot of collectors which are willing to pay top dollar for the rarest examples. Yesterday a rare Tall (2 7/16”) early 1933 Zippo with the three barrel outside hinge was sold for $6,888. The opening bid started at $99 on January 8th 2013. Seven days later
the lighter received 23 bids.
A lapel pin is a small pin often worn on the lapel of a dress jacket. Lapel pins can be purely decorative or can indicate the wearer's affiliation with an organization, company, cause or even a product.
In recent years although, pin collecting has become a very popular hobby this is why they can also be seen on lanyards, bags, belts, hats and specially designed cards which help to store and display pins. It is a very affordable hobby although prices range from everything below $1 to over $500 dollars for very sought after pins or made of precious materials like gold. Pins also require limited space which might be another pro for starting a collection.
Devoted pin collectors may choose from many discussion forums, pin events and pin clubs to trade and talk about their hobby and special interest. Because of the big variety of pins collectors focus on lapel pins associated with a particular theme.
Lighter collectors might enjoy the fact that there is a quite substantial amount of very interesting pins on lighters and other tobbacciana items. I have started to research this interesting field less than 6 months ago and I was able to gather almost 20 different lighter lapel pins made between 1970s and 1990s; mainly Zippo, Feudor and Cricket. I guess there is still room to acquire more of them.
Lapel pins are made in various ways although the most common methods are:
Cloisonné (hard-fired enamel) - the design is stamped into brass or other metal and the recessed areas are filled with enamel which is then fired at a high temperature (800-900); this process allows to get high quality pins with a very high level of detail and color.
Soft enamel (embossed) - the process is like Cloisonné although the metal areas are slightly raised while in hard-fired enamel process the whole surface is highly polished to a luster); the top can be covered with protective epoxy. Below you may see how the lapel pins are made in one of the production plants in Canada:
Die struck - a popular production method to get a all-metal pin with sharp detail, contrast and nice relief. Usually the raised areas are highly polished and the recessed areas below the polished metal might have a textured, matte or antique finish, most of the Zippo pins is done this way)
Etched pins (only the shape of the piece is stamped out. The design on the face of the pin, is chemically etched into the base metal, then color-filled by hand and baked before being polished. In the final step, a thin coat of clear epoxy can be applied to the surface.) Epoxy coating is optional.
Other techniques that might be used are photo dome and screen printed.
The most common attachment for lighter lapel pins is the butterfly clutch. The back of the pin has a small prong attached and when the butterfly clutch is squeezed and pulled up from the prong the pin is released from the clutch. Butterfly clutches are usually made out of metal but theoretical can be also made out of plastic and rubber. Another quite common attachment is the stick pin (thin needle with a collar that slides up and down the needle to secure or release the pin) although you may also encounter a jewelery clutch or tie tacks which have usually an elegant and simple design although are very rare to find.
Additional markings of a pin might be stamped on its back. It may contain copyright information, edition or the country they were made in.
Lektrolites were produced by the Platinium Group Co. Inc. from 1932 till late 1960s. The first patent (1,899,008) for the flameless lightning mechanism was filled on the 9th January 1933. The popularity pick of these lighters was reached in the late 1930s. Below a 24-pages long catalog of Lektrolites from the 1936.
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