Table lighter poem by AI linguistic model

Table lighters, once a delight
Adding spark to any candlelight
A stylish piece, elegant and bright
Sitting proudly, day and night

From metal, glass, and polished stone
To designs both simple and unknown
Each with a story all their own
Bringing warmth wherever they are shown

With a flick, a flame ignites
Bringing comfort through the darkest nights
A soft glow, a soothing sight
Table lighters, a beautiful sight

They bring a touch of class and style
Enhancing any room, mile by mile
A conversation starter, after a while
Table lighters, a timeless trial.

Ronson "Ronde-Light", Art Metal Works, USA 1929

The Ronson "Ronde-Light" was one of the earliest automatic table lighters made by Art Metal Works Inc. in Newark (New Jersey) USA. It was manufactured between 1929 and 1932. It was sold as lighter and paper weight as it was quite massive.

The lighter is shaped as a ball with plain chrome plated surface. The lighter insert itself is marked:

RONSON RONDE-LIGHT

U.S. PATS.

1290011-1673727,

OTHER U.S. & FOREIGN PAT'S PDG.

ART METAL WORKS INC.

NEWARK, N.J.

Type: petrol (wick) lighter

Scarcity: very rare

Value for good–mint condition (extremly rare in this condition): $150–300.00 (approx. €125–250.00)

Weight: 350 grams (12.5 oz) 

Dimensions:

• height: 9 cm (3.5")
• diameter: 8 cm (3.15")

Antique table cigar lighters / cigar lamps - history and characteristics

According to Oxford Dictionary a lighter ‘is a device that produces a flame for lighting cigarettes, etc.’ This definition would not fit to the old table cigar lighters as they had to be lit by other means although their purpose was to lite cigars, cigarettes and sometimes pipes. They were filled with a wick and kerosene but had no ignition mechanism.

 

Cigar lighters (also called cigar lamps) were manufactured in various shapes although the most popular forms are of a Roman oil lamp and Aladdin's Lamp with snake handle (see pictures). There was also a broad range of novelty shapes like hunting horn, pyramid, spherical bomb or flaming grenade. Traditional shapes include urn or vase - some of them were sold with matching ashtrays that could be put under the cigar lighter to save space on the table. Lighters with a lid, instead of a simple wand, are chained to the lighter base in order to avoid the lid to be lost.

Popular are oriental forms like dragons often combined with horn (mainly buck, antelope and deer antler) handles and gyroscopic mount so that the flame is always pointing up. More sophisticated figural lighters (for instance laying moon, wild animals, grotesque or exotic figures, castles, ships etc.) are sought after by collectors and these with a lot of fine detail command very high prices counted in thousands of EUR. Table cigar lighters collectors pay attention not only to the style, craftsmanship but also to the maker of the lighter. They were made by top class silversmiths including Georg Jensen (Denmark), Tiffany & Co (USA) and a whole British makers.  

Most of the cigar lighters were meant to carry and pass around the table so they have convenient handles, but others were more stationary and have at least one wick-holder (called wand) to transfer the flame to one's cigar (or pipe), this often with spiral-fluted handle or one decorated as a flame or a simple sphere. Smoking sets consisted of a tray, usually a cigar cutter, 4-6 ashtrays and cigar lighter with one to up to five wands.

As table cigar lamps were intended initially for the wealthiest it was a natural practice to make these lighters of solid silver (mainly sterling .925) and of the highest quality. Silver-plated cigar lighters were made for those who could not afford these made of solid silver. The base metal was often cooper or zinc alloy (pewter). Especially sought after are lighters manufactured in Arts&Crafts and Art Nouveau periods by Elkington & Company (UK), WMF (German, Austria, Poland, France), Christofle (France) or Kaiserzinn (Germany). Some were also used in restaurants or cafeterias.

Table cigar lighters were manufactured between 1840-1949 though its heyday of shapes and popularity was somewhere between 1860-1910 which corresponds with the golden age of cigars. The biggest market for silver table cigar lighters was Great Britain - in that time the richest country in the world.

A whole different range of cigar lighters were counter cigar lighters used in general stores and tobacco shops. These were always lit and were using kerosene (lamp oil) or gas (methane, butane). Later after the 1880s also wall and counter electric cigar lighters (mainly in USA) were used which were lighting up on demand. I will describe them later in a new article on table-lighters.com.

ELFA Lighter Catalog: Diwco, Derby, Sport, Luxus, Kosmos and Columbus, 1970s, Germany

Different ELFA (ELGERSBURGER FEUERZEUGFABRIK established in 1936) lighter leaflets / catalogs from the 1970s featuring such lighter models like Diwco, Derby, Sport, Luxus, Kosmos and Columbus.

Carrier, Luminus electrical lighter, Paris 1900

The "Luminus" electrical lighter (fr. Allumoir électrique) was invented, patented and manufactured by BERNARD-ALEXANDRE CARRIER in 1900 in Paris (rue Fenelon 7), France. It based on the invention of a fluid cell battery by Grenet

It was advertised in the French press as "essential device for you. Instant light by pressing a button" (fr. Appareil indispendable chez soi. Lumiere instantanee en pressant un bouton)". It was the best known bichromate electric lighter and the "Luminus" name is now in use for other lighters that type as well.

The Luminus lighter operated on a liquid battery (bichromate potassium) and carbon electrodes that were situated in the bigger glass bottle. By pressing the button a zinc plate submerges into the fluid and current is flowing into the platinum filament which is glowing. It lights up the pilot wick which lights the main wick for longer use without need to keep the button pressed and stressing the battery. Both wicks were emersed in petrol in the small bottle. According to Carrier 600 ignitions were possible till a next refill of bichromate potassium.

The first model of the Luminus lighter won the gold medal at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris and was replaced in 1904 by the second model which introduced a second cap and was produced until 1914 (vide patent drawings no. FR3883).

The glass bottles of the Luminus were made mainly in cobalt blue, less common are light blue, green, yellow or orange glass. The lighter is unmarked. The LUMINUS lighter is exposed among others at the: Deutsches Heildelberg Museum-Castle and Museum Bryant & May to London-Museum of Arts&Crafts in Paris.

Type: electrical petrol (wick) lighter

Scarcity: uncommon-rare

Value for very good condition: 300 USD (approx. 250€)

Weight: ca. 600 grams

Dimensions:

• height: 22.5 cm
• width: 10 cm

Advert: Ronson Wedgwood Table Lighter, 1950

This Ronson magazine advertisement was published in a British magazine "Country Life" in December 1950. It presents Ronson wick lighters like "Queen Anne", "Rondelight", "Princess", "Adonis" and others.

Ronson Rondelight Cricket Ball Lighter, UK 1950

The new 'Rondelight' was made in the 1950s in the United Kingdom. This table lighter is in the shape of a cricket ball covered in genuine leather.

The lighter insert was also used in Wedgwood ceramics and other ball-shaped bases like: plain chromium plate, covered with brown leather or chrome and enamel in six color combinations (lower part/stripe): black/red, black/black, black/blue, black/green, lavender/white and white/gray etc.

The chrome plate lighter fitment 'New Standard' Ronson is removable and it is marked on the bottom:

RONSON
TRADE MARK
MADE IN ENGLAND
RONDELIGHT
BRIT. PAT. 621570

Type: petrol (wick) lighter

Scarcity: rare

Value for very good condition: $100 (approx. €80)

Weight: 230 grams

Dimensions:

• height: 7 cm (2.76")
• diameter: 5.5 cm (2.17")

Gebrüder Köllisch, Druco Lighter, 1948

The Druco table lighter was first manufactured in 1948 in Nürnberg, Germany by Gebrüder Köllisch. The body of this petrol lighter is made of brass. This semi-automatic lighter has a nice sun ray design etched in the black paint. Other designs are known.

The lighter is not marked. The bottom part of it can be used as an additional tank for petrol.

Type: semi-automatic wick (petrol) lighter

Scarcity: uncommon-rare

Value for very good condition: ~$60.00 (approx €50.00)

Weight: 165 grams

Dimensions:

• height: 7.6 cm
• length: 7.7 cm
• width: 3.6 cm

Ronson Savoy Gold Table Lighter, 1953-1954

The Ronson Savoy wick table lighter was made between 1953-1954 in Newark, New Jersey, USA by Ronson. It is a lighter with a very appealing design in heavy 24K gold plate. It was the most expensive table lighter mass-produced by Ronson ($19.50) at that time.  

The lighter mechanism was used since 1936 when the Ronson Decanter and Puritan were first introduced. Below an illustration of the lighter models 'Decanter' and 'Savoy' from the 1954 Ronson catalog.

The lighter base is padded with a light green felt trim and marked:

Ronson (R)

Newark, N.J. U.S.A.

U.S. Patent 2,481,195

(R)

Ronson

SAVOY

Type: automatic wick (petrol) lighter

Scarcity: rare

Value for very good–mint condition: $240.00–350.00 (approx €200.00–300.00)

Weight: 331 grams

Dimensions:

    height: 11.5 cm
    diameter: 5.6 cm

Pocket match holders / vesta cases converted into lighters, XIX/XX century

Pocket match holders, also called 'vesta cases' or 'matchsafes', were holding a number of friction matches and were introduced in the 1840s. They were made from precious (metals like silver, gold) to common (brass, copper, German silver, wood, celluloid etc.) materials. The most popular material was solid silver, and silver-plated brass. The phosphorus head of the match could be easily ignited when rubbed against roughened serrations.

Vesta cases are a wonderful area for collectors - the variety of decorations, styles and quality is stunning. The most sought after are figural novelty vestas and those finely painted by hand. The heyday of pocket-sized matchboxes was between 1870 and 1920 - hundred of thousands were made by silversmiths and workshops around the world.

After 1907 matches as well match holders were slowly displaced by lighters. The invention of ferrocerium (lighter flint) began a new era of lighters that were very cheap in production. A new designation for vesta cases was found - small family owned metal workshops began to convert vesta cases into petrol lighters. Such case was ideal for such operation as vesta cases were designed to keep friction matches safe and dry (tight fit). Such converted lighters are quite difficult to find nowadays but nice to have in once tobacciana collection.

One of the best books on matchboxes is the 'Matchsafes' edited by Deborah S. Shinn. It has a great selection of vesta cases, wonderful photos and a lot of interesting info.

Ronson Wedgwood Celadon Table Lighter, 1954

This wick table lighter was made in ca. 1955 in England by Ronson and Ofeturia & Barlaston Wedgwood.  The ceramic base is in a oyster shape and is finished in a classic celadon (willow-green color) glaze. 

The Ronson lighter insert is round in shape, made of brass and chrome-plated and marked on the bottom:  

Ronson Trademark 

Made in England

The lighter base is padded with felt and marked:

Ofeturia & Barlaston

Wedgwood Celadon

Made in England

Type: automatic wick (petrol) lighter

Scarcity: uncommon

Value for good–mint condition: $40.00–60.00 (approx €30.00–50.00)


Weight: 125 grams


Dimensions:

    height: 7.4 cm
    length: 7.5 cm

Barnett Pearlman Polo Automatic Lighter, 1948

The Polo Automatic Lighter was made by Barnett Pearlman & Co. Ltd in London, England between ca. 1948-1952. The base is made of brass and heavy chrome-plated. The bakelite pedestal gives the column shaped table lighter additional stability.

The lighter was available in two different heights: 9 and 13 cm. The automatic lighter mechanism was invented by Ernest Shinwell and patented by Barnett Pearlman & Co. in 1948 (patent no. 642,908).

The wick lighter is marked on the underside of the base:

Made in England World Patents
POLO
REGD. DES. NO. 857204

Type: automatic petrol (wick) lighter

Scarcity: uncommon

Value for very good–mint condition: $50 (approx €30)

Weight: 285 (tall), 235 grams

Dimensions:

• diameter: 6.7 cm 
• height: 13 cm (tall), 9 cm (short)

Hermès / Ravinet D'Enfert Lighter Holder for Feudor Disposable Lighter, France ca. 1975

Hermès is a French high fashion luxury goods manufacturer established in 1837. It specializes mainly in leather and lifestyle accessories. Only a few lighter models were branded with Hermes but they were all made by third companies. 

The lighter holder below is a rare item made in small quantity in Paris, France in the 1970s. It was made of brass and heavy silver-plated. The concept of selling such item by Hermes was a bit risky and in the end the market did not accept it. It was expensive and the disposable Feudor gas lighter insert made in Philippines did not match the high-end user expectations. It was the cheapest (4.50 French Francs) disposable lighter Feudor was offering on the market!

The lighter holder was made by Ravinet (Louis) and D'Enfert (Charles) in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1891 and was a leading company in silver and plated silver production which won several international awards during the art deco period (1920-1940). The company ceased activity in 1984. Their address used to be Hotel de Caumartin, 83 rue du Temple, Paris.

The Feudor lighter insert was called the "stick lighter" (fr. le stick), it was cylindrical in shape and could not be refilled. It was a typical throw away item. The Feudor tank was made of a semi-transparent plastic in various colors (vide infra the magazine advertisement from 1974). It was ready available in the 1970s. The top of the lighter and the bottom are made of gold-washed metal. The lighter stick is equipped with a flame adjuster.

The base of the lighter is made in shape of a nest and marked on the bottom: Hermès Paris. Made in France. Also a logo (master mark) of Ravinet D'Enfert logo is punched - RD with a clover resembling a cross. A later version of this holder has a hole punched on the center in order to make it easier to remove the lighter insert.

Scarcity: rare–very rare

Value for very good–mint condition: $120.00–150.00

Weight: ca. 160 grams (without Feudor lighter)

Dimensions:

• height: 6.5 cm (without lighter)
• diameter: 4.5 cm

Phoenix Bird Match Holder, France 1870s

Match holders are another interesting discipline of collecting smoking related items. They were made in various forms and in almost every available material. Match holders made their appearance by the 1850s, ca. 20 years after the first friction match was invented in 1827 by John Walker.

Below is an example of a phoenix bird match holder for tabletop made in France in the 1870s. It is made from a non-magnetic alloy containing mainly zinc and lead. The bird perched on the side of the box has a double pin in his beak and when his head is pushed down he spears a match and retrieves it. The striking surface is located on the back of the phoenix. It is marked (modèle) "déposé" which means that the design was officially registered in France. 

A very good book for collectors on match holders was written by Jean and Franklin Hunting "Collectible Match Holders for Tabletops and Walls. With Price Guide". Well worth the money. It contains 541 photographs with descriptions as well as information on the history of matches and match holders and design patents and their time frames.

Catalog: S. Sakakura Cigarette Lighters and Cases, Japan 1930s

S. Sakakura was a Japanese company specializing in production of good quality cigarette lighters. Below the whole table lighters section from the 9th catalog from the 1930s. Enjoy!