What is the most expensive table lighter in the world? St. Dupont

If your are looking for the most expensive modern table lighter in the world than you should go visit St. Dupont which is known for its luxury creations. This St. Dupont Second Empire Diamonds Line 2 (model 016026) is a limited edition lighter – only 28 pieces were released worldwide in 2012. Each lighter is individually numbered.

The lighter is covered with white solid gold (27 grams) added parts and 222 white diamonds. It has a black & gray lacquer finish and is packaged in a custom second empire lacquer box.

The price tag? Modest $38,000. One is available at eBay right now.

eBay: 18K Gold Cartier Watch Lighter - the most expensive lighter

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 1^st 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.

Collecting Cigarette Lighter Charms and Charm Bracelets

Collecting charms is a field that a lighter collector may find intriguing and appealing. A charm is a small, especially gold or silver, object worn on a chain or bracelet as jewelry. Most charms are about the size of a dime which makes them very difficult to craft, especially the once with moving parts.

These tiny treasures have a rich history going back to antique civilizations like Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The modern “golden age” of charm jewelry was between 1930 and the early 1970s. A great variety of objects are replicated in charms – animals, furniture, kitchenware, automobiles, buildings, sports, technology and many others.

In general vintage gold and silver charms are available at different price levels. Simple charms are found in number jeweler stores and catalogs for as little as ten dollars. More elaborate made of gold, platinum, diamonds and rubies range from hundreds to thousands dollars and can be found for instance on eBay and at auction houses.

Charms that main theme is smoking accessories are relatively uncommon. The biggest collection on cigarette lighters charms I know counts 50+ different lighter shapes, mostly pocket lighters. Most of them was made in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and today (grand reappearance) mainly in the UK and USA. They are made of gold (mainly 9K, 10K, 14K, 18K and gold filled) and sterling silver. The identification marks if present are very small.

Part of a nice collection of lighter charms can be found in The Handbook of Vintage Cigarette Lighters written by Stuart Schneider and Ira Pilossof. The authors show also other jewelery like cuff-links, earrings or stickpins in shape of lighters.

The Handbook of Vintage Cigarette Lighters shows nice examples of charms in the shape of lighters.

More on collecting charms can be found in these lovely books:

• "Charms and Charm Bracelets" by Joanne Schwartz
• "My Mother's Charms" by Kathleen Oldford

PS. Charms might be a great gift for your beloved one and a memory trigger!