I've been a smoker since the age of 18, obvious cause for
my infatuation with pocket lighters. Back in the sixties in Italy,
I had a couple of favorite Ronsons and Zippos... no real
collection yet. In New York, in the seventies, I started my first
real collection with a small, pistol shaped metallic lighter inscibed
"Made in Occupied Japan", to which I added little by little, many
old refillable, flint & wick models from many different periods...
from WWI to Deco, 50's and 60's.

Unfortunately this first collection was lost upon my departure
from NY in 1975.

My second collection began in the late 70's, early 80's.
This time I really got into it, actively persuing odd and
strange, rare lighters... in flea markets and garage sales.
Somehow they just come to me... Many given to me
by family and friends ...

Not just old and rare lighters (now becomming harder to
find, and quite expensive to acquire), but also newer
(novelty) lighters that, thanks to modern technology,
now come in all shapes and forms.


Your basic flint wheel and wick.
No lighter fluid needed.

OLDIE - Circa 1912

Same thing but with a snuffer lid...
Still being manufactured today
in Spain.

2002

IMCO Safety 4200
produced in 1935

OLDIE

Lighter Fluid

'Regens'
Made in USA
PatNo1896140

OLDIE

Lighter Fluid

'Imco G 11' - Austria

OLDIE - 1950

Lighter Fluid

Trench Lighter
Chrome - Brass


OLDIEs - 1919/20

Lighter Fluid

Service Lighter

OLDIE - 1943

Lighter Fluid

Unknown

USA

OLDIE - 1945

Lighter Fluid

'SKKK' - Japan

OLDIE - 1959
Lighter Fluid

'Kraemer Automatic'
TCW - Austria

OLDIE - 1916
Lighter Fluid

Beattie-Jet - USA

OLDIE - 1949
Lighter Fluid

Unmarked

OLDIE

Lighter Fluid

Circular Base Stick

BUTANE - 1965

Circular Stick

BUTANE - 1968

Square Base Stick

BUTANE - 1969

'Sangyo' - Japan

Circular Stick

1965
Lighter Fluid

Circular Stick

1963
Lighter Fluid

Circular Pen

BUTANE - 1988

Circular Stick

BUTANE - 1985

CMC - Continental

1978
Lighter Fluid

CMC - Continental

1975
Lighter Fluid

CMC - Continental

1979
Lighter Fluid

Reliance - Japan
Pipe lighter

1955
Lighter Fluid

'Nesor 21' - Korea ../ ..'Studio 50' - Japan

BUTANE

'King Gemini' ..../ ....'KRON' - Korea

BUTANE

Maruman - Japan ../ ....Unmarked

BUTANE

Parker - USA

Green enamel ..... - ..... Silver striped

BUTANE - 1960

Unmarked
1990

BUTANE

'Trifil Gold View'
1978

BUTANE

Unmarked
1989

BUTANE

HMS - Japan
1979

BUTANE


Silver Mini

'Littal-Lite'

Lighter Fluid


Silver Zippo

1958

Lighter Fluid


Chrome striped Zippo
1980
Butane

Silver mini

'KW'

Lighter Fluid

Polished Chrome Lift-arm

Replica

Italy - 2004

Butane


Replica

KLM Airlines DutyFree - 2005
Lighter Fluid

See-through plastic

2003

Butane

Holographic

2005

Butane

Butane
1965

Maruman (Silver)
Made in Japan

Lighter Fluid
1949

Unknown (Silver)
Made in japan

Lighter Fluid
1975

Unknown (Brass)

Some finds from my
latest trip to Rome.

Sept. 2011

'Che' Cigarette pack - 2011
Butane cilindrical stick lighter

Louis Vuitton - 1970
Butane oval stick lighter

Made in China

Butane - 2011

Zippo knock-off

Unmarked
Lighter fluid - 2011

 

 

More examples of my personal lighter collection 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Back to Welcome Page



I am not selling any lighters! Nor am I particularly interested in buying...
All the information provided in these pages is purely for the sake of sharing .
I collect lighters as a hobby. I am not an expert and I do not have all answers for many of the FAQ's.
Sorry....

Many emails ask me to estimate prices on diffrent pieces and I'm really not qualified to do so. Prices go up
or down
depending on the condition of the piece, brand markings, date, rarity and other considerations.
Sorry....
Some of the books referenced below quote prices for some pieces, but they are dated...
Brief history of the lighter AND, Reference Books about Collecting Cigarette Lighters

Lighter Manufacturers Brand Names:
ABDULLA | ASPREY | ASR | ATM | BARCLAY | BEATTIE-JET | CARLTON | COLIBRI | CORONET | CLARK | CROWN | CMC | DEMLEY
DOUGLASS | DUNHILL | ELGIN | EVANS | GOLDEN WHEEL | HMS | IMCO | KEM | KNAPP | KW | LEKTROLITE | MARATHON
MARUMAN | MIOJ (Made in occupied Japan) | MATCH KING | NAPIER | NEGBAUR | PARKER | PARK SHERMAN | PENGUIN | PRINCE |
PILOT | RAVEL | RELIANCE | REGENS | RITEPOINT | RONSON | ROYAL | SAFFA | S.T. DUPONT | SCRIPTO VU | SCORPIO |
STREAMLINE | TARLTON | TCW | THORENS| WARD-NIMROD |ZIPPO | ZUNDER


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AND FOR A TOTALLY DIFFERENT KIND OF COLLECTION.... CLICK HERE