Dream Lighters

[El Presidente]

 

800 Silver & Enamel Lighter

 

[El Presidente]

 

I haven't seen these before 

 

IPPAG Dice Lighter.
Gold plated.
Original box.
Working condition

[El Presidente]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[El Presidente]

 

Continental Roulette Wheel Table Cigar Lighter

 

[patrickamory]

That IPPAG Dice lighter is so perfect. Straight up Studio 54.

[Luca]

Dunhill Rollalite Watch lighter

It's a petrol lighter with a Swiss watch movement located on the top. Not the best for lighting cigars but I thought I'd share this. It's beautiful and very very rare.

Attached is an image of a similar watch movement which would of been used in Dunhills like this.

[liquid360]

Just purchased this one and the matching fountain pen. I have a serious weakness for all things DuPont.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RDB]

5 hours ago, liquid360 said:

Just purchased this one and the matching fountain pen. I have a serious weakness for all things DuPont.

That’s pretty. Close up please! Is this modern or vintage?

[liquid360]

4 hours ago, RDB said:

That’s pretty. Close up please! Is this modern or vintage?

Modern… purple is my color so had to have them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BrightonCorgi]

4 hours ago, liquid360 said:

Modern… purple is my color so had to have them.

When was that manufactured?  A friend of mine was the creative head of ST Dupont when the 007 stuff came out.

[Fuzz AI]

9 hours ago, liquid360 said:

Just purchased this one and the matching fountain pen. I have a serious weakness for all things DuPont.

Congrats on the lovely pen and lighter.

And it comes with a fine dusting of hair!

[liquid360]

Congrats on the lovely pen and lighter.
And it comes with a fine dusting of hair!

Cat hair… gets everywhere. Thanks!

Here’s info on the lighter…
“The ST Dupont ATELIER was created in 1953 in our manufacture in Faverges; real place of creation of special orders or exceptional objects for exceptional people. It has all the secrets of manufacturing of our precious lighters an illustrates perfectly the art of goldsmith and lacquer of the brand.
For “collection ST Dupont ATELIER”, the former S.T. DUPONT’ script is slightly engraved on the banner at the front of the lighter. The date 1953 and the symbol of the winged wheel are finely engraved on the product and evoke the date of creation of the ATELIER and the brand unique know-how in goldsmith. Ancient know how, noble materials and perfect finishes make the ST Dupont lighter, a cult object, passed down from generation to generation.”

https://tobacconistofgreenwich.com/product/s-t-dupont-ligne-2-atelier-purple/


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[pohlmad]

I have a setup of my dream accessories for when I smoke indoors. Love the ST Dupont brand. This is the Le Grand lighter with dual soft flame and single torch, the punch cutter, and the double cutter with straight cut and v-cut. 

[Connoisseur Kim]

I noticed S.T. Dupont released the upgraded version of Le Grand called Le Grand Cling which is exactly same as Le Grand but with signature bold S.T. Dupont cling sound like Ligne 2. Since Defi Extreme red single jet flame seems to be difficult to find in these days, I decided to set Le Grand Cling as my ultimate dream cigar lighter.

[NSXCIGAR]

My dream lighter is an Eagle Torch because all other lighters give me nightmares. 

[Capn_Jackson]

I’ve always wanted an Eldred Jump Spark lighter. My old B&M hangout, Tobacco Lane in Fort Worth, had one at the counter. I don’t know what happened to it when they closed the shop, but I’ll never forget that lighter. 

[Capn_Jackson]

After my grandpa’s death, I got this 1920’s lighter from his things.

My Dad just recently told me the whole story behind it. Before WWII, my grandpa, Herman, got a job with Ma Bell (AT&T). During the war, he served the Communications branch of the US Army, and after the war he went back to work for Ma Bell. His old boss wanted to see him and thank him for his service, so called him to his office. After welcoming Herman back, the boss noticed he was looking at this old lighter. He said it was a gift from the company, his prized lighter. He offered Herman a cigar and even though my grandpa didn’t normally smoke, he accepted. They talked and smoked together, and then he told my grandpa to take the lighter as a “welcome back” gift. My grandpa didn’t normally smoke, like I said, but didn’t want to turn down such a thoughtful gift. Ever since then, it hadn’t been used. Just a decoration. I recently opened it up and replaced all the cotton filler and wick. Flint is still original. Works like a dream, at roughly 100 years old!

[Nevrknow]

7 hours ago, Capn_Jackson said:

After my grandpa’s death, I got this 1920’s lighter from his things.
 

My Dad just recently told me the whole story behind it. Before WWII, my grandpa, Herman, got a job with Ma Bell (AT&T). During the war, he served the Communications branch of the US Army, and after the war he went back to work for Ma Bell. His old boss wanted to see him and thank him for his service, so called him to his office. After welcoming Herman back, the boss noticed he was looking at this old lighter. He said it was a gift from the company, his prized lighter. He offered Herman a cigar and even though my grandpa didn’t normally smoke, he accepted. They talked and smoked together, and then he told my grandpa to take the lighter as a “welcome back” gift. My grandpa didn’t normally smoke, like I said, but didn’t want to turn down such a thoughtful gift. Ever since then, it hadn’t been used. Just a decoration. I recently opened it up and replaced all the cotton filler and wick. Flint is still original. Works like a dream, at roughly 100 years old!

Best lighter ever. Old and a personal family story behind it. Awesome!

I'm a softy.

[KavalanWhisky]

On 11/8/2021 at 9:38 AM, Luca said:

Got one of my Dream Table lighters this year. Its a c1980s ST Dupont. Serviced and works great. I love it. I use it almost daily.

Next dream lighter on the list is a Dunhill Unique Table Lighter. Id love to own one someday.

I saw this on Foulkes & Son cigar YouTube and really wanted it!! Just hilarious the misproportionate size of it. 

[Luca]

On 10/11/2022 at 8:44 PM, KavalanWhisky said:

I saw this on Foulkes & Son cigar YouTube and really wanted it!! Just hilarious the misproportionate size of it. 

It's huge! They do come up here and there. If you'd like to know more PM me.

[Ncafritz]

I have some pretty cool ones that were my grandfather’s. 
They’re all pretty flashy, but I do love them. 
The Cartier is my favorite. 

[BrightonCorgi]

On 9/24/2022 at 8:17 AM, Luca said:

Dunhill Rollalite Watch lighter

It's a petrol lighter with a Swiss watch movement located on the top. Not the best for lighting cigars but I thought I'd share this. It's beautiful and very very rare.

Attached is an image of a similar watch movement which would of been used in Dunhills like this.

They had a silver one like this at Bergdorf a while back.  Very cool!

[99call]

cant usually stand owning anything gold coloured, but this works nicely somehow. 

 

[TroutBum]

More of a bic guy at this stage in life but would love a Ligne 2

[El Presidente]

 

Alfred Dunhill - Aquarium Table Lighter, London 

 

 

 

 

https://antique-collecting.co.uk/2019/08/13/guide-to-dunhill-aquarium-lighters/

Dunhill aquarium lighters from the 1950s are iconic and in demand with collectors, writes Nicholas Wells. It seems the less we smoke the more collectors crave these bright sparks

Smoking fashion

Both sides of an aquarium lighter for sale at Woolley and Wallis’ design sale on October 16

With the pariah status of smokers today, it’s difficult to conjure up an era when the habit was not only de riguer, but the height of fashion. A time when when smoking was so chic, it came with a number of stylish accoutrements. Our diminishing love affair with nicotine has sparked a passion for smoking paraphernalia.

None less so than in the field of lighters – with one brand and one style standing out. Many years ago Piers Woodnutt, my great friend and colleague at the London dealer Mallett, introduced me to a field of collecting I knew very little about.

Dunhill Aquarium Lighters

Since seeing and handling the first Dunhill aquarium lighters, I have been spellbound by them ever since. They are incredibly realistic pieces of art with beautiful depth and complexity that to this day offer a timeless addition to any antique collection.

They cross the divide of a functional luxury object, combined with a quirkiness and uniqueness that makes every one of them special. Combine this with a limited supply and, voila, you have a strong collecting field fuelled by enthusiastic collectors and dealers aspiring to have the best collections.

Smoking Boom

The lighters and boxes were made from lucite, which was developed in WWII as an alternative to glass, because of its shatterproof qualities, it was invaluable for everything from airplane windshields to submarine periscopes.

Following the conflict, the remaining lucite stock found its way into artists’ studios, designers’ workshops and jewellery makers’ shops.

A Dunhill aquarium lighter, perspex and gold plated, height 8cm, length 10cm. Estimated at £1,200-£1,800, it sold for £3,240 in 2008, image courtesy of Bonhams

The panels were hand carved with reverse intaglios using dental tools and drills. As the range grew, scenes became populated with ever more ambitious designs of varying depth and complexity. The panels were then painted and applied to the lighters’ bodies in four distinct sections.

The design was available in three metal finishes: gold-plate, silver-plate and chromium-plate gold. Each came with a curved lift arm stamped ‘Dunhill’ and a registration mark on the back.

The Dunhill aquarium lighters were produced in four sizes, the giant (weighing a mighty 450 grams without fuel and designed to live on a table) the half-giant, the standard and the smaller (and somewhat rarer) service size.

They were fuelled with petrol rather than butane, which came into common usage in the 1960s. The flint was located in front of a sprung screw running parallel to the lift arm, ready to spark across a wick, primed to ignite. The flame was safely despatched by the sprung arm, which provided a satisfying clunk on closing.

Aristocratic customers

Dunhill counted royalty, aristocrats and the European elite among its clients, including the cigar-smoking Sir Winston Churchill who kept a Dunhill aquarium lighter on his desk at Chartwell Manor, as well as a rare large Dunhill cigar box, which was a present from Sir Bernard and Lady Docker.

The Dockers were famous socialites in the post-war period. Sir Bernard was the chairman of BSA group who commissioned Daimler to make a series of cars for his wife, Norah.

By repute, Churchill gave aquarium lighters as gifts, including one to Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan.

Dunhill Aquarium Lighters’ Artists

In the early production period the lucite panels were carved by Ben Shillingford (1904-2000) a Master Engraver responsible for the painstaking reverse intaglio technique.

Shillingford never depicted fresh and salt water fish together, image courtesy of Timothy Oulton

He was joined by the husband and wife team of Margaret and Allan Bennett who met at art school and worked on the lighters at a studio in their south coast home.

While Margaret was responsible for the pencil and watercolour blueprints, it was Allan who carved the panels once the designs had been approved by Dunhill. Like Shillingford, he used dental tools to complete the intricate work, before his wife undertook the back painting of the panels, ensuring every lighter was unique.

It is interesting to note the difference between Shillingford’s work and pieces produced by the Bennetts. Shillingford’s work is generally less vibrant and more simplistic with a different colour background to the side and end panels.

It was Allan Bennett who suggested an all-round background colour would work well. The majority of the Bennetts’ designs depicted tropical fish in a tank, although some of Margaret’s more unusual designs – given the underwater setting – included a budgerigar.

So successful were the lighters, that the Bennetts were soon turning out a dozen a week, as well as undertaking repairs for Dunhill’s clients.

Shillingford’s skills were so outstanding that when he retired the skills necessary to continue manufacturing the aquarium lighter could not be found and production ceased.

London antique dealer Nicholas Wells owns Nicholas Wells Antiques Ltd which specialises in antiques, curiosities and fine art. He began his career 20 years ago at Mallett at Bourdon House which closed in 2007. His collection, which includes a selection of Dunhill lighters, is by appointment only. For more details visit www.nicholaswells.com