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View Full Version : A nice Ronson lighter circa 1940's....



DIGGER27
01-05-2014, 10:55 AM
Happy New Year, everyone!

Yesterday I went up into the woods again looking for more silver coins, the only place that isn't frozen over, but I only found a couple of 60's nickels and a whole bunch of aluminum foil from campers going back into the 20's.
I also did get a nice high tone kinda dime signal and I hoped it was going to be a silver dime but this Ronson lighter came up out of the ground instead.
I did a ton of research on vintage lighter and collector sites trying to nail down a manufacture date on this thing and that is one of the best and most interesting parts of this hobby as far as I am concerned.
You want to know about the Ronson Art Metal Company just ask me because I learned a lot.

This company invented the very first first "automatic" type lighter called the "Banjo" because of its shape and patented it and started manufacturing it in 1928 and held that patent till 1953.
The same year they evidently refined the shape and also started selling this style and the first model they sold was called the "D-Light".
"Press, it's lit...Release, it's out" was one of their tag lines.
The first factory to make Auermetal which we now call flints was opened in 1907 and eventually it led to this.

This one is called the Standard model and was made in 78 different styles from 1928 till 1953.
I determined that this particular model was probably made and sold between 1939 and 1948.

One of their lower priced models, although several people did have names or initials etched into that little diamond box shape that you can still make out near the top for a more personal look.

Here is a 1946 ad with the exact same lighter.

Not a silver or other older coin but way cool and interesting and better than digging trash.

Longhair
01-05-2014, 11:20 AM
WOW! I had one of those years ago that my Dad gave me!
Congratulations on the find!
Thanks for posting your research results.

Digger Don
01-05-2014, 11:27 AM
Very nice Find. Does it still work?

DIGGER27
01-05-2014, 11:46 AM
No.
I could unscrew the flint holder but the metal end that pushes up the flint to the wheel is rusted and won't come out and the mechanism is rusted or stuck and won't press down anymore.
That's fine...into the display case it goes and another great memory and a first in the books.
Actually this might be the second Ronson I found because I found a different style of lighter last year that might be from the same company but I have to go dig it out and check.

Skamaniac
01-05-2014, 03:43 PM
I remember my old neighbor back in the 60's when I was a kid used one of those. Haven't seen one since. Very cool!

DIGGER27
01-05-2014, 05:02 PM
Doing some figuring, even if this was a $5.50 lighter in 1946 dollars that would be about $65-$70 today.
These were known for their quality and long life.
Unless you bury it in the dirt for 60 years I could see how these things could last.

coinnut
01-05-2014, 06:04 PM
Cool item to find. I never knew there was anyone else besides Zippo :lol: It's not a silver dime, but it is just as good or better. Congrats on finding it and for even being able to hunt this time of year. Makes me want to go out and pick axe the snow :shocked01:

Longhair
01-05-2014, 06:27 PM
I really liked mine while I had it. Unlike a Zippo, you couldn't over-fill it and have it leak in your pocket leaving you with a burning strawberry on your leg.

Timewarpdigger
01-05-2014, 06:43 PM
Nice find, I remember them when I was a kid. My grandfather had a couple of them. Congrats safe & HH

giant056
01-06-2014, 10:20 AM
Great looking old Ronson lighter :thumbsup01: I've found a few of the Ronsons but never could get any of them working.