Not all lighters are created equal, as can be seen by the lighters below. Although smoking is not as desirable as it once was, lighters can still be highly collectible and they can still be practical in household use. Lighters were extremely popular in the Art Deco era and came in many forms, including novelty characters and animals. They ranged from the standard small lighter to exquisite designs made from gold and gemstones.
Below are some examples and price guides of Art Deco lighters including a novelty elephant lighter and a black enamel and diamond lighter.
A fine silver and enamel Art Deco lighter with inset watch, Cartier, circa 1930 nickel lever movement signed European Watch and Clock Co, 15 jewels, bi-metallic compensation balance, adjusted to 3 positions, stamped cuvette, silvered dial, roman numerals, blued steel moon hands, polished silver bezel set within the center of a flip top lighter, case with linear engraved and black enamel decoration, case, dial and movement signed, together with red leather presentation case height 50mm.
Sold for 11,400 GBP at Sotheby’s in 2006
Made by Ronson, chromium plated table lighter with white plastic body. Rounded front sloping away in a flat form at back with milled bands for grip. A pencil-like piece pulls out of the top and the tip ignites the cigarette. On the base which is covered with felt is an adhesive label with working instructions.
The streamlined shape of this Ronson cigarette lighter was a feature of the American Art Deco style. This piece was made about 1938 when American designers applied streamlining not just to means of transportation such as trains and motorcars but also to architecture and a wide range of consumer goods. Streamlining allowed designers to create a modern decorative style.
Reference: © Victoria and Albert Museum
AN ART DECO NOVELTY ELECTOPLATED TABLE LIGHTER 1930s formed as an elephant with bone tusks standing on a stepped plinth, , height 12.5cm.
Sold for £255 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2020
AN ART DECO LACQUER, MOTHER-OF-PEARL, CORAL AND SILVER SMOKER’S COMPENDIUM, BY CARTIER The silver case, set at the front with a laque burgauté panel decorated with a garden scene of a Chinese scholar and his attendant, set in dyed mother-of-pearl on black lacquer ground, the polished coral handles, opening to reveal a drawer and compartment, completed at the top with a silver lighter, circa 1925, 3 1/8 x 4 x 1 3/4 ins., with French assay marks for silver Signed Cartier, France, no. S292, and with jeweler’s mark for Robert Linzeler
Sold for USD 12,500 at Christie’s in 2017
Art Deco Black Enamel and Diamond Cigarette Lighter, Cartier, Paris Platinum, metal, the square-shaped black enamel lighter accented by a diamond-set platinum cover to reveal the lighter mechanism, pave-set with 80 old European and single-cut diamonds approximately 2.75 cts., signed Cartier, Paris, Made in France, no. 0215.0, partially obscured, circa 1920. 1 5/16 x 1 5/16 x 7/16 inches.
Sold for $34,375 (includes buyer’s premium) at Doyle in 2013
RONSON ART DECO BARTENDER CIGARETTE HOLDER LIGHTER
American, ca. 1930s. Bartender standing behind a bar counter with drawer for cigarettes and touch lighter. 6.75″t.,5.5″w., 2.75″d.
Sold for $4,550 at Garth’s Auction Inc. in 2020
