Ronson 1936 Art Deco Tourette Geometric Dureum Bronze Table Touch Tip Lighter
A bronze Tourette desk lighter designed by Ronson.
Very rare desk table Touch-Tip lighter, created in Newark New Jersey by Ronson, at The Art Metal Works Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1936. This is a very unusual Turret lighter designed with wonderful geometric patterns similar to a building and crafted in solid Dureum bronze. The streamline design of the lighter, with a rectangular body with horizontal tubular bands, was perceived as very modern in the past days. It is made with great linear design and solid construction with very nice care and attention to all details. This surely is a very decorative piece and a great conversation item in gorgeous and exceptional preserved condition.
The Ronson Touch-Tip Turret Table Lighter was manufactured for less than 4 years, between the 1936 and 1941. This is one of the most scarce version of the famous Touch Tip Lighter. It came in various finishes, this is the bronze version. A fabulous Art Deco / Machine Age design.
Tourrete advertised in Life Magazine in 1940.
On one of the four vertical panels has a traditional polished monogram shield was present though. The cylindrical wand knob as well the part of the body of the T-T were had a dureum finish. The panels were made in different finishes: black enamel, Georgian Bronze like this and faux tortoise.
Weight: 554.80 Grams, (355.64 Dwt).
Measurements: 57 mm by 57 mm by 88 mm (2.25 x 2.25 x 3.48 Inches).
Marks: Stamped with the maker's mark and signed, "RONSON TOUCH-TIP. NEWARK NEW NJ-USA-ART METAL WORKS INC. US PATS. 1,986, 754-2,118,692 BRITISH PAT 435.667-PAT IN CANADA 1935."
The Ronson lighter company started as The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht, Louis Vincent Aronson and Leopold Herzig, in Newark, New Jersey. Louis V. Aronson was a huge creative driving force for the company; and, with a few business adjustments, including the addition of Alexander Harris (1910–11) as Business Manager, the company soon became World Famous. In the 1910s The Art Metal Works were producing very good quality Hood Ornaments and gained a reputation as a dependable supplier of same. All accounts state that Louis Aronson was a gifted man, who at 16 years old set up a money-making shop in his parent's home - before receiving a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal-plating process he developed when he was 24 years old, and he sold half the rights while retaining the Right to Use. "His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing tinplate. Much money was expended upon improving the process... and has been of great practical value to the whole industry. Retaining its rights, he sold half the patent rights, and later used part of the proceeds to open the Art Metal Works in Newark, N.J. Soon the company was producing a variety of high-quality Lamps, Book ends, Art Statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace.
Literature: Urban K. Cummings, Ronson, the World's Greatest Lighter : Wick Lighters 1913-1966 Bird Dog Books, California. 1992. For similar lighters.
Note: This Touch-Tip lighter was originally retailed for $ 7.50 back in their days between the 1936 and 1940.
Note: This piece is empty of any flammable, gas or butane substances and is ready to be ship by any carrier,
Condition: The overall condition of this lighter is excellent. Beside the little normal wear, there is no damage to any part. This piece has been carefully inspected to guarantee the condition and authenticity.
INVENTORY REF: D040823TANP/.2213
