Ronson USA 1938 Art Deco Touch Tip Lighter Junior Bar In Steel And Lacquer
Junior barman with touch tip lighter designed by Ronson.
An exceptional and very beautiful desk piece, created in New Jersey United States by The Ronson Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1938. This is an extremely rare barman with an integrated touch tip lighter on top. It was designed with strong geometric patterns and crafted in solid steel. Embellished with black, creme and walnut brown color lacquers, creating a great contrast with the high polished steel. Mounted in a blackened steel base attached to the bar with felt to protect the surfaces.
This rare barman is extremely well made, with solid construction and great attention to all details. This surely is a very decorative piece and emblematic from the American Art deco period. A great conversation piece in gorgeous and in great preserved condition.
The Ronson Bartenders are one of the most coveted and collectable pieces made by Ronson, prized by Art Deco, Americana and of course Lighter collectors around the world. They came in at least three versions; a male Bartender striker with only one cigarette compartment, the male Bartender with Touch Tip lighter and two compartments and a Bartender Touch Tip lighter in a half round bar, called the Junior Bartender by Lighter collectors like this one.
Weight: 3 Pounds 1,360.78 Grams, (872.30 Dwt).
Measurements: 87 mm by 108 mm by 190 mm (3.42 x 4.25 x 7.5 Inches).
Marks: Stamped in the side of the drawer with the maker's mark and signed, "RONSON METAL WORKS INC NEWARK NEW JERSEY DESIGN PAT PENDING, DESIGN PAT NO-100751".
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 touch tip lighters bars.
Note: This was retailed for 19.80 us dollars back in 1938, which is the equivalent of $400.00 in 2023. An outrageous amount of money for the period.
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 box 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: D043023MAEN/.2312
