The Patina Archive & Exchange

Why lighters collect well

A lighter is a small machine with a maker's mark, a date trail and a sound. Condition and originality drive value more than age alone.

Dunhill

Alfred Dunhill's lighters run from the 1920s "Unique" pocket models to the Rollagas, the gas lighter introduced in the late 1950s with a thumb-roll wheel. Marks are stamped on the base: maker, "Made in England" (or Switzerland for the Swiss-assembled Rollagas), patent numbers and a serial. Check for:

• Plating worn to brass on edges (normal wear, not damage).
• Clean, even strike with a fresh flint; a weak wheel is a cheap repair.
• Matching serial and a gas valve that holds fuel overnight.

Some Dunhill models carry date-letter style codes. Dating by patent number alone is unreliable, so confirm against a catalogue before quoting a year.

S.T. Dupont

Ligne 1 (introduced in the early 1970s) and the smaller Ligne 2 are the core of the market. The famous test is the ping: a clear, ringing note when the lid is flicked open. A dull click can mean a damaged or replaced hood. Look at:

• Lacquer (Chinese laque) for cracks and polishing haze; gold plate for rub-through.
• The base: brand, "Made in France", serial and a numbered series. The serial must be crisp and not re-engraved.
• The flint and gas system, since seals dry out over decades.

Zippo

Founded in 1932; the first model followed in 1933 and a patent dated 1936 appears under many early bases. Early features to look for: square corners on the first examples, a different hinge construction, wartime steel cases with a black crackle finish (1941-45). From the mid-1950s a dot code on the base can indicate the year; later codes use slashes and then letters. Treat any one marker as a clue, not proof, and cross-check two or three.

Red flags

• Reproduction lids on genuine bases.
• Engraving that cuts through plating without wear around it.
• A price that ignores condition: a boxed, unfired lighter earns a premium; a "fired" one does not.