Vintage table lighters: The oh-so-trendy smoking accessory of the ’50s & ’60s

Vintage table lighters

Note: This article may feature affiliate links, and purchases made may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Find out more here.

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn
Pocket
Reddit

Masterpieces and “musts” in the home of every gracious hostess (1952)

Today, table lighters play an important part in the art of entertaining. The gracious, easy way to get a light if you smoke … to give a light, even if you don’t smoke.

And 77% of all hostesses interviewed in a nationwide, independent survey, said: “The table lighter I want is a Ronson.” Ronson lighters are masterpieces of design, and last like family heirlooms.

Many a Table Ronson bought 25 years ago is still in use! A single fueling serves for months. Just press . . . it’s lit, release . . . it’s out! So get and give Ronsons! Vintage table lighters from 1952


They’ll say “Just what I wanted” – and mean it! (1952)

Vintage Ronson table lighters from 1952

ALSO SEE: Thanksgiving & peaceful feelings smoking Camel cigarettes for good digestion (1920s & 1930s)


Varaflame vintage Ronson butane table lighter from 1958

Ronson butane table lighter from 1958


Decorative vintage table lighters that could last (1966)

If you buy a Ronson butane table lighter this Christmas, you won’t have to refill it ’til New Year’s Eve. 1970.

Of course, the date is approximate. It may be Thanksgiving, ’69. Or if you’re a heavy smoker, two Labor Days from now.

But that’s still a far cry from the table lighters you’re used to. The ones that run dry before you can light your way through a carton of cigarettes. And then just sit there, about as useful as a pair of bronzed baby shoes.

We’ve prevented that. We’ve designed an ingenious system of patented valves: an inlet valve and a burner valve. Together they make all Ronson butane table lighters leak-free and evaporation proof.

Which is why you’ll get up to three years of lights on a single fueling. What’s more, this same system allows you to adjust the flame on your Ronson Varaflame table lighter to any size you want. For cigarette, cigars or pipes. Just by turning a tiny wheel.

ronson-butane-table-lighters-dec-1966

And when your Ronson finally does need refueling. you can do it in about ten unmessy seconds, one of our Multi-Fillo injectors, You can buy one anywhere.

Now, having perfected the mechanical part of our lighters, we were free to devote ourselves to pure aesthetics. As you can see, we’ve gone to considerable lengths. All the way to Brazil, in fact, to select choice rosewood for the model we call Skoal. To the great porcelain works of Europe for our china lighters.

The floral one you see here is fine Rosenthal china. And for those of you who think a table lighter’s greatest virtue is not to look like a table lighter at all, there’s the intriguing Tulip at the left. And the antique Wright at the far left.

But we know very well that no matter how beautiful a table lighter is, if it doesn’t light, it’s just another dust collector.

That’s why the important news is still our original statement: if you buy a Ronson table lighter this Christmas, you won’t have to refill it ’til New Year’s, 1970. In fact, on New Year’s Eve, 1968, you might raise your glass in memory of in matchbooks.

Just for Auld Lang Syne. Ronson. The people who keep improving flame.

MORE: 50+ sexist vintage ads so bad, you almost won’t believe they were real


The table lighters for people who hate table lighters (1967)

Vintage table lighters - Ronson 1967

PS: If you liked this article, please share it! You can also get our free newsletter, follow us on Facebook & Pinterest. Thanks for visiting and for supporting a small business! 🤩 

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

You might also like...

The fun never ends:

Comments on this story

Leave a comment here!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.