I definitely woke up with a headache today wondering what I was doing in the living room chair (barely remember sitting there after taking an aspirin 5 hours earlier and I must have dozed off pretty fast)....
I guess someone thought Ronson's rather unusual first automatic lighter design resembled a banjo somewhat (based on the pocket version, not the table version, which inherited the same lighter mechanism originally and thus the name, sometimes even when they changed to "de-light" that particular table lighter seems to be called the Banjo table lighter when it's listed for sale).
This looks like a Banjo? Original "Banjo" lighter (patent 1926 and partial patent 1917 and usually listed as first made in 1927) was called an automatic pocket lighter and nicknamed The Banjo. (This is a more recent recreation of the original model, identical except for using 2 screws to hold the snuffer together instead of just one as newer Ronsons all used to more easily take it apart and put back together tight).
My Handbook of Cigarette Lighters calls it a "Ronson Table Lighter" WITH a Banjo or De-Light mechanism, implying it had no other real name as it was their first table lighter and probably thus retro-called the Banjo to differentiate it the following year in 1928 when the Tabourette table lighter came out. The book I have has it reversed, showing the Tabourette as 1927 and the Table Lighter as 1928, but I think they have it backwards (based on historical online information). The first version of the Tabourette had a similar leather front option and the 2nd version was all chrome with the
De-light mechanism still and the 3rd version switched to the "
Standard Fitment" (Ronson's 3rd pocket lighter mechanism and the one used until the Adonis in the mid 1930s, which was really only different on the button side, held by either originally a spring loaded onto the base inside (like my "Dark Passage" sterling silver version) and later with a rivet in the back that goes through the spring inside).
The Ronson Tabourette Table Lighter 2nd version (1928?)
Hmmmm, another site says the same thing (1927 for Tabourette and 1928 for the "Table Lighter" while this site clearly shows the "Table Lighter" having received its patent in 1927 and the Banjo pocket lighter in 1926). It shows both table lighters having been produced as early as 1927 so I'm not sure why they'd use the Banjo mechanism in one and the De-Light in the other to start. Later, the "Table Lighter" had the De-Light mechanism option and the Tabourette got the "Standared" mechanism as an option that came after De-Light, but that was probably in the 1930s and the "Table Lighter" may have been stopped being made by then while the Tabourette continued?
www.lighterlibrary.com
An ad shown there lists the chrome version I have as $17.50 in 1928, which would have been well over $300 in today's money. I bought it for $150 (they original asked $220), so I guess it didn't exactly go up in value. It's rated at $100-200 in excellent condition as of 2015 so a bit more after inflation the past few years.
Frankly, looking at the advertisements listed as 1929 and 1930s it seems the original cost was higher (the table set was available in the 30s for $13.50 with the tabourette lighter (leather), but the lighter by itself was $14 in leather ($17.50 in chrome like mine)? That makes no sense so I have to wonder how accurately labeled the advertisements are, unless a sale was involved, etc.
In fact, this site says that same "1929" ad was actually from 1931 and the very first Tabourettes were made in 1928, not 1927, which is when it says the Banjo Table Lighter was first made. The Tabourette lighters were made up until 1932, according to the blog below. I'm guessing the Banjo table lighter runs ended before that and switched to the De-Light mechanism in 1928 so the Banjo mech one I have really is probably 1927.
Tabourette
A blog about vintage wick and gas table/desk lighters.
table-lighters.blogspot.com
Banjo
A blog about vintage wick and gas table/desk lighters.
table-lighters.blogspot.com
It seems the Banjo table lighter is worth $175-275. I paid around $175 each while I watched the Maltese Falcon Touch-Tip sell for $910 in not-so-great condition at auction that is supposedly only worth $350-550 in EXCELLENT condition (but in reality goes for $800+ because of the movie and rarity in near-mint condition), but someone paid way too much for that one. I guess they really wanted a Christmas present for someone special?
I imagine finding most of these lighters pre-Internet would have bee a real chore.... (estate sales, garage sales, regular auction houses, curio shops, etc.) I've got several very rare to extremely rare rated lighters and two that belonged to famous people, making them unique and all through eBay and to a lesser extent Etsy. Of course, I'm insane to collect these things. I start adding them up and I cannot come to any other conclusion. Hopefully, I could get my money back at least if I had to sell them.
