Dear Reni,
I have a pair of sterling silver and glass Frank M. Whiting, Patent Pending, cigarette lighters in excellent condition. Both still work. Do you have any idea how much these would fetch and how old they could possibly be? I have seen very few of these.
Thank you,
JMB
As smoking becomes more and more taboo, related items are just starting to become collectible. Early 20th century nostalgia and the recent cigar craze are helping to fuel this category.
Your table lighters might have been part of a coffee table set. Individual and master ashtrays, cigarette boxes, holders and match box covers would be arranged for guests attending cocktail and bridge parties.
The Frank M. Whiting Co. existed on it's own between 1896 and 1940. This company was one of many manufacturers based in the North Attleboro area of Massachusetts.
The retail values of these lighters would probably run around $50.00 a piece.
Reference: Rainwater & Redfield Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers, Schiffer, 1998 [Order this book from Amazon.com]
Thanks for the question.
Reni
Dear Reni,
My wife recently bought me a Victorian watch fob. It's lovely however, I really don't know the proper way to wear it. There is a clip on top that would seem to clip on a vest button hole, and a quite short chain that I'd assume the watch would be attached to.
Would another chain be fastened to the short chain on the fob? Or would the watch just go there? Perhaps vest pockets were designed differently then?
DG
There are several traditional ways to wear a pocket watch, chain and fob. Without having a picture or knowing the length of your chain, it's hard to visualize it's purpose.
If you were to wear your watch in a vest pocket, the chain would swag to the button hole and a bar on the end would slip through the hole (like a cufflink) to hold it in place. A longer chain would swag again from the vests' button hole, to the other pocket. A fob (or charm) would be attached on the end, and placed in the pocket for weight and balance.
Short flat "fob chains" might be worn in lapel pockets with the fob draped out.
An extra pocket placed in trousers is a uniquely American way to carry a watch.
If you place a large spring ring on the opposite side of the chain, you can hook it to the belt loop.
The Dover Publishing Company Inc. reproduces catalogs from the Victorian period that include gentlemen's fashions. American Jewelry Manufacturers, by Dorothy T. Rainwater, Schiffer Publishing 1988, is a good reference book showing catalog pages from many different manufactured watch chains. [Order this book from Amazon.com]
Enjoy wearing your chain and fob!
Reni