Bucket List Lighter and Wheats!!!

Digger-Dave · Feb 28, 2016

I made it out for a few hours yesterday. I hit the edges this older reservoir in a neighboring town.

It’s funny what you can find in these places. This place has been a reservoir for like 100 years or more.
Although it was always a no trespassing kind of place until about a few years ago, you’ll often find evidence of where people were fishing, hunting and swimming from decades ago.

I dug these 6 wheat backs near an obvious swimming hole. It’s like they were dropped in acid forever!
I was able to get years of 1941 to 1956 off them.

The cigarette lighter is a 1940’s-1950’s Ronson Whirlwind. The lead based paint held up pretty good! Been looking to dig an old Zippo too.

I also got a couple clad quarters and some pennies that added to 53 cents!

DIGGER27 · Feb 28, 2016

Way kool!
I love digging up lighters of any kind, I found a "standard" model once and it is still one of my all time favorite finds.
Did a lot of research on Ronson at the time, they were the first to make an automatic lighter called the Banjo in 1928, then came the standard and all the rest.
They were one of the first to use Auer metal...now we call them flints.

Yours is a bigger model, some had a wind guard and was high quality for the time and probably sold for between $80 and over $100 range in today's money.

Facts...

http://www.finden.as/

The Standard

The Standard was the working horse of the Ronson lighters, and was produced from 1928 through 1953, in at least 76 designs. Shown here, are three Standards with the New Standard fitment, but it was also made with all the fitments shown in the Princess picture below. Together with the Whirlwind, they were the only lighters produced during WW II, when a lot of factories were put into war production. During the war, both the Standard and the Whirlwind were painted black to prevent corrosion, as a lot of them were shipped out to American soldiers all over the world. Earlier models are shown in the Standard De-Light picture. Hight 2" or 51 mm

The Whirlwind

The Whirlwind is a big lighter. It`s taller wider and thicker than the Standard, and came in 1941. These lighters have wind shields which can be pulled up from the body of the lighters for outdoor use. The one to the left is a Whirlwind Imperial, which was introduced in 1956. The Imperial has an Essex fitment, which came with the Essex lighter in 1954. It also has a swivel base, which means that the bottom plate is pulled out a couple of millimeters and turned to add fuel. The one to the right, is an early model, which can be identified by having "RONSON WHIRLWIND" and the patent numbers engraved on the wind shield. The lighter has never been used, and the discoloration on the shield is oil, which I believe is the protective oil which the lighters was delivered with from the factory. Maybe it hasn't been discovered with the shield down, while cleaned. The middle one and the Imperial have tortoise enameling, which was popular on a lot of Ronsons lighters. Seen here with shields both up and down. Hight 2-1/8" or 54 mm.

NectarDetector · Feb 28, 2016

Looks like fun diggin Digger D!

Ricki7 · Feb 28, 2016

Hey nice digs , congrats
HH

Mud-puppy · Feb 28, 2016

Very cool! I love to see old found lighters! Its about all a guy needs to get along on this Planet...a lighter primary and a knife secondary, and the World is your oyster! :laughing:

Sweet!
Mud

Digger-Dave · Feb 28, 2016

Thanks for the recognition guys!

This was a fun hunt. I plan to work some different areas of this place hoping to find more swimming holes and maybe some Mercs and Barbers! :kingdances:

DIGGER27 said:
Way kool!
I love digging up lighters of any kind, I found a "standard" model once and it is still one of my all time favorite finds.
Did a lot of research on Ronson at the time, they were the first to make an automatic lighter called the Banjo in 1928, then came the standard and all the rest............

Holy schatt! :shock:

Digger is going to be new resident authority when it comes to cigarette lighters. I give away a lot of my finds to different collectors who value these kind of items. PM me if you'd like me to send it out to you.

My The Three Merry Widows tin from 2015 will stay with me though.

It was a right of passage to being a real detectorist. It took until the fourth season too! :yes:

Ron 71 · Feb 28, 2016

sounds like a fun hunt Dave, Congrats on the wheaties and the lighter!
I found a similar one a couple months ago but not in nearly as good
condition. I agree finding a zippo would be nice, a few decades ago it seems everyone had one, you would think it would be more common to find them.

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wwdetecting · Feb 28, 2016

Nice!

DIGGER27 · Feb 28, 2016

Digger-Dave said:
Thanks for the recognition guys!

This was a fun hunt. I plan to work some different areas of this place hoping to find more swimming holes and maybe some Mercs and Barbers!

Holy schatt!

Digger is going to be new resident authority when it comes to cigarette lighters. I give away a lot of my finds to different collectors who value these kind of items. PM me if you'd like me to send it out to you.

My The Three Merry Widows tin from 2015 will stay with me though.
It was a right of passage to being a real detectorist. It took until the fourth season too!

LOL!
Thanks so much for the offer, you are a gentleman and a scholar...and very generous!
I already got me a Ronson in my collection so I am set but very appreciative of the nice thought.

Wom 27 · Jul 29, 2020

Because of my recent find, I’ve been doing a search. Nice find. Did you ever clean it up ?

cellrdwellr · Jul 29, 2020

Nice finds Dave! I realize this is an old thread, but hope all is well! Good luck and happy hunting!

Bucket List Lighter and Wheats!!!

Digger-Dave

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