I've Decided

 

After reading my post from the other day, my wife wanted to know more about the Aquarium Table Top Lighter from Dunhill.  The photo above is it.  The metal top and bottom are made from Paladium.  The price on Smoking Pipes for this handmade art deco table top lighter is $12,100.  That is the asking price and not the MSRP.  

Back in the day when cigarette smoking was mote common, most homes where people smoked had a table top lighter.  This is acrylic with hand-fashioned fish.  It is done in the art deco fashion of the 50's by a jeweler with 40 years of experience.  Even today, it is not too uncommon for certain collectors of pipes and pipe related accessories to collect items made exclusively by Dunhill.  One might say that Dunhill is to smoking what Tiffany's is to style.  

Dunhill has a shop in London that caters mostly to wealthy Londoners.  They have been a part of the smoking experience for 130 years.  The above lighter will more than likely be purchased by a very wealthy collector of fine art as an investment.  Some Dunhill accessories have only increased in value much like anything that is expensive.  

My wife was just curious about a table top lighter, but now she remembers seeing them in homes of smokers.  I'm not sure how practical it is for lighting pipes, but probably this lighter won't ever be used, unless one still smokes cigarettes in one's home.  It is a work of art and while functional, might never be used.  It had just arrived at Smoking Pipes and I thought it just too much for me to write about it.  

But it is a fascinating work of art, which is a collectable item.  Many things that Dunhill has made over the years are collectibles even if they've been used.  I had no intention of going any further other than mentioning it yesterday, but my wife thought it was an aquarium table.  No, it's a lighter that sits on a table.  

One might think it ridiculous, but for a serious collector it isn't.  This lighter is a genuine work of art and will just increase in value.  Some old Zippos are collector's items as one might be a collector of anything that increases in value as the years go by.  I might have a few pipes that have increased in value even though they've been smoked.  But generally speaking, even smoked Dunhill pipes will decrease substantially in value.  Very few pipe smokers will buy a pipe and not smoke it. 

I still debate whether I'd smoke a pipe costing thousands of dollars.  I might not.  But that's like buying an exotic sports car and not driving it.  If I had that much money, I might not care.  It's like buying a cigar for a hundred and not smoking it.  Some cigars can be thousands for a box of 20.  So, it's all relative.  Today it is my Nording Angel pipe with some Tropical Export.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave