On The LIGHTER Side

On The LIGHTER Side
January 15, 2013
And Now A Letter From Your Editor
Richard Weinstein
A new year and new
changes come to OTLS. As
you are all aware, Judith has
stepped down from the day to
day operations of OTLS. She
certainly has earned the right. Her hard work has given us a great club and allowed many of us to become
close friends. Judith has transferred the torch to our
long time member and board member, Guy Nishida,
who will take over the reins of OTLS Chairman of
the Board. With Guy at the helm, John Cornelius,
Rob Giaretta and I will help guide the club forward.
There are many issues to confront such as shrinking
membership, lack of membership participation and a
website which has been long overdue for a complete
makeover. It is essential to this club to try to attract
new members. There are many things we can do, but
of the utmost importance at this time is to provide a
website that will make collectors want to look and
hopefully become members. Thousands of lighters
are sold each day on eBay with just a tiny percentage
interested in being members. Our goal is to create a
website which is interactive where members can easily contact other members and discuss their interests.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary,
the definition of a club is “an association of persons
for some common object usually jointly supported
and meeting periodically”.
As noted, a club is supposed to be jointly supported and this does not mean just paying dues. The
board cannot and is not purposely appointed to be the
only means of providing the information contained in
these newsletters. If we want this club to survive, it
is essential that all members participate in providing
their fellow members with informative articles about
their interests and what makes them collect. Inside
(Continued on Page 2)
Vol. XXX, No. 1
A Note from our President
I am both pleased and honored to be named your
President for 2013. Last year, as Vice-President, I
encouraged everyone to recruit new members. This
year I am repeating that mantra. We must keep our
passion burning by bringing new members into the
OTLS family. The club has a lot to offer people and
they just need to be made aware of those offerings.
Most people I speak with are unaware that the lighter
club exists. Perhaps we can change that this year.
I am looking forward to bringing someone new to
OTLS and I hope you will make a effort to set someone “ablaze” too. Thank you and I hope you are successful on the hunt for your lighters.
Scott Beehler
A Note From Our New Vice-President
Hello ........ from your new VP
Hello and welcome to a new year of collecting
our favorite lighters. Like a number of you I have
collected many things thru the years, To name a few
I fell for pewter wizards, Royal Doulton Character
Mugs, Benie Babies (got burned on these), toy miniature guns, Kiddie Car Classics (got burned again),
Marilyn Merlot wine, model airplanes, aviation pins
and wrist watches (love them Accutron Spaceviews). Me personally, I am a retired aerospace manager. Most of my career was spent in engineering
and maintenance on both the operations and business sides. I dealt mainly with the airlines and their
airplanes. So, having said that, you can see my attraction to lighters. My personal collection covers
lighters that are different and perhaps a little unique.
Therefore you will find quite a few MIOJ lighters
in my collection. Some of the older lighters are en(Continued on Page 2)
A Letter from Your Editor
A Note From Your Vice President
continued from page 1
continued from page 1
this edition, our new Vice-President, Art Brooks, discusses why he collects what he does and why lighters. Our President, Scott Beehler, has provided and
will continue to provide great articles about lighters
we rarely get to see but are documented in his fine
library of lighter advertisements and patents.
Now is the time to really belong to this club.
We need your support. We need a reason to keep this
club going.
The board and I wish to thank all those who sent
extra money with their dues to support the club and
want to remind all who have forgotten to submit their
dues. As of this date, the next convention will be
in Charlotte, North Carolina. Further information
will be available in the March Edition and should information be available earlier, we will provide this
information to all those who have provided us with
their email address.
gineering master pieces and some were incredibly
thought out. If you have ever taken apart the Japan
slot machine or the radio light upright radio you will
agree with my observations. Some lighters are quite
intricate and others are very simplistic.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I
can during the coming years. I also look forward
to working with Scott and do all we can to continue
this GREAT club. As both Judith and Rich stated in
the last Newsletter, it is our club and it is up to us to
make it want we want. We currently have some wonderful members and will continue to work towards
keeping our club strong and increase our membership. It is up to all of us to chip in and help as much
as we can. And since my retirement I seem to have
added a new collection to my addiction, Fat Cells!!!!
Happy Collecting,
Art Brooks
Evans with a Difference?
By John Cornelius
I am hoping that someone can enlighten me about this Evans Spitfire lighter. When purchased at a swap meet, I
simply saw a nice early model enameled advertiser.
It was several days later while cleaning it up that I noticed a feature that was different about it. The plunger has
ribbing detail. So far I have been unable to find another in my collection, or books, or online with this feature.
An oddity at least and maybe someone here knows more. Please share.
-2-
The Loss of a Great Zippo Collector
by Ira Pilossof
Last week the lighter community lost one of our nicest and most important members, Hiroshi Kito of Japan.
Hiroshi battled illness for many years and a few weeks ago took a turn for the worse..
Hiroshi was a super passionate Zippo collector who loved Zippos and loved meeting fellow collectors. I first
met Hiroshi in the 1990’s and was lucky enough to meet him in person in 1998, and 2000 and again in 2002 in
Bradford. He was without question the most knowledgeable Zippo authority in the world. He was a wealth of
Zippo knowledge who knew all the many nuances, and tiniest differences in models throughout the years. He was
also a talented artist and so in the pre-Internet days Hiroshi would draw pictures of lighters and fuel cans he was
looking for on paper and send them to me and others by fax..
Hiroshi had a great personality, and smiled and joked around often. He came to the USA with his good friend
Tatsuya Watabe and the three of us had dinner a couple of times while attending the Zippo Swap Meet. He was so
happy to visit America and thrilled to be able to attend the Zippo Swap Meet.
Hiroshi leaves behind a wife who Tatsuya is caring for, and we pray he may rest in peace.
Tatsuya Watabe (left) and Hiroshi Kito (right) with
his zippo goods press magazine , an amazing look at
his collection.
-3-
Old Founders Never Die; They Begin To Enjoy Themselves.
The Tonight Show had Johnny Carson for
30 years and OTLS has had the privilege of being
“hosted” by Judith Sanders for 30 years. The words,
legacy, dynasty, legendary, and pioneer come to
mind. What is most remarkable is that Judith had
no blueprint to follow on starting and running a club
and sexist or not, what female was founding clubs or
collecting lighters in those early years?
When I joined the club in 1989, her co-founder
John Cuevas was already inactive so in the main, Judith has held the reins.
A great deal of the success of the club is due
to the social and human interactive elements which
flowed from Judith’s vision. So, as we stroll down
memory lane, I do want to mention some of those
early members and pioneers of the hobby who were
a major factor in the club’s success and attraction.
They were also dear friends who are sorely missed.
I’m certain Judith will nod in agreement as we mention just a few. To me, this is one of the signature and
enduring characteristics of this club - - we are not
solely about acquiring the next lighter; it is equally important that we nurture friendships made and
those to be made. I believe our on-line link to members who have passed on is a testament to the value
we place on all members.
Ad Van Weert, author of Legend Of The Lighter
and founder of the Lighter Museum of Holland, a
true lighter archeologist; Boris Rubin, a purist and
perfectionist collector as well as the pre-eminent
lighter restoration master and expert in early firemaking devices as well as holder of a lighter patent;
Wally Laird, an early Zippo aficionado who along
with his wife Beverly was one of the earliest club
members; Peter Cavanagh, one of the first overseas
members, he loved all lighters with a special place in
his heart for Zippos; Catherine and Manny Stolman,
the lovely couple who opened their home and collection to like-minded collectors. The list is endless but
these names come to mind most readily.
Like any great host, Judith has excelled at welcoming new members, taking pains to make certain
that seasoned members make their acquaintance. By
example she has shown great patience and expended
great effort so that every member feels special and
equal, even when we had over 900 members and every waking hour was devoted to serving the club.
Here is a small glimpse of what has been on
Judith’s plate these many years. Even the so-called
simple duties were not always simple. Not every
member agreed with how the club was run. A few
unsavory members were expelled. On rare occasions
Judith was asked to intervene in a squabble over a
purchase, a sale, or a trade. There were always reactions to the conventions. Some were positive;
some not so positive. There is the voting on awards,
the choice for the convention site, and the production of the club lighter. Members and non-members
requested assistance on selling or valuing a lighter
and any number of related issues. There were media
requests for information on lighters and the hobby.
Most time-consuming has been the necessity to endlessly cajole members into submitting articles and
ads, to seek general assistance for the club and convention, and just to elicit the payment of yearly renewal dues. Rosters have to be updated, the website
content needs attention, club bills need to be paid,
income requires an accounting. These tasks are not
magically completed. This club has seen a number
of lean years. During those times, Judith has been
forced to personally loan the club funds to pay bills
until the membership renewal monies were sent. All
these responsibilities have weighed heavily on Judith
for 30 years. Who among us has that degree of fortitude?
We have witnessed the ebb and flow of lighter
values, the birth of the now-giant Ebay, the spawning
of several other lighter clubs and related enthusiast
clubs. Zippo Click has come and gone. Thru it all,
there has remained one immutable constant - - OTLS
headed by Ms. Judith Sanders.
Like the hobby itself, the club itself has undergone many transformations as well. The newsletter has had facelifts, the conventions have left their
mark in more than a dozen cities throughout the
USA. Las Vegas has been enriched every other year
by our patronage. The newsletter is now on-line and
in color. The club has been cited and mentioned in
any number of magazines and video outlets. A Board
of Directors was installed to assist Judith.
At every one of our 26 annual conventions, Judith has not had the luxury of relaxing and simply
absorbing and enjoying the proceedings as a guest.
She has had scant time to view the tables and exhibits, enjoy pleasant conversation or even add to her
Continued on Page 5)
-4-
Old Founders . . .
problems. It is now her time to simply enjoy the
company of all the members she shepherded into the
club over these many years.
(Continued from Page 4)
collection. These shows have been spent with her
being watchful of every detail necessary to run a successful show, at times being bombarded by not only
members but hotel staff. It is not always fun when
the buck stops at your table all day long.
So as her role as chief executive and bottlewasher is ceded to others, she will continue to be the
face of this club and an Ambassador to the hobby, but
now she can stop and smell the roses. I encourage
you all to demonstrate your appreciation by spending time to communicate with her but not about club
Guy Nishida
I Have Never Seen This Lighter……. Have You?
On March 9, 1928, Mr. William B. Weaver filed
for a patent simply titled Cigarette Lighter. He states
that the invention relates in general to cigar lighters and specifically to an electric cigar lighter which
is also a novelty. The lighter is shaped like an owl.
The eyes are the lighter element coils, and when the
switch is pushed, the eyes light up from the electrical
current and hence you could light your cigar or cigarette. It is mounted on a base that supports the switch
and a little drawer that can be pulled out to flick your
ashes or store other refuse! He also covers all animal
figures by stating it will be understood the animal
may be imaginary or mythical, such as a dragon, in
addition to a real (animals) such as an owl.
By: Art Brooks
The body is made hollow and may be cast from
plaster of Paris or from metal such as bronze or any
other desired metal. The cast is provisioned with
openings for the lighter elements (eyes). The lighter
elements are made up of a “concavo-convex refractory base having a conical side wall to enable it to be
wedged into the eye openings.”
He goes on to state the lighter may serve as an
ornament which produces a unique and pleasing effect when lighting of the eyes which produce and effect not unlike the blinking of the animal’s eyes.
Mr. Weaver was from Birmingham, Alabama
and patent number 1,727,002 was issued to him on
September 3, 1929. He claims the device is rugged in construction and will stand up under use. So
therefore, if any were ever made, they should still be
around! I Have Never Seen This Lighter……. Have
You? Please send any comments or questions to [email protected].
-5-
Otls Boldly Marches Onward
If all our Ebay seller/members religiously did
both these tiny tasks, our “brand” would increase immeasurably as buyers would see our logo repeatedly
and become curious. If they began to see the flyer in
more than one of their received packages, we could
become the Coca Cola of lighter clubs. We have got
to get the word out and hammer it home like every
major retailer. We all know who Nike is but they
continue to advertise. We must do the same.
In like manner, those of you who have a space in
a mall or who sell at antique shows and flea markets,
please, please, please keep a batch of flyers on your
table or in your case. If you can insert the flyer in a
stand-up display, all the better. (After you click on
the printable version, you can simply delete the first
line referencing their Ebay purchase).
As part of our continuing efforts to improve the
newsletter we are seeking a member to be our go-to
person for articles. He will be responsible for poking
you members to contribute articles, photos, ads and
the like for insertion in our newsletter. You can submit them to Ritchie Weinstein as you have in the past
but don’t be surprised if someone else comes knocking as well. We know you all have something to
show. You all have an article buried inside. We are
reviving the Meet the Members section of the newsletter so you might be tagged for this as well. It is
interesting to learn about our members, what they do
and what they collect. Who knows, someone might
read the article and contact you offering something
to add to your collection.
The 2013 convention will be held in Charlotte,
NC. in June. Please make plans to attend. All we can
promise is fun, lighters, golfing, and friendship.
Regrettably, Richard Ball has stepped down
from his position on the Board. Please join us in
thanking him for his many years of service and his
meaningful contributions.
Guy Nishida
With Judith’s surrender of the gavel, we are
embarking into unknown waters. But the Board has
crafted the title of this editorial to confirm that it has
a future and we believe it does shine brightly.
We know that to survive and grow, we must
make positive changes. Preparations are underway.
Enhancements to the website are just around the
corner and we are brainstorming for ideas to entice
prospective members. In all areas we are working
feverishly to add value and content to the club, the
newsletter, and the website. We ask for your input
into how we can do this. Every idea is worth an
email or a phone call to a Board member and will be
considered with thanks.
And now a brief timeout for a commercial. In
order to accomplish the above, we are asking for
your help. As you can read from the accompanying
article, Judith handled many tasks that can be broken
into bite sizes that our members can easily perform.
There is also a list of tasks that Judith noted in the
July 15th, 2012 newsletter. Please volunteer for an
assignment. The Board cannot do this alone. Like
many of you, we all have daily jobs and what time
remains to devote to the club is best spent increasing
our exposure and attractiveness to fellow collectors.
At the risk of being annoying, we cannot stress
enough the need for you Ebay sellers to enclose copies of the club flyer into your mailings. A copy can
be found on our website on the “Ebay Sellers” link.
We have few avenues (especially free ones) to reach
out to the exact target audience. This is the best way
to accomplish this. In addition, OTLS Ebay sellers
have the ability to add a hot link (using the OTLS
logo) to your listings so viewers can click and visit
our site. You can readily save and simply insert the
link on each listing. Rob Giaretta can offer assistance
in this area. He can be reached at [email protected].
-6-
Classified Ads
FOR SALE OR TRADE
For Sale from a former member: (1) 2001
Convention Lighter MIB $35 (postage
pd); (2) 1995 Zippo with Christmas Tree
on entire front - orig $29.95 MIB (silver
metal box) 35 postage paid (both lighters
still have orange stickers on back). Contact Judith Sanders [email protected]
or 903.763.2795
All Convention Lighters from past years
will be going on sale now. Call for pricing. Also there are just a few of the 2012
lighters left - if you haven’t bought one
please do it now. Tom Jones
call (573) 345-4241
Back issues of the OTLS newsletter are
available. Issues from 1984 thru 2000
are $2.00 each plus postage. Articles
from 2001 to the present are $3.00 each.
All proceeds go to the club general fund.
Most are brand new and not copies and
there are some fantastic articles/pictures.
Contact Greg Ryman at
[email protected]
or (909) 593-4413
Wands for most Ronson Touch-Tip &
Table Striker Lighters. Also wands for
Austrian Striker Lighters. New & exact dimensions. Professionally made by
a Machine Shop. Color mathed toyour
lighter to please the most discriminat- ing
collector. Available for $30.00 + $3.00
shipping. Call George Gynes (OTLS
Member) toll free at 1-800-379-3415 or
email [email protected]
ZIPPO SAVINGS ARE ALIVE & WELL
AT THE STUDIO
Exclusively for OTLS Members: save
20% on all in-stock Zippo® catalog, discontinued and new releases. Includes
BLU® Outdoor Line, limited editions,
MPL®, motorsports, accessories, Zippo®
Heritage Series, combination gift sets &
more. Use coupon Code OTLS at http://
StudioShowroom.com/zippo/ or
mention OTLS/Judith Sanders when calling toll-free 888-437-8834.
WANTED: (Unused) - OTLS 1988 Zippo
lighter and/or Barrett-Smythe Alligator
FOR SALE 137 piece Zippo Table LightSnapping Turtle. Michael Maratea mmaer Collector, 134 Zippo Rule Collection.
[email protected] or call (281)203-5051
Please contact Joe Speirs. jspeirssr@
gmail.com or call (580)546-9712
WANTED: Unsuual European Pocket
Lighters, especially from some of the
I can repair Zippo Cam Springs. Also resmaller European countries, such as a
pair Trench Art lighters. Email pyrotjp@
KABA (1933) or a French MOUCHON
velocity.net or write to Tom Prylinski
LE SPHINX. Call or email Judith Sanders
Lighters for Sale: Ted Ballard, call 405- [email protected] or (903)763-2795
282-3025 or email [email protected]
WANTED: Lighters with a mini liquor
OTLS Convention Lighters 1991 – 2011, bottle encased in lucite. These are the
asking $1000 for all. All MIB w/seals. ones I have: Glenlivet, Seagram’s, GalliaOBO; 70th Anniversary Lighter in box w/ no, Gordon Gin, Chivas Regal, Prunelle,
seal $70; Commemorative 1932 LA, NY, Nikka Whiskey, Smirnoff, Johnnie WalkParis, London, Tokyo in box $50; 1997 er. If you have any other than these,
Zippo car & 1998 Zippo Car Limited Col- please contact me for sale or trade. Also
lectors Edition lighter MIB with book & seeking wooden carved figures with
Zippo key Chair $140 (all together); Gold the Imco Triplex lighter inside. Scripto
Plated 1921 copy of Ronson Banjo MIB lighters with dates on the image inside.
$120; Zippo Operation Enduring Free- Thanks Guy Nishida [email protected]
dom, limited edition, MIB 24 K gold inlay or call (310)804-4899
of each of the armed forces, individually
WANTED: MIOJ novelty fan lighter.
numbered $120. John & Audrey Krones
Must be in working order. Contact Greg
email with questions [email protected]
Ryman. Email me gregryman872@msn.
or call (360)305-9811 (west coast time).
com or call (909)593-4413
WANTED:
WANTED: Enameled Ronson and Evans
Looking for the Zippo 4 piece set of TuckAtomizers in excellent to mint condition.
er Cars. Clayton Vecellio (814)368-5294
Place contact Richard Weinstein by email
WANTED: I am always looking for a with photos at [email protected].
couple of Ronson Whirlwind or AdonI want to sell some of my lighter collection
is lighters in mint condition with light
of table lighters and pocket lighters. Please
brown enameled sides, and no engraving
call John Krenzelak at 724-228-3278
on them. The color I like best is a sort of
butterscotch color. I am also seeking one For Sale or Trade: Bryant & May Muor two Orlik Sport lighters in mint con- seum Catalog with the Supplement. Both
dition. Michael Stein jasmineandmike@ in excellent condition. Contact Guy at
aol.com
[email protected] or call (310) 803-4899
FOR SALE OR TRADE
I have a lot of lighters that are either slightly broken, or are lower end lighters which
could be used for parts. If anyone wants a
box of lighters and will pay me postage I
will send you a box. There are also a few
good lighters in this bunch that just aren’t
in the categories I collect now. In particular there are several of the silver (pot metal)
MIOJ Table Lighters – these are in good
shape. Please call or email Judith otls@
suddenlink.net or call (903) 763-2795.
-7-
I would like buy a Viet Nam Zippo – either the “real” ones or the “fake” ones for
a friend. He is not a lighter collector so
doesn’t care if it is real. Judith Sanders
[email protected] or (903)763-2795
Otls Opens A New Facebook Page
by Art Brooks
We have opened a new club page on Facebook. If any of you fellow collectors are on Facebook, you can
type into the Facebook search bar “OTLS Cigarette Lighter Collectors Club”. This will give you a link to click
on and take you to the new page. If you are not a member of Facebook, you can go to Google and type in “OTLS
Facebook” and you will get a link which will take you to the page. As of mid December the site has had around
55 hits. There are a limited number of photo’s of cigarette lighters and the 2012 convention in Las Vegas. This
site is basically free advertising for the club and can be fun or flop. It is up to us to decide which it will be! If
you visit the site, be sure to hit the “Like” button. Also we encourage you to post photo’s of your lighters and
especially rare hard to find lighters that you can never seem to find. Right now, Art Brooks is the administrator,
but that can be changed if a fellow member would like to take on the task. Again, we encourage you to visit the
site and post photo’s. Contact me if you have any problems locating or posting to the site and most importantly,
provide feedback on what we could do to improve the site.
The Third Annual Lighter Get Together
Hello All,
We are coming up on our 3rd Lighter Show Get Together. Attached is the flyer and there will be more
info to follow. If you know anyone else that would
be interesed in attending or buying a table please feel
free to forward the flyer or give them my phone number (216)970-8825. If you have any questions please
call me or reply. Hope to see you all there! Thanks
for making the past two years a success!
NEXT ISSUE March 2013.
SEND ADS BY February 20, 2013.
Frank Mannarino
On The LIGHTER Side
International Lighter Collectors
Founders:
John Cuevas
Judith Sanders
Third Annual
Central Lighter Get Together
March 15th & 16th, 2013 9am-4pm
Auction Saturday March 16 at 10:30
Location
Holiday Inn Cleveland Airport
Call (216) 252-7700 for room reservations at $75.00 per night
Tables are $60.00 for this 2 day event
Extra tables available for $30.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please Remit Payments to:
Frank Mannarino 8618 Chardon Road
Kirtland, OH 44094
Contact Frank at (216) 970-8825 or email [email protected]
Scott Beehler
Art Brooks
Rich Weinstein
Judith Sanders
Ira Pilossof
Karen Politi
Tom Jones
Neal Duncan
President
Vice Pres.
Editor
Secretary
Historian
Social Sec
Conv. Lighter Chrm
Web Master
Board of Directors: Rob Giarretta, Guy Nishida, Richard Weinstein, John Cornelius
ALL ARTICLES & PHOTOS USED IN ANY NEWSLETTER
ARE PROPERTY OF JUDITH SANDERS AND “ON THE
LIGHTER SIDE” AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION. OTLS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR NEGOTIATIONS IN TRADING THROUGH CLASSIFIED ADS.
FOR INFORMATION, CALL OR WRITE:
JUDITH SANDERS
P O BOX 1733
QUITMAN TX 75783-1733
U.S.A.
PHONE: (903)763-2795
WEB PAGE: http://www.otls.com