Edition #8: Glass Table Lighters

Heavy like a paperweight but with a bit more spark.

Table lighters aren’t an entirely unknown entity, but definitely aren’t as widespread these days. While originally used to help light cigarettes at dinner parties we’re all too tired to go to now, table lighters are a piece of functional art that are still relevant in 2024. Murano glass came out with a few different styles of table lighters, including those with nesting ashtrays, but they weren’t the only makers. The elegant form of blown or shaped glass plays well with the utilitarian function of the lighter. Plus, most shoppable options these days only need a top-off of lighter fluid to work again 40+ years later.

1. Vintage Barbini Murano Glass Bullicante Table Lighter on Etsy: This mushroom-shaped lighter deserves to be nestled against some books on a coffee table that’s littered with unread New Yorkers.

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2. 1970s Gorgeous Table Lighter by Sergio Asti for Arnolfo di Cambio on Etsy: I really love the texture of this piece, which looks like ripples in water from the wind.

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3. 1950s Purple Hand Blown Glass Barbini Murano Bullicante Smoke Set on Etsy: The first example of the nesting lighter set, this Sergio Asti-designed lighter looks like a blossoming rose when not in use.

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4. Vintage Crystal Table Lighter on Etsy: A stem-like lighter is probably the most simple or maybe “boring” shape of lighter I found. If you have parents that would question why you have a giant lighter on your table, this would look quite at home in a kitchen cabinet with glassware.

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5. 1960s Green Table Lighter In Murano Sommerso Glass By Flavio Poli For Seguso on Etsy: While not nesting, this set is the perfect thing to leave out on a side table for your guests to comment on.

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6. 1960s Stunning Table Lighter in Murano Sommerso Glass By Flavio Poli for Seguso on Etsy: A geometric or crystal-like shape was very popular throughout the Murano catalogue. Place this lighter on top of some books on a coffee table.

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7. Vintage MCM Orange Art Glass Table Cigarette Cigar LIGHTER Made in Italy Murano on eBay: Why does this make me think of Flubber, but orange?

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8. Vintage Whitefriars Art Glass Table Lighter and Ashtray Set on Etsy: The ice cube form was one that you’d find throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, sometimes in colored glass like an amber. This is a nesting set, but others are just the lighter alone.

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9. 1960s Stunning Table Lighter in Murano Sommerso Glass By Flavio Poli for Seguso on Etsy: Murano created this layered version of glass lighters in dozens of different color ways and crystal shapes.

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10. Ruby Red Viking Glass Orb Lighter and Ashtray on Etsy: This is my favorite example of a nesting smoking set with its gentle, sloping edges. Viking was another player in glassware, but not as well-known as Murano.

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    Honorable Mentions

    • Pipe-shaped lighter

    • Compact lighter

    • Aquarium lighter

    • Electro Match lighter

    • Carousel cigarette holder

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What terms were searched

• Glass table lighter

• Murano table lighter

• Paperweight lighter

• Crystal table lighter

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Welcome to Finder’s Keepers

This is the newsletter dedicated to leaving no vintage stone unturned. Each edition will cater to a rabbit hole that I fell down one night and include an assortment of vintage finds that make you question “Why did anyone own this?” followed quickly by “Should I own this?”

My method is simple: I attach a keyword or phrase to the item and go digging, spending hours each week combing through hundreds of pages of Etsy and Ebay bric-a-brac until I’ve seen it all. It’s chaotic but satisfactory, like looking through every rack and bin at a thrift store for those that partake in the more visceral act of going in person. I like to sit on my couch.

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