An Icon!

A friend of the family, Steve, was a bookie. He knew people and he could get things. When we were in Edinburgh in the 60s, my mother wrote to ask us if we wanted a lighter. We said we did and Steve got us one, the one photographed here.

I wrote about this in a journal of the time:

15th June 1966
A Ronson coming!
....
1st July 1966
I'd got a lighter by now.

You might well ask why we needed a lighter. My wife-to-be was working in a cafe called Willy's on Forrest Road in Edinburgh and one day someone left a packet of cigarettes on their table which found their way back to our bed-sitter. We didn't bother with them for some time but then gave in and so started a relatively brief but intense period of smoking.

For those in the know, this is a Ronson Varaflame. A reference to a similar lighter on the net says: "this Ronson classic was first produced in 1957, and was one of the first gas and variable flame lighters. Its modernist styling and smooth operation made it an indispensable accessory to the movies, magazines and stars of the day. An icon of any age, this lighter is proof that true style never goes out of fashion."