Ronson Whirlwind Lighter

This silver Ronson Whirlwind lighter comes complete with its original box, documentation, and assorted accessories. It stands 5.3 cm tall, and is 4.3 cm wide. Although an exact date of manufacture cannot be determined this piece is an estimated 55-60 years old, and, despite minor signs of use, still in very good condition. The Whirlwind model was added to the Ronson line in 1941. These lighters have wind shields which can be pulled up from the body of the lighters for outdoor use. It is likely this was the model writer Ian Fleming had in mind when, in the novel Casino Royale, James Bond "snapped his oxidized Ronson to see if it needed fuel."

The Ronson lighter company started as The Art Metal Works in 1886 by Louis V. Aronson, a gifted man who at 16 years old received a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal plating process he developed. In 1926 he released an "automatic operation" lighter, which offered both ignition and extinguishment in a single push. It was a great success, demand shortly exceeding supply, spurring Aronson to patent it and design other products around the invention, which were marketed under the Ronson brand name. This example of the Ronson Whirlwind was acquired recently for an extremely reasonable $23.56 CAN.

Graphitti Designs Superman Statue

Produced in 1993 by Graffiti Designs, this Superman statue was based on a Sculpt by Randy Bowen, who worked from a sketch by noted Superman artist Dan Jurgens. Made of cold cast porcelain and individually hand painted, this statuette stands approximately 26.5 cm tall. Limited to a run of 6,100 peices, each is individually numbered. This particular statuette is #4,254. The factory original box was not intended for retail display, or made of durable design, and was used as the shipping box in many cases. Consequently, most, including this box, have dings, scuffs, tape marks, and general shelf wear.

Graphitti Designs, founded in 1982, is one of the leading producers of pop culture related merchandise, focusing on everything from apparel to deluxe limited edition hardcovers. As an added claim to pop culture fame for the company, this Superman statue was also seen on the hit show Seinfeld, where it proudly resided for many episodes on Jerry Seinfeld's bookshelf! Although the list price on these scarce statuettes was originally $215.00 CDN, this one was scooped up a number of years ago for a bargain $132 CDN!

Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Headless Horse

Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Headless Horse was book number 26 in the American juvenile detective book series. This hardcover edition is a first printing, published by Random House in 1977, and was written by William Arden. The book itself is free of major flaws, with only limited wear on the top and bottom edges of the spine taking away from an overall near-mint edition. The cover still has the original gloss, and the page edges are still sharp. The Bibliophilia department is proud to hold this exquisite edition in the collection. 

 

Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators was created by Robert Arthur, Jr., who had been an editor for several Hitchcock book collections. He believed using a famous figure such as movie director Hitchcock would attract attention. The original series ran from 1964 to 1987 and comprised 43 books. Books number 1 to 9 and 11 were written by the creator, who also sketched out ideas for a few of the other stories. But the standard premise that the boys encountered baffling, sometimes misleading clues and danger before finally solving the mystery was a constant throughout the series. However strange, mystical, or even supernatural a particular phenomenon may appear at first, it is capable of being traced to human agency with the determined application of reason and logic.