Dunhill Brass Tinder Pistol Table Lighter Made In England, Not USA. VERY RARE!

Description

This Dunhill Tinder Pistol is a fine example of an extraordinary table lighter which is in the shape of a flintlock tinder (gun) pistol from the XVIII century.
It is made of brass and it has an antique brass finish and a nice oak slab handle (butt).
The lighter has a very precise trigger activated mechanism - the top opens and sparks when the trigger is pulled.
The Dunhill Tinder Pistol wick lighter was manufactured both in England and USA. This specific model manufactured in England is dated between 1930 and 1940.
It is worth knowing, that the earliest lighters were actually tinder pistols invented in the mid-seventeenth century.
They were made from broken guns and used the barrel to store tinder instead of gunpowder.
The working mechanism was simple though not very safe to use at home - the trigger released a mechanism that struck a piece of iron and directed the sparks onto the tinder which would ignite.
The Dunhill Tinder Pistol Lighter was replicated in Japan - it was manufactured in the 1950s and was on the first spot indistinguishable from the original.
Fortunately, the marking "Japan" on the bottom disolves all doubts.
Type: petrol (wick) lighter
Writing on the base:
DUNHILL
TINDER PISTOL
MADE IN ENGLAND
PATENT NO. 592139
U.S.A. PAT PEND .
Scarcity: uncommon - very rare
This particular model is in excellent condition and is fully operational.