Description

This table lighter is made in the form of a Disc Discharger and is signed by Marconi’s Wireless Telegraph Co. Ltd, hallmarked London 1912. These lighters were presented to all male delegates of the 1912 International Radiotelegraphic Conference as souvenirs. The Lighter is made of solid silver, all individual parts are punched. even the bolts are solid silver. The lighter comes on a marble base.
 

The 1912 International Radiotelegraphic Conference in London was only one of many conferences held in the early days of radio communication to discuss the use of radio for example with regard to safety of life at sea and its military uses. These conferences established and amended the conventions regarding the use of radio. This souvenir allows the Museum to deal with the international context in which radio communication developed in Australia. The conference itself was held a few months after the Titanic disaster.

The lighter works by turning the bakelite knop clockwise, winding up a spring to eventually unload and spark the flint. A really lovely mechanism and this lighter has been professionally restored to working condition. The lighter was patented in 1905 and made by a London silversmith, Alfred Foster. Only a handful are still known to exist.

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