S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 Montparnasse — Silver, With Box and Papers
A vintage S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 Montparnasse in the full-size Grand Modèle, finished in silver with fine vertical striping, and offered as a complete set with its red box, literature, shop tag and a guarantee card stamped at the point of sale.
S.T. Dupont produced its first luxury lighter in 1941, and the Ligne 2 introduced in 1977 became the model the maison is known for. Vertical striping is the most restrained finish it ever applied to the model, and in silver rather than gold it is quieter still: the lines run the full height of the case and continue across the fluted roller, so the lighter reads as a single uninterrupted object, cool rather than showy.
The paperwork is what lifts this one. The guarantee card is stamped by Tabac George V, the tobacconist on Avenue George V in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, and dated 01-92 — so the lighter was sold new in January 1992, a few hundred metres from the Champs-Élysées, and the card has stayed with it for more than thirty years. The original shop tag numbered 1503 is still attached, and the red box and printed literature are present.
The lighter is in excellent condition, with the striping sharp across both faces and the silver finish even and bright. It is photographed lit: it lights and holds a flame.
Complete sets with a dated, stamped card and the original shop tag are a good deal harder to find than the lighter on its own, and they are the examples that hold their value.