semi-automatic pocket lighters
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At least two versions of the Chesterfield Lighter were produced. The first version is marked PAT.APP.FOR and has a flat-bottom side. The second version is marked PAT. 1.033.801 and has a raised edge on the bottom side. U.S. Patent 1,033,801 was owned by Siegfried Herlinger, vice-president of M.E.B. during the 1920s, and is the utility patent for the Kraemer Snap-A-Lite. The Ritz Lighter uses the same mechanics and design elements as the Chesterfield Lighter adapted to a bakelite body type. Both lighters are largely undocumented and their manufacturer not known with certainty. (EB)