 Town & Country may be the most luminous and one of the most desirable collectors’ series in the history of the company. First offered in 1949, Town & Country employed a “paint-on-paint” process to achieve its rich texture. The colors were airbrushed on the lighter one at a time, after the surface was engraved at .004 inch deep.
The classic series was illustrated with eight icons: the mallard, the pheasant, the geese, the trout, the horse, the English setter, the lily pond and the sloop or sailboat. Individual clients and organizations used this engraved and paint-on-paint process for their logos and military or fraternal insignias. In its first year, a Town & Country was a moderately expensive gift at $7.50.
The 1969 moon landing lighter was the last Town & Country lighter ever produced. |
FYI: Mint Town & Country lighters are extremely desirable for collectors, not only because they are among the most beautiful lighters in the world, but also because they are rare. Many people carried their lighters along with coins and keys in pockets and purses and, as a result, few Town& Country lighters, despite their electrobaked finish, have survived the
subsequent decades without some chipping or
scratching.
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