GUEST: I got this from my mother-in-law's estate, and it belonged to her mother. She was a smoker. This was her lighter.
APPRAISER: It is a Dunhill. It's sterling silver. And then the center here is actually made of lacquer. And the more interesting part is the carved coral. Diamonds, platinum, and onyx, that are on top. I went over and talked to our jewelry people, and they examined it and confirmed that these are all real precious materials. The fact that all these precious materials are on it was also an indication that this is absolutely Art Deco, which dates it to the 1930s.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: Dunhill is probably the most collectible maker of smoking-related accessories.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: Of course, most of us don't smoke anymore, but the lighters are still very collectible. Originally, they made a matching cigarette case. Retail, right now, this lighter would sell for between $3,000 and $4,000.
GUEST: (gasps) What?
APPRAISER (chuckling): Yeah.
GUEST (chuckling): Oh, my gosh! I can't believe that. Well, I had this hanging around in my bathroom, and my friend that brought me down here said to me a few years ago, "You know, you probably shouldn't have that just sittin' around."
APPRAISER: No, she's right.
GUEST: Yeah.
