Antique L.V. Aronson 1923 Pair of Rare Brass Turban Wearing Scholar Bookends for Sale

On eBay Now...

Antique L.V. Aronson 1923 Pair of Rare Brass Turban Wearing Scholar Bookends For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Antique L.V. Aronson 1923 Pair of Rare Brass Turban Wearing Scholar Bookends:
$125.00

This pair of bookends is a rare find in this gorgeous brass form, rather than the common black finish. For collectors of antique decorative items, this is an incredibly rare find. Made by Louis Vincent Aronson in 1923, these brass bookends feature a beautiful antique finish and depict a pair of turban-wearing scholars. The intricate details on the bookends make them a great addition to any bookshelf or display case.

These bookends, depicting a scholarly man in a Turban reading from a book, sitting next to his trusty inkwell and feather, are sure to stand the test of time and become a treasured item in any collection. Whether you're a book collector or simply someone who appreciates antique decor, this pair of bookends is a must-have. Don't miss out on the opportunity to own a piece of history.

All items are sold used and as is. Please note that these pieces are NOT identical. They have slightly different bottoms and stand slightly different heights. One has a padded bottom, while the other bottom is just taped on holding the metal bottom, as seen in the photos. One will probably need a. new bottom put on made of some kind of adhesive material. Please see photos for condition and feel free to message me with any questions. Check out the other stuff in my store! I’m always willing to make a deal on multiple items & combine shipping!

Louis Vincent Aronson (December 25, 1869 – November 3, 1940), was an American inventor and industrialist, known as the founder of The Art Metal Works and the inventor of Ronson lighters.

Aronson was born in New York City on December 25, 1869. His parents were Simon and Jennie Aronson, who were originally from Prussia.[1] He graduated from public school at the age of 12 before entering a New York technical school specializing in metallurgy, practical metal working and mechanical drawing. At the same time, he set up a laboratory in the basement of his parents' home where he experimented with plating processes and turned out money-making items while he devised ways of metalizing common items, in a durable finish of matte gold, including flowers, butterflies, animal claws and baby shoes.[citation needed]

Aronson’s natural ability for designing was honed at the technical school. He completed the school’s four year academic program in three years. When he graduated in 1886, at the age of 16, he was qualified as an Expert Metallurgist, Draftsman and Designer and had a high level knowledge of chemistry. He returned to the school five years later as an instructor in metallurgy for several years before devoting all his time to his own company. When he was 24 years old, he sold the rights to a commercially valuable metal plating process for $5000 while retaining full use of his invention, and used the proceeds to open his own company named The Art Metal Works.

Aronson gained public recognition when he won an award in 1893 from the Belgian government for the creation of the first non-toxic match, winning 50,000 Francs ($10,000 U.S. dollars). In 1897 he received a U.S. patent for a match design (called the Wind-match) that would light in windy conditions or when wet. He continued working on his match designs including inventing the “Birds Eye” or “Kitchen” match that had a dual-tip design in 1903. This was an important safety improvement because friction matches of the day would sometimes light accidentally especially when stepped on or while in one’s pocket. He realized that placing a small friction ignition chemical on the tip instead of the entire match-head greatly limited accidental ignition. This style of match is still in use today.[citation needed]

Aronson continued his research on all-weather matches and received a U.S. patent in 1918 for a match that was praised by soldiers who were fighting in mud-filled trenches during World War I. His proficiency with matches led to a U.S. patent for bomb fuses also used in World War I, which he donated to the U.S. Government for the duration of the war, earning his company the Distinguished Service Certificate from President Woodrow Wilson and the War Department. [citation needed]

In 1910 Aronson received his first patent for a pocket lighter which used a flint material containing a mixture of cerium and iron. His design was a simple device that created a shower of sparks with the press of a finger, but there was no sustainable flame. He later produced the Pist-O-Liter which also only produced sparks. Within three years he received a patent for a “Pyrophorous Lighter” which was capable of producing and sustaining a flame by means of a steel-tipped wand fitted with a cloth-wick saturated in petroleum ether. The following year, 1914, he was granted a design patent for the Bulldog striker lighter, which soon became a popular table lighter.[3]

In 1926 Aronson released a new "automatic operation" Banjo lighter, which offered both ignition and extinguishment in a single push. It was a great success, demand shortly exceeding supply, spurring Aronson to patent it and design other products around the invention, which were marketed under the Ronson brand name.

Aronson’s earlier efforts to produce igniting devices led him to invent many other useful and profitable items. His ongoing experiments sparked ideas for other successful inventions like safe children’s toys including sparking guns, spinning tops & pinwheels and a series of hand held toys with sparking eyes called Archies. The company also produced a variety of high quality lamps, book ends, statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace.[6]

Aronson ran for Newark mayor in 1912, was a longtime treasurer of Essex County, New Jersey, Republicans, and became a bank executive. He dedicated much of his time to causes that benefited children and the under-privileged in society.

Aronson's first wife, Gertrude Deutsch Aronson, died in 1934.[7] He remarried in 1935, to stock-company actress Mabel Brownell.[8]

Aronson died on November 2, 1940, in Long Branch, New Jersey.

The Ronson lighter company started as The Art Metal Works in 1897 and was incorporated on July 20, 1898, by Max Hecht, Louis Vincent Aronson and Leopold Herzig, in Newark, New Jersey.[1][2][3]

Louis V. Aronson was a huge creative driving force for the company; and, with a few business adjustments, including the addition of Alexander Harris (1910–11)[4][5] as Business Manager, the company soon became World Famous.[6]

All accounts state that Louis Aronson was a gifted man, who at 16 years old set up a money-making shop in his parents' home - before receiving a U.S. patent for a commercially valuable metal-plating process he developed when he was 24 years old, and he sold half the rights while retaining the Right to Use. "His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing tinplate. Much money was expended upon improving the process... and has been of great practical value to the whole industry.[7] Retaining its rights, he sold half the patent rights, and later used part of the proceeds to open the Art Metal Works in Newark, N.J.[8] Soon the company was producing a variety of high-quality Lamps, Book ends, Art Statues and other decorative items, prized today for their detail in the collector marketplace.

In the 1910s The Art Metal Works were producing very good quality Hood Ornaments and gained a reputation as a dependable supplier of same.[13][14][15]

Aronson had established himself as a safety-match development pioneer with his inventions of the "Non-Toxic Match" and the "All-Weather Match" in the 1890s. Another invention of Mr. Aronson was the wind-match, for which he applied for a patent December 29, 1896. He found a chemical combination which ensured combustion in the highest wind, a boon to the tourist as well as to the explorer and the hunter. The patent was granted October 26, 1897,[16] and a testimony to its merits is shown by the following letter written by the former scientific chemist to the Royal Society of Great Britain in response to an inquiry of some capitalists as to the chemical and commercial importance of the match:

In regard to the match patent by Louis V. Aronson, which patent is dated October 26, 1897, the number of which is 592,227, I beg to state that during the progress of this invention and application for patent, I carefully examined, as chemist, the various steps described therein, and have carefully considered it both commercially and chemically. My conclusions are that the process of manufacture is a simple one, the product a superior one, and the patent a broad and complete one, and can, therefore, recommend it fully and well to you. If properly placed on the market, I feel convinced that it will make a great success, as the article certainly fills a long-felt want and has not any of the objectionable features of the wind-matches heretofore placed on the market.

— (Signed) Martin E. Walstein.

In the investigations conducted for the purpose of improving this Windmatch, Aronson discovered the method for making a white phosphorus-free match. This had been a long time goal for chemical investigators in the industrial world, white phosphorus' necessity in match-making being the cause of the industrial disease called "phossy jaw."

The Belgian government had offered a prize of 50,000 francs, or $10,000, in a competition open to the whole world. This offer had stirred up scientists and chemists to redouble their efforts to produce such a match, and many came very near to eliminating this poisonous phosphorus from the match. The prize was, however, awarded to Mr. Aronson, he being adjudged the only one to produce an absolutely non-phosphorus match, and to have complied entirely with the conditions of the contest. "This triumph for American production is hoped will in time secure a generous reward to the discoverer, since negotiations are in progress with some of the largest manufacturers in the world for the rights for its production and sale."[17][18][19]

1970s: Decline

edit

During the 1970s, Ronson came under increasing pressure from new competition in its core US and UK markets. The main company never returned to profitability, and the different units were soon spun off as independent companies or sold to competitors.

United Kingdom and International unit spun off

edit

Continuing losses led to the sale of the UK division in September 1981 to Jeffrey Port, who quickly reorganized it as Ronson International. The losses continued, and the new company was in receivership by July 1982. Geoffrey Lord bought it in 1983, renamed it Ronson Exports Limited, and attempted to return to profitability by adopting the competition's approach of importing lighters produced cheaply in Asia.

In 1994, Howard Hodgson of Halkin Holdings acquired Ronson Exports Ltd for £10 million, reorganizing it again into Ronson PLC and bringing in skilled management from outside. The product line was re-expanded and the brand reintroduced worldwide. In the late 90s, there was an unsuccessful effort to expand into various "lifestyle products" such as watches and sunglasses, leading to heavy losses and the ouster of Hodgson as CEO.

Victor Kiam (owner of Remington Products) acquired a controlling interest in the company and became CEO in July 1998. Kiam embarked on cost-cutting measures, including the end of UK production for the company's premier products. By 2001, expansion into disposable lighters allowed Ronson Intl to post a marginal profit for the first time in years, but more heavy losses led to major downsizing from 2003-2004 and an abortive effort to rebrand as Powerdraught Limited.[20][21][22][23]

North American sales

edit

In 2010, the remaining intellectual property assets (i.e. trademarks) of the core North American companies were sold to longtime competitor Zippo.[24][25][26][27][28] Zippo continues to maintain Ronson as a distinct brand identity and markets "RONSON" lighters and "RONSONOL" fuel in the US, Canada, and Mexico.[27]

In October 2010, the still-operational Ronson Aviation branch was acquired by Landmark Aviation.

A turban (from Persian دوربند‌, durband; via Middle French turbant) is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures.[1] Communities with prominent turban-wearing traditions can be found in the Indian subcontinent,[2] Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and amongst some Turkic peoples in Russia.

A keski is a type of turban, a long piece of cloth roughly half the length of a traditional "single turban", but not cut and sewn to make a double-width "Double Turban" (or Double Patti).[3]

Wearing turbans is common among Sikh men (Dastar), and infrequently women.[4] They are also worn by Hindu monks. The headgear also serves as a religious observance, including among Shia Muslims, who regard turban-wearing as Sunnah mu’akkadah (confirmed tradition).[5] The turban is also the traditional headdress of Sufi scholars. Muslim men might wear the turban (Imama) during prayer. Additionally, turbans have often been worn by nobility, regardless of religious background.

Styles and Wrapping Techniques: Turbans come in a variety of styles, and the method of wrapping can vary. Some turbans are simple and functional, while others are elaborate and serve ceremonial or formal purposes. The way a turban is tied can indicate the wearer's social or marital status, religious affiliation, or regional identity. Aside from cultural and religious significance, turbans are also practical headwear. They provide protection from the sun, dust, and wind. In some regions with hot climates, turbans can help keep the head cool.