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Hello Everybody! Welcome to the wonderful world of ST Dupont collectables.
This is a story about how I started my collection of ST Dupont lighters and pens...................And so, this is how it all began.......
In mid 1990's the cigar smoking was in fasion, so I tried it, too, and immediately loved it.......I also turned my wife to smoke little cigarillos.........The problem was that every time when we went out she constantly was asking me to lit a cigar for her. At first, I didn't mind, I love galantries such as litting a cigar for a lady. As the time went on however, I started to get annoyed by the countless requests of the cigar-litting.
So I decided to get my wife something special, something she would enjoy lighting with herself. I looked at Dunhill and Cartier, Colibri and Zippo, until one day I saw Dupont Teatro Limited Edition lighter. The beauty of the creation took my breath away, I knew I found a perfect gift. Using it as my wife's Birthday gift, I bought the Teatro lighter. The presentaion went flawlessly, my wife loved her new accessory........ However, when she tried to use it, the roller was pretty tight and she still asked me to lit it for her..........As she reluctantly put the new toy in the drawer, I proclaimed that if she does not want it I would use occasionally. She agreed.........
When I looked at the lighter one more time, it was so beautiful, I decided to use my old Colibri torch for a while and leave the Teatro in perfect condition. At that time I had no idea that my life would take a twist......I found out there were more Limited Editons Lighters that attracted me: Nuevo Mundo, Maharadjah, Picasso, Rendez Vous, to name my favorite few. They were extremely expensive - who could conceive spending $500+ on a lighter??!! But I relented in my quest for their (Dupont Lighters') beauty.
It was a spellbounding experience to track them down, one by one, month after month, year after year, until my collection was starting to look impressive. I spend hundreds of hours researching miriads of details: Models, Editions, Releases, Variations, until I knew my lighters.
By this time (2001 Africa Edition) ST Dupont made a fundamentally positive marketing move: the Limited Edition lighters shipped with a new catalogue of all Limited Edition Releases to date. In that catalogue, I learned of some pens, Les Elements, in particular........and fell in love again.........Back to the net surfing, search and reserach. Needless to say, I started collecting their pens, too. This was insane, I spent all my disposable income on these toys (if you are a true collector, you could relate, I hope; By the way, I am looking into founging Collectors Anonymous 12 step group, just kidding for now, but in the future -- who knows?!). So I came up with a great idea: I would buy a few pieces and sell the surplus on Ebay or thru other channels to generate some cash for my collection growth. I started selling part of my Dupont Collection on Ebay about January 2003 and my hobbie flourished. Since then I managed to collect almost all pocket and all Limited Edition Jeroboam table lighters lighters Dupont made since 1989. (I don't yet have the "Diamond Rain", I confess, besides, my wife probably would have divorced me if I bought it anyway). (April 2006)
Thanks to Ebay, I was able to develop a wide network of connections, both buyers and sellers, on 4 different continents, in a very short time. It is a true Global Experience. I also love trading; if you are looking to buy or to sell your Limited Edition Collectable ST Dupont pen or lighter, please run it by me, I may be able to find you a suitable buyer or seller. If you just have a question, you may drop me an email, we'll chat. I love meeting new people and enjoy sharing my passion for ST Dupont with people who appreciate the beauty of these creations. It is my hobbie, not my business. The fair profits I am making allows me to continue growing my Collection.
Good luck and thanks for looking!!
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