"Gasopyrion" – Döbereiner's Hydrogen Lighter in Stobwasser Case,

With brass igniter, lid, cap and base rings, original glass insets and cylindrical tin body with Stobwasser decoration depicting "The Murder of the Sons of Edward IV" by Theodor Hildebrand (1835), height 15 in. (38 cm), on walnut-veneered base with geometrical boxwood inlay, 10 ½ x 10 ½ x 3 ½ in. (26,5 x 26,5 x 8,5 cm). – The world's first automatic lighter was invented in 1822 by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, a childhood friend of German writer J.W. von Goethe. The device was based on Döbereiner's observation that a jet of hydrogen gas flowing into spongy platinum caused the platinum to become so hot that it ignited the hydrogen steam. He applied this principle to the design of a sealed glass container filled with diluted sulfuric acid. A piece of zinc suspended in the acid generated hydrogen gas which ignited upon contact with the platinum, producing a flame – principle of the well-known Molotow cocktail. The release of the hydrogen was regulated via a stopcock. – Commercial production began in 1824 and eventually trailed off after the introduction of friction matches during the 1840s. Used in the laboratory as well as the home, Döbereiner's hydrogen lighter enjoyed great commercial success but made Döbereiner himself little profit since he had no patent on the invention. The present example, featuring Stobwasser lacquerware, was almost certainly produced for presentation. Stobwasser of Brunswig manufactured fine lacquered metal products from 1763 to 1863. – A rare and historical device. – Literature: Professor William D. Williams, "Dobereiner's Hydrogen Lighter", Bulletin of Historical Chemistry 24 (1999), www.scs.illinois.edu/ ~mainzv/HIST/bulletin_open_access/num24/num24%20p66-68.pdf – www.deutsches-museum.de for a Döbereiner lighter in Germany's national museum of science and technology.

布雷克拍品等级是为了方便竞买人判断拍卖品的成色而设置的。布雷克等级用1到6级来标注外观和功能的成色，(从非常好到非常差)。 在目录图册里用括号里的2个数字来表示，前一个数字表示外观成色的级别，后一个数字表示功能成色的级别。如(3/2)表示外观成色是3(满意的)，功能成色2(好)。 成色 定义参照下列标准： 1 - 非常好 (未使用过，没有使用痕迹) 2 - 好 (新，极少的使用痕迹) 3 - 满意的 (普通的使用痕迹) 4 - 及格的 (明显的使用痕迹，某个非主要部件是后配的) 5 - 有缺陷的 (极明显的使用痕迹, 某个主要部件是后配的，功能上有缺陷，需要修理) 6 - 非常差 (严重破损, 缺少重要部件)