Manufacturer
Zippo Manufacturing Company
(founded 1932)
Lighter
1966
Place madeBradford, Pennsylvania, United States
Metal
Overall: 2 3/16 × 1 7/16 × 1/2 in. (5.5 × 3.6 × 1.2 cm)
Gift of John R. Monsky
2015.45.104
Lightweight, durable Zippo lighters, manufactured in Pennsylvania, were readily available to the 2.5 million Americans who went to war in Vietnam. Covered in a soft chrome plate, the Zippo’s surface was easy to engrave, providing a canvas for individual expression.
Enterprising South Vietnamese, equipped with basic tools, could do a good business by supplying U.S. troops with Zippos engraved with stock slogans and imagery: military vehicles, weapons, unit insignia, and maps of Vietnam were all popular.
Servicemen also had Zippos embellished with designs and wording of their choice.
The assortment of ready-made and custom engravings found on the cigarette lighters offer a glimpse into the thoughts, humor, and bravado of Americans who served during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and early 1970s.
DescriptionOn recto lower half is the U.S. Navy USS Bayfield APA-33 Ship insignia engraved above an image of the USS Bayfield, below ship image: "U.S.S. Bayfield APA 33"; on verso: "WHEN I DIE I'LL/ GO TO HEAVEN/ BECAUSE I/ SERVED MY TIME/ IN HELL!/ VIET NAM".MarkingsOn bottom, "BRADFORD, PA./ |||| ZIPPO ® ||||". On insert, "FOR BEST RESULTS/ USE ZIPPO/ FLINTS AND FLUID/ ZIPPO MFG. CO BRADFORD, PA./ MADE IN ZIPPO ® U.S.A./ PAT. 2517191"
ClassificationsSMOKING TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
