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My Pocket Zippo
My Pocket Zippo

In your life if you or your relatives had ever served in any branch of the military in any country or if you knew anyone who had, it would be a safe bet to say that in that top drawer of their dresser you would find a Zippo Lighter engraved with the unit they served in. As I traveled the world I found that Zippo Company also sold lighters in other countries and their militaries too.

My history with Zippo began a few years before I joined the Navy. On the Fourth of July in 1962 my father took me on a harbor sail (Called a turnaround) on Boston Harbor on the USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston as my father was friends with the Admiral in charge of First Naval District, they had served in WW-II together.

When we were back to the pier, we took a ride on the Admiral’s barge to the USS Wasp CV-18 for lunch, and that was the first Zippo lighter in my collection a lighter from a ship that had fought in WW-II. When I went to boot camp in 1964 I gave it to my father as it was not allowed during training.

The collection grew without my knowledge, as I kept giving Zippo’s from every duty station to my father in Boston as he liked the Zippo lighters above all others. As I was sailing the world I was known to stop in watering holes around the globe where you meet servicemen for the US and other nations and share a chilled beverage and swap sea stories.

On the ship the Zippo (Mid 1960’s) sold for $2.00 so I always had a couple in my pocket which I would use to trade other guys for their unit Zippo. All of which ended up at my dads house. This was something I did for my entire Navy career and continued as a merchant seaman.

In 1994 my father passed and I flew home from a Merchant (MSC) ship in Hawaii to attend the funeral. While there my mother pulled me aside and asked what I wanted to do with the large box of mostly brand new Zippo lighters? I had forgotten about them, but there they were, one from every place I was ever stationed and piles of lighters that I’d received in trades over the years. My father hadn’t smoked since the early 70’s but he still loved his Zippo’s. And now they were mine, once more.
At the wake I noticed one of my brothers wearing my Rolex watch. My mother saw my surprise and then remembered the watch belonged to me. I loved fine watches and so did my dad, so we would trade watches for a year or so but always returned the original watch to its owner.
My mother forgot and now she remembered, and told me she would get it back for me. I found out that my brother really thought it was a memento from our dad, and I was not going to spoil that. My mother liked that and I still had a nice Rado watch he had traded to me. Back to the Zippo’s..

I went to Florida to get my CJ-7 Jeep and bring it to San Francisco to ship to the Philippines. While Philippines customs made sure that never happened, but I sent by LBC all my lighters and Navy Memorabilia to my wife in Olongapo City. She kept it for me sealed in the boxes as her presents came in another clearly marked box for just for her and the girls. (Smart Kano)

We lived in two rental houses and the boxes remained sealed until we built our permanent abode on the mountain in Dinalupihan Bataan. In the hall in the new house the “I Love Me” wall was established, a place to display all my Navy Plaques and awards, plus the mounted pictures of every ship I was ever on The I Love Me was is a thing you’ll find in many a military retiree’s house. But all the Zippo’s were still in the box.

When I returned home 7 months later there was a Nara wood display case with a locking glass door with 100 compartments each the size of a Zippo lighter. I was so pleased with her gift that I was silent about the new dining room set with hutch that she had built by the same guy that made my case. I thought to myself; “a very smart woman indeed.”

Now it’s true that not all my lighters fit in the case, but I rotate them every few months even though I’m the only one who’ll ever notice.

My friend has 40 lighters on display in his bar and thought he had the largest collection in the Philippines, until he was at my house at a party. I’d never told him about my collection as I saw no reason why I should bust his bubble, but since that day he’s been trying to buy mine for 8 years now, sorry they’re not for sale. I told my daughter that when I pass to sail with the “Supreme Commander” to contact Zippo in Bradford PA as I know they pay top dollar for collections that are as old as mine. Most if not all of the ships on in lighter collection are decommissioned so it would be next to impossible to find that many still in the box (NEW) lighters.

It’s is an odd item to collect, but if you remember I had never planned to do it. So they will finish out their days on the “I love me” wall because if I know Mayang she’ll never sell them, but I hope she does. I love the smell of naphtha in the morning. Need a light?

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Comments

  1. Is not the wall big enough to put up another Nara wood display case or 2 so that all your zippos can be displayed?

  2. Paul, I toured the zippo museum in Bradford last summer, the most impressive lighter was a lighter they restored for a group of soliders to give to a family of a fighter pilot that crashed in WWII, the lighter was badly damaged but they made it good a new for free. They will repair any zippo for free, you just pay shipping and handling. It is a must visit if you are in the southern tier of NY

    • Dirk;
      I never got there but I knew the Ziegenfuss brothers (And Son) who were with Zippo from the early 60’s until now. I was the person on the ship’s that bought them at 200 at a time for every ship I was on.
      They were all great guys who were an institution with Zippo Company. But the factory is on my bucket list next time I’m in the US of A
      Over the years I’ve sent many lighters back to Bradford PA for repair even from here in the Philippines.

  3. Hi Paul,

    I share your love of collecting and have fun collections that are meaningful for me too. Sometimes I look at things and marvel at how they ever made it here and are with me in the Philippines!
    Collecting Zippos, and interest in Zippo lighters is really very popular, and not odd at all. If you care and get a chance, check out a gazillion images of vintage Zippos on the Pinterest site. Some of your same cool lighters are probably there:) Enjoy your collection!
    Queenie

    • Queenie;
      Sorry I took so long, I was checking out the Zippo’s on the Pinterest site. I have one that was made in 1982 a replica of the first Zippo made in 1932, a limited edition given to me by the East Coast Rep for Zippo, Hank Ziegenfuss, I found out later I was not allowed to accept it for free, so like any member of congress would do in that situation, I returned it. Then I bought it for a dollar (It was used by then) (LOL)

  4. Hi Paul, I had a few zippo lighters but give up smoking when I met my wife all those
    Years ago, had some great Swiss watches mainly omega sea masters they all disappeared
    For one reason or another, wife said she would buy me another omega sea master I said
    Don’t bother a seiko will do its funny as you get older you don’t want the same things
    Give me a beer and I’m okay, Derek in pasig.

    • Derek;
      In 2000 when I retired I came home and took my Rado off my arm and handed it to my Father-in-Law. I just don’t care what time it is anymore. 15 years without a watch and my left arm loves it. (lol)
      I bought a motorcycle with Seiko watches, in the late 60’s Europe couldn’t get them, I bought them (A lot) from the ship at $35.00 each and sold them in the towns along the Med. for $100.00. (Americans Jeans would fetch a good price too, I’d leave Florida with my sea bags full of all the top brands. (The Navy’s fault, they should have paid me more.)

  7. Nice article Paul Thompson. Wish I had all of my ships lighters. Ex destroyed them all. I do still have several Boatswain’s Pipes that I traded for.

    • You have an awesome priceless collection. I have a few coffee mugs but some where broken, chipped or lost during PCS moves. It would have been great on a display cabinet if I own a bar. I’ve kept all my Navy stuff in boxes for the 19 years.

  9. Greg.
    Thank my stars my ex wife never knew my father had them, she destroyed some of my other Navy plaques but that’s is the primary function of an ex to be pure evil.

  11. Hi Paul,
    I haven’t thought of Zippo Lighters in many years. I had a few of them that I gave to a friend in the UK who started collecting them back in the 1980’s. They also had a wall mounted display case made for them. I just took a quick look at the Zippo website, it is nice to know at least some things are still Made In USA. I can remember when just about everything else was too.

    • Bob NY:
      Even McDonalds imports its beef from Argentina, so that’s not even an American product anymore, but you’re right Zippo is and hopefully will always be. Lifetime guarantee no matter who owns the lighter today.

  12. Paul,
    When i was on Med Cruise’s you could get just about anything for a Zippo Lighter or a Buck Knife in Italy. We used to trade for full uniforms, case’s of cognac, etc. We had a Sicilian guy in our unit named Guiseppe who was always the go between guy the Italians would talk to for a trade. Always got a kick out of the conversatons in Italian.

  13. Never thought to keep mine from the ET School, or the Comm Sta. s that I was at for my 7 years. Now I wish I had then. Oh well, great tale. Thank u Paul