Images(3)

Lighter

Object number2007.178.27 a-c

Manufacturer Zippo Manufacturing Company

Date1974-1986

OriginBradford, PA

MediumSilver; cloth; metal; ink

Credit LineGift of Joe Davis

DescriptionSilver engraved cigarette lighter. Engraved on lower right front side, vertically are owner's initials. Also, engraved floral decorations on both sides. Rectangular box bottom. Brown plasticized covering over cardboard. Inside lined with brown felt, center indented with shape of lighter. Rectangular box lid. Gold metallic paper covering over cardboard. Screen-printed maker text on outside, in black (brown?).Dimensions(a) Height: 2.125 ; Width: .5 ; Length: 1.375
(b) H: .5625 ; W: 2.125 ; L: 3.125
(c) H: .5 ; W: 2.375 ; L: 3.1875
Inscriptions(a)
Engraved on lower right front side, vertically, "A / H / S".
Marks(a)
On base, engraved, "BRADFORD PA / ZIPPO [registered trademark]".

(b)
On base, rectangular white price sticker, "1225 / 3/78 / $12.95".

(c)
Screen-printed on outside, in black (brown?), "ZIPPO [registered trademark] / LIGHTER".

Stamp on inside, black, "A PRODUCT OF / ZIPPO MANUFACTURING CO. / BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA 16701(?)".
Historical NotesZippo lighter engraved with the initials of Arnold H. Smith. Arnold Herbert Smith was a Pittsburgh police officer before spending twelve years with the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Police Force. Arnold Herbert Smith, Sr., was born on October 11, 1923, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Schenley High School in 1942, and quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Pacific Theater. Three years later he married Mattie Lesesne; four children were born to this marriage. Years after his divorce to Mattie, he married Estella Pennington, with whom he had one son. Smith worked as a steelworker before joining the Pittsburgh Police Force in 1974; he eventually worked for the Housing Authority before retiring in 1986. Smith was also active in organizations, being a 32nd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of both the Veterans of Foreign Affairs and the Fraternal Order of Police. He died September 19, 1999. In 1932, George G. Blaisdell created Zippo Lighters in Bradford, Pennsylvania; the company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007.

Previous owner Arnold Herbert Smith Sr. (1923 - 1999)

Related institution Pittsburgh Bureau of Police

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