Vintage 1940's Zippo Lighter, U.S.S. Missouri, w/Box, Historic Battleship

Description

Vintage 1940's Zippo Lighter, U.S.S. Missouri, w/Box
Historic Battleship Pacific Theater WWII
Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Korean War
c. approx. 1940's.
This listing is for a vintage Zippo Lighter, U.S.S. Missouri.
Early Patent Number 2032695.
The bottom is marked with the date code that corresponds to the production years of the 1940's. This early patent number 2032695 appears on Zippo lighters thru to the year 1954.
The
USS
Missouri
(BB-63)
is an Iowa-class battleship and was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the U.S. State of Missouri
.
The U.S.S.
Missouri
was the last battleship commissioned by the United States and is best remembered as the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan, which ended World War II.
The
Missouri
was ordered in 1940 and commissioned in June 1944. In the Pacific Theater of World War II, she fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and shelled the Japanese home islands, and she later fought in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. She was decommissioned in 1955 into the United States Navy reserve fleets(the "Mothball Fleet"), but reactivated and modernized in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan, and provided fire support during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Missouri
received a total of 11 battle stars for service in World War II, Korea, and the Persian Gulf, and was finally decommissioned in 1992 after serving a total of 17 years of active service, but remained on the Naval Vessel Register until her name was struck in 1995. In 1998, she was donated to the USS
Missouri
Memorial Association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
The condition of the lighter is "Used" with significant use wear commensurate with age(see pictures). As can be seen in the pictures...it was used for many years. Being sold in "as found" condition. There is no fuel inside and will need new Zippo flint and Zippo lighter fuel before lighting. The back has the name, "ALLEN" scratched in the chrome. There are 2 circular spots on the back...maybe an emblem was attached there at some time in the past.
It opens and closes perfectly and securely making that classic Zippo sound.
The inside mechanism has a later patent number, PAT. 2517191(see picture). Not sure if that is because the inner mechanism was serviced and changed out at a later date.
Comes in original box pictured(box has wear and loose missing/torn fold in flaps on top).
Great collection piece of historical significance.
Shipping via First Class Airmail.