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My step dad is in possession of this Zippo lighter, and I can't find it described anywhere on the Internet:
He served in the Royal Norwegian Air Force (339 sqn) back in the 60s and 70s. As part of a Bell UH-1B Huey crew providing air transport to the general and his wife, he was presented this lighter. My dad's crew flew him from Bardufoss AFB to Ramsfjordnes Naval Base in May 1972. Ramsfjordnes (aka Olavsvern) was a NATO Top Secret facility and supported submarines patrolling the North Atlantic during the cold war. It was sold in 2013 to a private contractor who subsequently rented it out to support Russian (!) research vessels roaming the Norwegian Sea. Needless to say this was/is a scandal, read more about it in this article in Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/2015/03/27/secr ... 14989.html
As for the lighter, it has been kept unused since then, and is NOS, quite amazing.
I tried to find out more about this lighter on the Internet but to no avail. No pictures, no descriptions.
My dad, in his eighties now, said someone should start using it. So he would like to give it to my brother-in-law who is a former F-16 pilot (and an occasional smoker). But if it's rarer than hen's teeth maybe he should stick to Bic lighters.
I know my vintage watches, but I don't know much about vintage Zippos.
Any of you seen a Zippo like this? Is there a big collector's community out there? If so, any comments on collectability and value?
