BACKGROUND: Although Hitler himself despised smoking the use of tobacco products was firmly entrenched in Germany, as elsewhere, when he came into power. As with most other nations the German government levied a tax on all tobacco and tobacco accessory products sold as a source of revenue. Although "tailor-made" cigarettes were readily available, hand rolled cigarettes were still the most common form of cigarettes. Along with the tobacco products other smoking accessories were also widely produced and included an assortment of lighters. The lighters were an indispensable personal item carried by almost everyone, besides just tobacco smokers, to ignite fires, light candles, etc., etc.,

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 65mm tall, 18mm diameter, multi-piece, tooled, polished natural aluminum construction cigarette lighter. The lighter features a removable, screw off top lid with deep, diagonally angled grooves to the sides for a secure grip. The top lid protects the internal, vertically extended, wick, spark wheel and the flint insertion port. The wick and spark wheel are both intact but the flint is absent. The bottom of the lighter also has a removable, screw off bottom lid with deep, diagonally angled grooves to the sides for a secure grip. Removed the bottom lid reveals a hollow interior with white ersatz wadding intended to retain the lighter fluid and an extended, vertical, screw topped, flint insertion tube with an internal spring and flint guide both intact. The lighter is in overall good condition with light surface scratching and oxidization spotting. The lighter has no visible markings. All the components except the flint and fluid are intact and it appears the lighter would still function if they were supplied. Impossible to date with 100% accuracy, but most probably period vintage.