The War Zippo of Hanoi

Reader “gergtreble” left this awesome comment in response to our Zippo Tricks post and I wanted to pluck it out and make sure you all saw it. (I tweaked it for spelling because I’m an anus.)

I traveled round the world (twice) with my old brass Marlboro Zippo. Never came close to losing it. I even had people running out of bars to give it back to me after I left it on a table in a drunken haze.

Ironically, on my way home on the last trip, I purchased a shiny chrome Zippo to replace my (soon to be retired) old workhorse. I think I must have left it on the plane.

I also shelled out quite a large sum of dollars in Vietnam for (what I want to believe) is an original war Zippo. There are thousands of cheap fake Zippos being sold on the streets of Hanoi and HCM City. But this one was locked away in a display case at the back of a Hanoi gift shop in the French Quarter. When I asked how much she wanted for it she told me $100! I laughed at her and told her she was ripping me off. She told me it was real. But I walked out.

5 days later I went back into the store (after completing a grueling trek in the highlands) and bartered her down to $50.

It has the legend “If you want to make love, smile when you hand me this lighter back” carved onto the back. I thought no Vietnamese forger would come up with that!!