Original 1972 Vietnam War Zippo Lighter Engraved SHAPE- Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Original Items

Original Item: Lighters could be customized with regimental cyphers and engravings, and were purchased as a memento of military service in the specific theatre of operation.

Excellent vintage ZIPPO lighter from 1972 with an engraved emblem of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe or SHAPE.

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the central command of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military forces. Since 1967 it has been located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons,[1] but it had previously been located, from 1953, at Rocquencourt, next to Versailles, France. From 1951 to 2003, SHAPE was the headquarters of operational forces in the European theatre (Allied Command Europe, ACE), but since 2003 it has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations (ACO), controlling all allied operations worldwide.

Offered in fully functional condition. The underside of the lighter bears the ZIPPO logo and “Bradford, PA”.

A note on how to verify that this is an authentic VIETNAM era zippo- To determine ZIPPOs with correct date marks (before 1975) check the zippo date according to the dating card supplied by the zippo firm. For the years between 1966 and 1975 (Vietnam war ended in April 1975) the codes are: four vertical bars each side of the italicized zippo logo for 1966. Then the bars were removed alternatively first on the right and then on the left. So for 1967 four bars on the left and three on the right, three each side for 1968 and so one until 1973 last year with vertical bar coding. Lighters from 1973 have one bar on the left and nothing on the right. In 1974, the code marks turn to slashes; four slashes on each side of the italicized zippo logo and in 1975 only three slashes on the right part.

This particular lighter has ONE vertical bar on the left of the ZIPPO logo and ONE bar on the right, meaning it was manufactured in 1972.