.50 Calibre Trench Art Cigarette Lighter

Another very fine example of trench art that we are listing today and came in from the same collection as the other. This one is fashioned from a deactivated.50 Cal Browning ball round. During World War II the. 50 was primarily used in the M2 Browning machine gun (BMG), in both its "light barrel" aircraft mount version and the "heavy barrel" (HB) version on ground vehicles, for anti-aircraft purposes. An upgraded variant of the M2 Browning HB machine gun used during World War II and its derivative is still in use today.

The RAF however stuck with their faithful.303 calibre machine guns and when more firepower was required they went for the Hispano that was a larger calibre and offered more versatility than the.50 Cal. As a result the.50 BMG was used more or less exclusively by the USAAF, which is probably where this casing originates from, but where and when it was made is now lost in the mists of time.

This example is mounted on a very solid brass base (origins unknown) that also doubles as an ashtray if required. The.50 Cal cartridge is very firmly fixed to the base, so we have been unable to check any data that might be on the headstamp, but seems highly likely from the style and design this is a WWII period example. The lighter within the body is acessed by sliding off the bullet section that reveals the flint strike and wick lighting arrangement. We have not tried to replace the flint, wick or fuel but see no reason why it would not still work as intended. We will however leave any decision on that to the new owner so is offered for sale here as a very fine display item and as a memorial to the unknown hands who crafted this piece 80 odd years ago. Measures 6", inclusive of ashtray base (16 cm)