AN EXCESSIVELY RARE
&
PRACTICALLY UNOBTAINABLE
PRINCESS MARY’S CHRISTMAS FUND 1914.
“Trench Strike Lighter & Tinder Smoulder Wick”
An Original by Asprey of London
This fabulously rare & museum quality item is THE most unobtainable of all the items that form part of the famous “Princess Mary 1914 Christmas Gift Fund” series.
The idea was that as matches were strictly forbidden to be struck in the trenches, due to the possibility of being seen by an enemy sniper, that you would ( in the day time) strike the top flint on the lighter body and thus produce small sparks that could be “blown” onto the fibrous end of the very slow burning wick cord which would then “smoulder” with a deep soft glow which would allow cigarettes & pipes to be lit from it in a discreet place like a dugout.
The whole process being undetectable to the enemy snipers.
The problem was, that almost none of these ever got to the troops in France as it was discovered that it was impossible to obtain the special flints....which ironically were produced in Austria & supplied by a company in Germany…with the result that production ceased, and hence the great rarity of these amazing items.
So, as normal, this supremely rare example does not have the tiny flint, but is absolutely mint with a full length wick and “as made” in 1914 here in England by Asprey of London, who’s name is impressed on the case.
I’ve personally only ever had this one single example in my entire career of 46 years and I’ve seen only one other example which was on display at the London Britannia Medal Show in 2010 which was sold in front of me at £850 !
This one, 13 years later, is:
£950
(*NOTE*) We specialise in “must have-can’t get” items like this which are super rare & being practically unobtainable are always missing from collections.
Things such as this ultra rare lighter and the 1914 Mary Fund writing sets,
(*a superb example of which is listed in the sales box below this) are right up our street.
We also specialise in super rare medals like the genuine Thailand & Cuban Allied Victory medals we currently have listed.....all these things are like hen’s teeth.
(*and if you see any less expensive examples I’ll pretty much guarantee that they are fakes!)
This fabulously rare & museum quality item is THE most unobtainable of all the items that form part of the famous “Princess Mary 1914 Christmas Gift Fund” series.
The idea was that as matches were strictly forbidden to be struck in the trenches, due to the possibility of being seen by an enemy sniper, that you would ( in the day time) strike the top flint on the lighter body and thus produce small sparks that could be “blown” onto the fibrous end of the very slow burning wick cord which would then “smoulder” with a deep soft glow which would allow cigarettes & pipes to be lit from it in a discreet place like a dugout.
The whole process being undetectable to the enemy snipers.
The problem was, that almost none of these ever got to the troops in France as it was discovered that it was impossible to obtain the special flints....which ironically were produced in Austria & supplied by a company in Germany…with the result that production ceased, and hence the great rarity of these amazing items.
So, as normal, this supremely rare example does not have the tiny flint, but is absolutely mint with a full length wick and “as made” in 1914 here in England by Asprey of London, who’s name is impressed on the case.
I’ve personally only ever had this one single example in my entire career of 46 years and I’ve seen only one other example which was on display at the London Britannia Medal Show in 2010 which was sold in front of me at £850 !
This one, 13 years later, is:
£950
(*NOTE*) We specialise in “must have-can’t get” items like this which are super rare & being practically unobtainable are always missing from collections.
Things such as this ultra rare lighter and the 1914 Mary Fund writing sets,
(*a superb example of which is listed in the sales box below this) are right up our street.
We also specialise in super rare medals like the genuine Thailand & Cuban Allied Victory medals we currently have listed.....all these things are like hen’s teeth.
(*and if you see any less expensive examples I’ll pretty much guarantee that they are fakes!)