Posted 6 years ago
SpiritBear
(813 items)
I don't recall if I've posted this here before or not.
This vintage lighter came out of my first land-based, household dump dig. It was missing the top (which I dug up later). As I was a (proudly) tobacco-free kid who had never seen the older style of lighters, I wasn't sure of what it was without the top on it. Whatever it was, I liked it for the truck and wondered about this 'Truman Den' (under truck). A couple years later, I was driving (at the time I dug this, I was a cyclist only) down the same avenue (Broadway) and saw a building that struck me as familiar from other places. Suddenly, I realised what it was: It was the building on the lighter! At the time it was a sign shop. This photo is from Google Maps, which verifies the address.
The site was mostly '50s and '60s, which works out fine for the approximated age of the enameled lighter. Balboa and Japan are the only markings on it. The dump was out of use by the early 1970s and was from a 4-person family home (it appeared, anyway). I didn't get many bottles (only a couple ones worth keeping, really), but it was a very educational experience for me and lead me to have great interest in historical sites, however modern and (to some) unimportant they may be.
Oh how neat. I used to have one same style. But was camel cigarette brand. Many years ago now.. more than 25 years ago. It's long gone now. But I had filled it and stuck it in my jeans pocket. Somehow it was upside down. And oh it leaked out all in my pocket. It burned so bad lol... never carried it again! Vey nice find!
LampLover, that sounds terrible. Did you throw out the jeans, or did you risk washing them?
Ha. Yes I threw them out. I washed them first but the smell never came out. Also I was working at a gas station that day. And couldn't leave. So I had to spend the next few hours like that. I went to the bathroom and had to put paper towels between the jeans and my leg. Too stop the burn. Ha ha lessons learned.
I'd have dampened the paper towel on the leg to at least dilute it, and put a dry one in the pocket to absorb the liquids.