So. Some backstory...and I will tell it, because it's a badass backstory and deserves to be told. My grandfather, William "Bill" Charlie Colvin (He used Charlie after the war, I imagine to help distance himself from all the killing he did) was a Lt. Colonel in the airforce during ww2. A bomber. Made 22 bombing runs in Germany and lived. He didn't talk about it much, specially in front of me because I was a kid back then. But my dad eventually got him a brick at the Nola ww2 museum among other things, and at some point he stops in front of a photo of a completely bombed out town with a single building standing. We stood there and watched him for a bit and all he says is ".... We left the church..." and then walks on. 

One of his other stories was on his last bombing run, he got up out of his chair to go demand an answer to a question he had, and they were shot at. When he got back to his seat, there were five bullet holes clean through it. He smiled and said..."It's a good thing I REALLY wanted that answer enough to get out of my seat for it" 

Suffice to say, the man was kind of a badass. I never realized quite how badass until my dad passed away a couple years back and I just recently came into possession of some of his stuff.

So now we come to the lighter, which is in pretty immaculate condition far as I can tell. I'm pretty sure it's fully custom 925 silver because the outside isn't stamped zippo and I've never seen the design before, and it's got a map of Germany etched into it... And on this map is etched 22 cities and their names. Yes. The 22 cities he bombed. On the other side is simply "Remember me? 
Bill" 
That's some inglorious basterds Lt. Aldo Raine level taunting right there. Man hated the fucking Nazis and wanted to kill as many of them as humanly possible, as I suspect many back then did. 

Curious what a badass piece of history like this is worth, honestly, but I felt like you guys would enjoy the story here too. ✌️

Anyway, that's all I've got for you fine folks today. Have a good one :) 

Sharing a custom zippo lighter that I just came into possession of that was my grandfather's.