Does anyone know anything about this piece which I'm guessing is a cigarette case. Has anyone ever seen anything like this. I'm guessing the lettering is a town in China. The US military was still there as I understand observing the Nationalist Chinese Forces who were fighting the Communist Chinese. Or is it simply a tourist item. Any ideas.

Peiping is now called Bejing, host of the most recent Olympics.

Does anyone know anything about this piece which I'm guessing is a cigarette case. Has anyone ever seen anything like this. I'm guessing the lettering is a town in China. The US military was still there as I understand observing the Nationalist Chinese Forces who were fighting the Communist Chinese. Or is it simply a tourist item. Any ideas.

 

That was made to hold a Zippo lighter. Here's one that came from the estate of a Marine officer who was stationed in China in 1946:

 

A nice piece to have.

With a cool detailed Chinese dragon.

 

Erwin

How long is that one? I an now wondering if it is indeed a cigarette or match case since it does not have a hinge.

Thanks for everyones input as I know a great deal more than I did which is why this forum is great! Sorry about the photos not showing scale but this is much larger than a Zippo.

Thanks for everyones input as I know a great deal more than I did which is why this forum is great! Sorry about the photos not showing scale but this is much larger than a Zippo.

 

So that would be a cigarette case and I'll bet there was a matching lighter to go with it.

Civilian or military? My guess, since it does not have a unit, rank, "witty ditty" jargon or any other military designation is that it could have been either. Craftsmen who make these things are not real particular as to who they sell them to. Now if you ask yourself who would have been in Peking in 1946, they would have to have been someone with an interesting life story either way!

 

Now if we get a Zippo collector on here who could tell us these were special made for a unit or organization, that would settle it. There are Zippo collector's organizations, and I think the company also maintains a website. You might want to run it by them... but you have to promise that if you get a definitive answer you have to come back and share it with us!

Civilian or military? My guess, since it does not have a unit, rank, "witty ditty" jargon or any other military designation is that it could have been either. Craftsmen who make these things are not real particular as to who they sell them to. Now if you ask yourself who would have been in Peking in 1946, they would have to have been someone with an interesting life story either way!

 

Now if we get a Zippo collector on here who could tell us these were special made for a unit or organization, that would settle it. There are Zippo collector's organizations, and I think the company also maintains a website. You might want to run it by them... but you have to promise that if you get a definitive answer you have to come back and share it with us!

 

I would imagine that the North China Marines of 1945-46 were the primary customers for English-language souvenirs in that period as well being the last large contingent of English-speakers in China prior to the final Communist takeover in 1949. There were some US State Department types, but considering the Japanese occupation followed by Mao's "war of liberation," 1946 China was not attractive to tourists, missionaries or anyone else not sent there by the US government.

 

That Zippo I showed above with "Duke" on it was made for Marine Capt. Edward "Duke" Dickson when he was stationed in post-war China at Marine Air Base 2 at Tsingtao (he was an intelligence officer with Marine aviation units).

 

I picked this cigarette case up at the flea market today for five dollars. I don't know if this was a bring back by US military personnel right after WW2 but it looks pretty old. There are no markings except the Chinese characters on the front.