~ Original 1936 Olympics Cigarette Lighter ~
A large original commemorative lighter from the controversial 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin in what was then Nazi Germany.
This stunning chrome plated metal lighter is in the typical style of the era with the mechanism uncovered to the top.
It is engraved to the front ‘Olympia 1936’ below the iconic symbol of the Olympic Games; that of the five interlocking rings in coloured
enamel.
The lighter is otherwise plain.
The lighter has the makers mark to the base of ‘KW, Brevet’.
The base is removable to access the lighter fluid well.
~ Dimensions ~
The lighter measures 7.5cm wide, 2.5cm deep and is 9.5cm in height.
It weighs 305g.
~ Condition ~
The lighter is in a superb condition with very light wear.
It has one tiny chip to the chrome which is on the reverse side and some light pitting just under the mechanism but otherwise the
lighter is free from scratches and is undamaged.
The lighter is in working order and still sparks.
~ 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics ~
The 1936 Olympics were held in a tense, politically charged atmosphere. The Nazi Party had risen to power in 1933, two years after
Berlin was awarded the Games, and its racist policies led to international debate about a boycott of the Games.
Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler saw the Games as an opportunity to promote his government and ideals of racial supremacy. Fearing a
mass boycott, the International Olympic Committee pressured the German government and received assurances that qualified
Jewish athletes would be part of the German team and that the Games would not be used to promote Nazi ideology. Adolf Hitler’s
government, however, routinely failed to deliver on such promises.
Only one athlete of Jewish descent was a member of the German team; pamphlets and speeches about the natural superiority of the
Aryan race were commonplace; and the Reich Sports Field was draped in Nazi banners and symbols.
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