Most people in lighter-collecting circles will likely have heard of IMCO, and if you haven’t, here’s a brief introduction: Basically, this theory states that if you’re interested in one of those areas, you’re likely to be interested in at least one of the other three areas. Shamefully for me – I’m interested in all four of those areas. So I’m screwed right off the bat! Haha…

IMCO windproof lighers are very versatile. Besides being used as a lighter for cigarettes and pipes they can also be used to light fireplaces, candles and campfires. These lighters are easy to fill with lighter fluid and have a replaceable flint. For something to qualify as ‘trench art’, it has to have been made by a soldier during either the First or the Second World War, while on the front lines (or while on active duty during the wars) using materials available on the battlefield. In the days before stainless steel, a lot of metal products were made of brass, because of its ability to resist rusting and most forms of corrosion. The biggest source of brass in Austria at the time was the millions and millions and MILLIONS of leftover shell-casings from the First World War. It’s been remarked by a number of people that those who collect one area of antiques will often branch out into other areas. Typically, for guys, at least, these areas are: unexpectedly gross things about living in a medieval castle on Living in a Castle – What was it Like?

If it’s not a trench lighter, and was never used in the First World War, and wasn’t even manufactured until at least a year or two after the war ended, then why is it even called a trench lighter? Where did it come from!? Aaanyway. Enough of that. I am creating this posting for the very real purpose of it being a public service to the collecting community, and the subject of this posting is, as the title says: IMCO lighters! Or specifically, one particular IMCO lighter, which I’ll be talking about later on. Note - some info is missing, as I don't own an early or middle period 6700, but I have seen some, so I've made some assumptions where the information seems obvious. Also, the dates of manufacture for all lighters are educated guesses.

A ‘trench’ lighter is a type of ‘trench art’. ‘Trench art’ is anything decorative or functional, handmade by soldiers while out in the fields or in the trenches during battle, or by soldiers recuperating or on-leave from the battlefront, using materials scavenged or saved or found on the battlefield. Usually such items are things like shell casings, bullet-casings, and metal from food tins or cans of meat and so on. Here are all the ways I know to differentiate the IMCO 6600, 6700, and 6800 from all periods of their manufacture, including the new Chinese-made versions. Was Sie nicht über Königin Victoria und das Kensington-System wissen on Victoria and the Kensington SystemBlowing gently on the captured sparks creates the necessary heat to ignite the rope, creating an ember. This ember can be used to light a cigarette or start a fire. Since it doesn’t require lighter fluid and doesn’t actually create a flame, the ‘foxhole’ lighter was popular with sailors, soldiers and campers, and anybody else who might need to start a fire without the aid of combustibles, matches or a conventional cigarette lighter. If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth”– Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda & Public Enlightenment.