The Great Lakes Lighter Club lit up the Marilyn Horne Museum on Friday as vendors participated in a “swap meet” on Friday.
According to Bill Kolk, president of the Great Lakes Lighter Club, this Bradford meet has exceeded all other meets held in Bradford in selling out vendor tables. Vendors from Canada, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Adam Borrowman, an avid Zippo collector from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., said that he started collecting lighters around 1983 because he used to smoke. Two of his favorite lighters are a 1940 lighter with his initials carved in it and an American flag lighter that was a Christmas gift from his kids.
Another Zippo collector of eight years, and a full-time dealer of two years, is Chuck Riley from Ithaca, N.Y. Riley’s interest in collecting lighters was sparked by two things: a gift from a coworker, a ruler with Zippo etched onto it, and a visit to the Zippo/Case Museum.
Riley described his favorite piece as a genuine World War II lighter.
“I was antiquing with a couple of coworkers and one of the guys came to me and said they found this lighter in an antique store. It was a World War II Zippo,” said Riley. He encouraged his friend to purchase the lighter from the store. Then at Christmas time when they exchanged gifts, Riley’s friend gave him the lighter as a gift.
There will be an auction today at 1 p.m. at the Marilyn Horne Museum with many unique lighters up for grabs. Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to bring Zippo lighter or Case knives to swap or sell. Doors open at 9 a.m.
