Neither here nor there

Remember Dan Esch? He’s back! In Zippo form!

Recently I got a message from one Daniel Esch. He listed for me half a dozen people with the same name scattered around North America. That’s remarkable given the rarity of our surname in this country, and it reminded me of a little item that’s been tucked away in my closet for years.

Sometime around 1994, I was visiting Denver when I stopped to look in the window of a pawn shop. There was a big display of Zippo lighters, easily the coolest thing about a vile and filthy practice that I was addicted to at the time. One right in the middle of the tray caught my eye immediately — it had my name on it.

Turned out it wasn’t actually my name. It said Don Esch, but between the cursive lettering and my confirmation bias, it sure looked like Dan to me.

“The Zippo Lighter Collectors’ Guide” tells me that the lighter dates from between 1950 and 1956, and if this thing got 40 years of use, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. The finish is worn off at the edges, the hinge is loose, and most of the black enamel that fills the engraved lines is missing. But being a Zippo, it still works perfectly.

Don Esch Heating and Sheet Metal doesn’t seem to have endured as well, however. I wonder if it was all the cigarettes.