U.S.S Hancock Zippo Lighter

A pocket lighter with applied art work.  The lighter is made by the Zippo lighter company of Bradford, PA.  The lighter has what is known as a "Town & Country" design applied  to the body.  This is done by hand applying paint to engraved patterns in the body.  Introduced in the 1940's, the application of the paint gradually evolved from painting by hand to silkscreen-type processes through the 1960's.  The later silkscreen versions are often referred to by collectors as "transitional". USS Hancock (CV/CVA-19) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. Hancock was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Founding Father John Hancock, who served as president of the Second Continental Congress and first governor of Massachusetts. Commissioned in April 1944, the Hancock participated in several Pacific Theater campaigns, earning four battle stars. Decommissioned shortly after the war, the carrier was later modernized and recomm