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Frank Sinatra
Original Vintage Ultra-RARE Elgin Cal Neva Lodge Lighter 

A Holy Grail of Frank Sinatra “Cal Neva Lodge” Collectibles.  The RAREST Lighter of em all!

 Over the past 41 years collecting Frank Sinatra memorabilia, I have owned Several of all the lighters Frank Sinatra use to hand out to friends and acquaintances. Including all the gold  “Thanks Sinatra” lighters and the gold Cal Neva lighters.  I thought I had seen them ALL!    

But,  apparently there was ONE EXTREMELY RARE specimen, that I never knew existed.   So, you can imagine why my jaw dropped when I encountered  this elusive Elgin Cal Neva gold lighter.    Furthermore, I have monitored all the auctions and estate sales and according to all the auction records, this lighter only popped up ONCE as ever having been sold in the past 20 years of auction data. .

A truly Museum Grade find !     For the first time in our 41 years collecting we are excited and proud to introduce the “Frank Sinatra Cal Neva” gold Elgin cigarette lighter.    I have no idea how many of these Frank Sinatra had made, but we do know there are only TWO we could find as having ever been sold (including this one) .   And for our customers that have been with us for the past 20 years, you have seen us offer several of the other Sinatra lighters, but you’ve Never seen this one. 

A Rare Sinatra Treasure we never knew existed and most certainly will never see again!   A must have for the serious Frank Sinatra Collector, fan and gift giver. 

Used condition, but a remarkable find!   

Size: about 1.75 x 2.25"

* See enlargeable images above and below

Cal Neva Lodge History:
During the time this item was made, Frank Sinatra was at a very high point in his life and career and figured that it would be great to partner up with buddy Dean Martin and silent partner, Chicago mob boss, Sam "Momo" Giancana, and others to run his own casino, the Cal Neva Lodge. However, Nevada gaming commission regulations prohibited the attendance of any known criminals at any of its licensed gaming facilities. Since the FBI was watching the Cal Neva closely, they reported that mob boss Sam Giancana did visit the facility and his presence was acknowledged by Frank Sinatra. As a result, Frank Sinatra lost his gaming license for the Cal Neva. Years later, in the early 1980s, Frank would redeem himself before the Nevada gaming commission and win his license back after grueling testimony by himself, Kirk Douglas, the Los Angeles sheriff, and many others. It's interesting to note that in Frank Sinatra's testimony, he stated that he never saw Sam Giancana at the Cal Neva.

As you can see from above, this particular Cal Neva lighter from Frank Sinatra's ownership is highly collectible and desirable not because of any hype but because of its true value derived from (1) the richness of this true story; (2) the rarity of this item; (3) the condition and appearance of this item; AND (4) the fact that this was the only time in Frank Sinatra's life that he owned a casino outright, even though it was for only 2 years. and (5) the MOST RARE Cal Neva Lighter !

UPDATE:
We found the Patent for this Elgin lighter online and will include a copy to the new owner.   The patent was applied for in December 1958,  just in time to make it available to the Frank Sinatra Cal Neva Lodge in 1961.     * See below image of the lighter Patent diagram.