Winston ~ One of Our Strangest Objects

This 1950 Winston lighter is one of the strangest, most mysterious objects we've ever dealt with because it "disappears" and "reappears".

Here's the story . . .

The lighter was brought into our office in March 2018. It was dropped off by a young man who said the lighter belonged to his grandfather who passed away the year before. He planned to restore it until he started having paranormal experiences. He said everything was quiet the first six months after his grandfather's passing, then strong activity began, and it continued.

He said he saw his grandfather standing by the lighter on five different occasions. Three of the five times he smiled and spoke but the young man couldn't make out what he was saying. Twice, though, he appeared disturbed or angry and wouldn't look directly at the grandson. Another time, everything on his nightstand flew off to the floor except the lighter. The lighter was standing straight up. And several times the lighter "moved" from one room to another.

When he spoke to our business manager, he was extremely anxious and frightened. His grandfather was kind to him, but he lived in Las Vegas for several years during his youth and was involved in a murder there. The young man feels evil energy attached to the lighter during that incident.

The lighter has been in our studio for two weeks now (listing this on March 25). We haven't experienced anything significant, but the business manager has felt a presence next to it at different times. This item may become extremely active under the right circumstances.

This item is perfect for someone who wants to restore it for a quick resale. Or for the haunted item enthusiast who has the patience to wait for the spirit to "awaken" and is daring enough to deal with him after he does. :)

Update December 2022 -

We sold this lighter shortly after receiving it in 2018. We sent it to the person who purchased it in May of that year. She contacted us afterward explaining the lighter worked well, and that she was waiting for activity. She was also planning to restore it as a surprise for her husband. Now on to the strange part...

In March of 2020, we closed due to COVID-19. In December 2022, we obtained new items to sale, and we were going through the old items we had prior to the pandemic that we planned to relist. This lighter was among the items. We're absolutely certain it's the same lighter. The paint damage is in the same spot, and we only had one lighter like this.

Immediately, we tried to contact the woman who bought it. We were able to reach her son. He told us that she and her husband had both passed away. After giving our condolences, we inquired about the lighter. He said he was aware that his mother planned to restore a Winston lighter to give to his father, but he wasn't able to locate it. When we told him we somehow had it in our possession, he was totally freaked out. He told us to keep the lighter. He didn't want to have anything to do with it. So we've relisted it.

Update September 2023 -

We sold this lighter at the beginning of July to a woman named Theresa from Washington State. It was a private sale. We removed the lighter from the listings on our website and Etsy, wrapped it well and shipped it to her.

She received the lighter without issue and planned to restore it. She showed it to her son, her husband, and her brother before putting it inside a small box in her dresser drawer. She wanted to give it to her father for Christmas.

She made arrangements to bring it to a shop on September 1. When she lifted the box from the drawer, it felt light. She opened it, and the lighter was gone. She asked her husband and son if they moved it, and they said no. They didn't even know where it was stored. She looked everywhere in the house, the car, the yard, and even the garbage.

She was confused and upset when she contacted us. Annie, from customer care, happened to be at the office when Theresa reached out. Now Annie remembered what happened before with this lighter, so she went to the warehouse and looked around. She found the lighter! It was in the exact same place it was before we shipped it to Theresa!

So what's the explanation? Well, in theory, Theresa's husband or son could have found the lighter and secretly mailed it back to us. And someone here (Annie, Devon, Lolita, or the two Bloo Moon owners) could have placed it in the same spot it was before. But everyone asked said they didn't receive it back in the mail and hadn't seen it since it was shipped to Theresa. Only two of us here have access to the post office box, and only the owners have keys to the warehouse. 

Very strange happenings.

Theresa did not want the lighter back. If there's a paranormal explanation, there seems to be a pattern present.

It seems when someone plans to restore the lighter, it "disappears" and ends up with us. So we'd like to sell it to someone who has no intentions of restoring it and see what happens. If you're interested in this intense object and will leave it "as is", you just might be the right person for this piece.

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Story is for entertainment only.