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A silver cigarette case that stopped a bullet from injuring a soldier during World War I could be worth thousands of dollars when it goes up for auction later this month.
The case belonged to Second Lieutenant William Alexander Lytle and was given to him by his wife before he headed off to battle, according to the British news agency SWNS.
Lytle kept it in his breast pocket and one fateful day, while he was in battle with German soldiers, he was shot in the chest. The now-dented cigarette case took the full brunt of the bullet and saved Lytle's life.
A dented and damaged silver cigarette case, which appears to have taken the full force of bullet, has been unearthed by Hansons Auctioneers – and an ageing note tucked inside reveals its secrets. (Credit: SWNS)
“Many soldiers kept hard objects in the breast pockets of their army uniforms in a bid to protect themselves from enemy fire," Adrian Stevenson, militaria expert at Hansons Auctioneers, said in comments obtained by SWNS. “Cigarette cases, shaving mirrors and pocket Bibles were popular."
Stevenson continued: “A bullet potentially heading for the heart could be stopped in its tracks by objects such as this, particularly if it was reaching the end of its trajectory. Consequently, these objects have gained historical significance. They provide us with an insight into how young men who lived a century ago dealt with the grave dangers faced in the trenches in the war to end all wars.”
Lytle, who served with the 1/6th Battalion Notts & Derbyshire Regiment, Sherwood Forester, was later awarded the Military Cross for bravery and would also serve in World War II.
Info on the back of William Lytle's photo. (Credit: SWNS)
WWI GRENADE FOUND IN POTATO SACK IN CHIP FACTORY
Along with the cigarette case is a note attached to the back of it that reads: “This silver cigarette case was given by my mother to my father during the 1914-18 war. He carried it with him in the trenches in his breast pocket where it was struck by a spent bullet. He was unharmed. – JE Lytle.”
Stevenson added that Lytle's family did not believe their catalog, which included some medals he received during both wars, were worth anything. However, the addition of the cigarette case raised the sale estimate to be worth between 1,000 and 2,000 British pounds, or approximately $1,289 to $2,580.
Second Lieutenant William Lytle, aged 22, in France and the cigarette case. (Credit: SWNS)
The auction is slated for Nov. 22.
In March, a 19th-century penny that miraculously saved the life of another British World War I soldier sold at auction for 4,500 British pounds.
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