1982 4D Australian Light

Summary: Maglite sold lights to industry and governments as well as consumers. This light was sold to the Australian military as part of a large contract order in 1982.

I thought I would post about another light from my collection. It's not one of the most interesting or rare but it does have a good story. At first glance it looks like a regular old run of the mill 1981 to 1986 4D. It is serial 135,907. For those interested in the dating of the light I've covered that in my Quick Dating Guide. So, what makes this one special? For starters it is brand new and has never been used. It was ordered in 1982 as part of a large lot of approximately 2,000 or so lights by the Australian government for use in emergency preparedness packs for soldiers. Most of them went unused and were later sold as military surplus. They pop up once in a while on the large auction site and many were used by Australian citizens who purchased them on the cheap and were in need of a durable light.

This is a good example of Maglite's early push to expand beyond the U.S. market. While the U.S. market accounts for a majority of the sales each year Maglites are known globally as the gold standard in flashlights. While other manufacturers were selling only to the U.S. law enforcement market Maglite was one of the first durable premium flashlight manufacturers to expand and see the untapped potential in civilian and global sales.

So, here is my Australian 4D. The light is brand new and has never been used. It bears no special markings but did come with the sleeve that was issued in the emergency preparedness pack. The sleeve was produced by another contractor and is in the DPCU print, Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform print, also known as Auscam or Jelly Bean Camo. Unfortunately I don't know, or have a picture, of the contents of the rest of the emergency preparedness pack. I've heard that it was to be issued in the event of a natural disaster and contained other items like MREs, meals ready to eat, matches, and other survival items.

I should also note that Maglite has a long standing association with the military because of their durable, long running lights. I have 2 other military lights, one 2C light produced on a special order for the U.S. Air Force and a 2D customized by a U.S. Airman.

As always I'm looking to buy Vari-Beams and Vintage/Rare Mags. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.