2005 President Bush Inaugural AA Mini Maglites

Summary: These are one of the five Maglite "giveaway" lights and were produced for the 2005 Inauguration of George W Bush. There were 40,000 given away to those in attendance. They have special laser etching commemorating the event.

I've previously detailed all the rest of the official Maglite "giveaway" lights. These were lights that were made in large quantities for special, historical events and then given away for free by Mag Instrument. There were only 5 total and 3 of them were for inaugurations of President George HW Bush and George W Bush. The complete list is as follows:

1989 President George HW Bush Inauguration AAA Mini Maglites
1994 Lillehammer Olympics AA Mini Maglites
2001 President George W Bush Inauguration AA Mini Maglites
2001 9/11 Donation 3D Lights

Maglite has produced many custom laser etched lights through their special order program but these were all for orders placed by companies and the like. None of these were produced for Maglite for significant historical events. Maglite has also produced some other small quantity giveaway lights like for the opening of President Reagan's library opening and as giveaways at small events. However most of these were produced in quantities less than 100 which makes them especially rare or non-existent today. The 5 "giveaway" lights above were produced in quantities of the thousands or more and are generally regarded by collectors as being the 5 official Maglite "giveaway" lights and are well sought after over other laser etched lights.

I've been hunting for a 2005 President Bush Inaugural light for a long time and I'm not sure why but they are tougher to find than either the 1989 or 2001 Inaugural lights. 40,000 copies of each were supposedly produced but I almost never see the 2005 ones for sale. I was able to trade one of my rare Ferrari lights for this one with another collector. I often trade if I come across something I really like as I have a ton of lights and some duplicates. It's also sometimes the only way to get a unique light from another collector.

So, what is it? Well, if you've been reading my blog you'll know that Tony Maglica, the founder of Maglite, is a staunch republican. As such, he's created giveaway lights for the inaugurations of President George HW Bush and President George W Bush. Tony is extremely patriotic having come from almost nothing in Croatia to making a fortune selling the most popular and for a long time the most premium flashlight in America. He's also been very dedicated to American manufacturing and jobs, refusing to send his production outside the U.S. I imagine he wanted to give a little back to the country, and his political party of choice, by producing these giveaway lights.

A 2001 George W Bush Inaugural light is also shown above with this 2005 light. The 2005 lights aren't as unique as the 2001 lights because unlike those they have knurling on the barrel. I like the 2001 lights better because the inscription is more readable and they really look a lot cooler with the smooth barrel. I'm guessing they were probably given the knurling to differentiate them from the 2001 lights. Aside from the laser etching they are a standard blue AA Mini Maglite. I do not believe they were delivered with batteries or packaging unlike the 1989 lights. This was likely done to keep cost down and because so many of the 1989 lights were ruined when their owners left them with batteries for a long period of time after the inauguration.

With this light I am finally able to complete my Maglite "giveaway" collection. Shown below are all 5 of these lights together. These really are an interesting piece of Maglite and American History. I know it's a little after the 4th but I hope I'm not too late with this patriotic grouping of Maglites.

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