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 Style, Condition, Age
Style can signify the model, identifying it as a pocket lighter - regular or slim - or a table lighter, like the Barcroft or the Lady Bradford. Style can also refer to the decorative elements that distinguish lighters or groups of lighters. For example, does it have diagonal cuts or is it 1/4” taller than the current models, marks of some early Zippo lighters? Does it wear a metallique? Is it a Town & Country? This book will help you determine that.
What does condition mean? Condition means everything in lighter collecting (with the possible exception of sentiment.) To some collectors, it means that the lighter is as pristine as the day it was made. Never lit means “mint” to some aficionados.
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But here’s a rule of thumb: “Mint” generally means that the lighter is in superb condition. The chrome is in top shape. The lighter has all original parts. It has never been repaired. If painted or enameled, the colors are not chipped or scratched. The cam spring is strong. It opens with that distinctive Zippo lighter “click” and closes with that solid, reassuring “thunk”. Many collectors use a rating scale from “Mint” to “Excellent” to “Fine” to “Good” to “Fair” to “Poor”, depending on these variables of condition. And finally, does the Zippo windproof lighter still have its original packaging? Original boxes, labels, and printed inserts add considerably to the collectibility of the lighter.
Your Zippo lighter:
Determining the date of a Zippo lighter is fun and easy. Because Zippo founder George G. Blaisdell offered a lifetime guarantee, the bottom of each Zippo lighter made since the mid-1950s was encoded with a series of markings so he could identify which run of lighters was being returned for repairs. What began as a quality control tool for Mr. Blaisdell has become a collector’s dream and a way to precisely date most Zippo lighters. Over the years, the date code format has been modified, most recently in 2001.
Click here for the date codes chart.
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FYI: There are many Zippo
look alikes! As interest in
collecting Zippo lighters has
increased, so has the
manufacture of counterfeit
Zippo-style lighters. Zippo is
taking aggressive measures to
confront this problem.
In 2002, Zippo
Manufacturing Company
was granted trademark
protection for the shape of
the world famous Zippo
windproof lighter.
Many counterfeit lighters look
very much like the real thing.
This is especially true of
lighters depicting the designs
and sentiments of the Vietnam
War era.
Click here for more information on spotting a Fake Zippo.
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Zippo Myths - Bottom Stamp
Myth - The codes on the bottom indicate the quality of the lighter. Some individuals believe that an "A" lighter is better than an "H" lighter. For date codes including Roman numerals, the higher the Roman numeral, the higher the quality.
Fact - The codes on the bottom stamp are date codes indicating when the lighter was manufactured.
Myth - Lighters are manufactured by prisoners. The Roman Numerals at the bottom of the lighter indicate the length of prison sentence.
Myth - Lighters are manufactured by prisoners. The letters on the bottom stamp indicate their crime "R" for Rape, "M" for murder, etc.
Fact - Lighters are manufactured in Bradford, PA by employees who are paid for their service to the company.
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