Zippo Consumer Guide

The Zippo story begins in the early '1930s, at the BradlordCountry Club in Bradford, Pennsylvania. George G. Blaisdellwatched a triend fumbling to light a cumbersome Austrian-made lighter. The lighter worked well, even in the wind, but itsappearance was utilitarian and its use required two hands.

Mr. Blaisdell set out to refashion the Austrian liqhter into alighter that would look good and be easy to op;rate. Hefabricated a rectangular case and attached the top of thelighter to the case with a hinge. He retained the chimneydesign which protected the flame under adverse conditions,and one night in '1933 above a garage in Bradford,Pennsylvania, George G. Blaisdlll p-ushed the first insert intothe first case of what would be the first Zippo lighter. That firstlighter, currently displayed at the Zippolcase lvluseum inBradford, was more than 450 million Zippo lighters ago.

The name "Zippo" was coined by George Blaisdell as avariation of the word "zipper", simply because he liked thesound of it. The lirst Zippo lighters sold for $1.95 each. And,from the very beginning, every Zippo lighter has been backedby Mr. Blaisdell's unconditional guarantee that "lt works orwe lix it lreerM."

Every Zippo lighter tells a story Some ol those stories - andsome of the Zippo lighters - are priceless. The collectiblesmarket is extremely subjective, and any given piece is worthonly whatever someone else is willing to pay for it. Althoughthere are Zippo lighters that have brought quite a bit of moneyto the finder, collecting Zippo lighters is about fun, abouthistory about people. Zippo Manufacturing Company makesno claim as to how much a single lighter, however old or inwhatever condition, is worth.

Numerous books have been published about Zippo lightersand lighter collecting. For a current list of books, and for thelatest information about Zippo lighter collecting, visitZippo.com.

2

Spark Your Interest

The Zippoloase VisitorsCenter houses northernPennsylvania's mostvisited museum, theworld famous ZippoRepair Clinic, and aretail store containingthe most complete lineof Zippo and Caseproducts in the world.Visitors can browse theZippo/Case Museum ina seltguided tour ofengaging, interactive kiosks and exhibits that showcase lherich history of two American icons, Zippo lighters and Caseknives; or look on as skilled repair technicians back ourlifetime guarantee that "it works or we fix it freer".'

Like Zippo, W. B. Case & Sons Cutlery Company, a subsidiaryof Zippo since 1993, produces a legendary product, which hasbecome one of the most collectible items in the world.

The Zippolcase Visitors Center is located at 1932 Zippo Drivein Bradford, PA, ofi U.S. route 219, 10 miles south of l-86.Hours are lvlonday through Saturday, I a.m. - 5 p.m,Sunday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call the visitors' information lineat (888) GGB-1932, or visit Zippo.com lor information.

When it's not on tour, visitors can see the Zippo Car, anAmerican icon on wheels, at the Zippo/Case Visitors Center.The current Zippo Car, a replica of the 1947 original, wasmade in 1997 to commemorate the 50th anniversarv of the

Zippo product mobile.Visit Zippo.com toread more about

the mysteriousdisappearance otthe original Zippo Car.

€e-{-eA.k!-".*"..","-.""u)

GtUAffi,ANHGEHAry Zippo pocket lighte. when rcturned to oMfactot!,

villbc put tk fit.t.1o$ ne.hahi.al.on.li on ft?" uIcharSe.for w" havp t"t lo.harse a.cn! fot th" r"pait aI aZWo pocket liShte. regardless of aSe or cofldirion-

The linish, howete. is aot auara eed.This Stpruhtee Sires you specif. leqal rights and you nayako have other fishts which varj froh state to state. Other

Zippo products carry their own spe.ific warranties.

zi ppo' ;i#'iFi*Tl: ::-"'

Collecting and CollectiblesZippo windprool lighters enjoy a widespread and enviablereputation as valuable collectibles. N4illions of Zippo lighterfans throughout the world collect Zippo lighters to expresstheir interest in tattoo art, animals, sports teams, advertisingicons . . . the list of items commemorated on a Zippo lighteiis limitless. Every ship in the United States Navy has ita ownZippo lighter, and many significant historical events have beenimmortalized on the small metal collectible.

Some of Zippo's most collectible lighters are mentioned below.Log on to Zippo.com for more information on collectible Zippolighters.

Collectibles of the Year. 1992 - The first Collectible of the Year commemorated

Zippo's 60th Anniversaly with a peMer emblem onMidnight Chrome.

. 1993 - Mndy. The classic 1930's Varga Girl lookrecalled Zippo's first national advertisement in '1937.

. 1994 - The D-Day Commemorafiye saluted the 50thanniversary of "the longest day" with a black cracklesurtace and antiqued brass emblem patterned atter thesleeve patch worn by the Allied troops. Four-lightercompanion seI: Allied Heroes.

. 1995 - Mysteries ol the Forest, a fourlighter set,introduced a new Technigraphics imprinting process.Companion lighler Jaguar and Cub at Turtle Fa s.

.1996- Zippo Salutes Pinup Girls. Single iighter isJoan; companion set is the Four Seasors.

. 1997 .: Zippo's 65th Anniversary Commemorativelighter leatured an antiqued peMer emblem in theart-deco style, recalling the era of Zippo's founding.

. 1998 - The 1998 collectible celebrated the re-creationot the 1947 Zippo Cal, with an antiqued pewteremblem on a classic brushed chrome finish.

. 1999 - The l\ilillennium Edition, One Wo d, One Futurc,represented two Zippo lirsts: the use of TVD titaniumcoating and the lirst use of computer engraving on aCollectible of the Year.

. 2OOO - Keeper ol the Flame sym'olized respect,power, and control over man's most vitalelement - lire.

. 2OO1 - Hollywooct's Leacling Light saluted Zippo withits own Hollywood star on a new gold dust finish.

'2002 - The eleventh (and final) Collectible of the Year,Friencls tor a Lifetime commemorated ZiDDo's70th Anniversary.

4

Metallioues

From 1935 until 1940, Zippo decorated lighters withspecial appliqu6s called metalliques. lvletalliques arehandcrafted slices of chrome-plated brass, razor-thin at Jiveone-thousandths of an inch. Some of the most famous andfamiliar metalliques include Kendall Oil, two views of theReveler, the Scotty dog, and the 1939 World's Fair.

Table Lighters

Barcroft - Zippo's tirst table lighter, the #10 Tall Table Lighter,was produced in limited quantities between 1938 and 1941,and sold at retail for $7.50. Measuring 4.5 inches in height,the #10 had an inside unit with greater than four times the luelcapacity of a conventional Zippo windproof pocket lighter. In'1954, lollowing lour variations in size and conliguration, the#10 was renamed the Barcroft. The Barcroft was produceduntil 1979.

Lady Bradford - The elegantly curved Lady Bradford,introduced in 1949, is the first table lighter initially producedboth with and without a base. The stylish Lady Bradfordwas a recurrent prop on the set of the popular TV sitcomI Love Lucy.

Moderne and Corinthian - In 1960, Zippo introduced thelvloderne, a cylinder shaped table lighter and the Corinthian,an urn shaped table lighter. The Moderne was available inblack and rhodium, satin finish rhodium, and bright finishrhodium. The Corinthian was available in turouoise andrhodium, bright finish rhodium, and pearlescent rhodium.Both the Moderne and Corinthian were discontinued in 1966.

Handilile - lntroduced in 1979, Zippo combined theunique styling oI a traditional windproof pocket lighter with anattachable pedestal base to create the Handilite table lighter.

Lady Barbara - Launched in 1997 as part ot the 65thAnniversary accessories collection, the Lady Barbara wasadded to the Zippo line in 1998. The peMer Lady Barbarabase nested an antique silver plate lighter, which could beeasily lifted out for use or refilling.

Town & Country

Town & Country may be one of the most desirable collectors'series in the history of the company. This deeply engravedand multicolored series was illustrated with eight icons: themallard, the pheasant, the geese, the trout, the horse, theEnglish setter, the lily pond and the sloop or sailboat. To someZippo collectors and aficionados, Town & Country representsthe best of Zippo's surface treatment and lighter design.

Zippo Canada

An individually numbered silver-plated lighter, designatedas the final production run and limited to only 25,000 piecesworldwide, signified the end of an era when Zippo Canadaceased production in 2002, after 53 years of operation. As theNiagara Falls, Ontario factory was the only place olher thanBradford, PA where Zippo lighters were ever produced, lighterswith a Zippo Canada bottom stamp are highly collectible.

Black Crackle

From 1943 through the end of World War ll, Zippo's entireproduction was allocated to the armed forces. Because ofa shortage of raw materials during the war, Zippo lighters ofthat time were made of steel and dipped in a black protectivecoating to prevent rusting, then heat treated to a crackledblack finish.

Visit Zippo.com to learn about Zippo's admirable militaryservice and collectible lighters commemorating military unitsano evenIS.

General Care lnstructions forAll Zippo Lighters

. Depending on the finish, your Zippo windproof lightermight require special care to keep it looking new.Refer to the care instructions included with everyZippo lighter, or see care instructions on Zippo.comfor handling and cleaning of the finish. Remember,the Iinish is not covered by our lifetime guarantee.

. For optimum performance oI every Zippo windprooflighter, we recommend the use of only genuine Zippofluid and flints. For optimum perlormance of everyZippo BLU'" butane lighter we recommend genuineZippo premium butane gas and flints. For all Zippomultipurpose lighters, we recommend genuine Zippopremium butane gas.

Care instructions and helpful tips forZippo wi ndprool lighters :Removing the Insert

. Hold open lighter case by the hinge and opposingedges.

. Using the opposite hand, remove the lighter insert fromlne case.

Fueling Instructions. Open lighter; remove insert.

'Lift felt pad to reveal the packing material in the fuelcnamDer.

. Saturate the packing with Zippo lighter tluid.

. Fill slowly and do not overfill.

. Fleplace the insert back into the case.

Flint lnstallation Instructions. Open lighter; remove insert.. Unscrew the flint spring from the bottom of the lighter

insert, taking care to hold spring and screw firmly whenscrew is released.

. Remove screw and attached spring.

. Remove remaining flint from tube.

. Place new flint in tube and replace spring and screw.

'Tighten screw completely; otherwise lighter will notclose correctly.

. lf wheel binds after new flint is installed. turn the wheelbackward a few times.

Wick Trimming lnstructions. When the wick becomes black from carbon, pull it up

carefully with pliers until the clean wick appears.. Cut the wick even with the top of the chimney, then

straighten wick in chimney.

Wick Replacement Instructions. Open lighter; remove insert.. Unscrew the flint spring from the bottom of the lighter

insed, taking care to hold spring and screw tirmly whenscrew is released.

. Remove lelt pad and set aside.

. Using tweezers, remove all packing from tuel chamber,

.Insert a new wick downward through chimney, pullingthrough with tweezers.

'Replace packing in small pieces, interweaving the wickbetween the packing.

. Replace felt pad, flint and flint spring and screw.

. Tighten screw completely; otherwise lighter will notclose correctly.

. Cut the wick even with the top of the chimney, thenstraighten wick in chimney.

of lighter.

' Be sure that more than 1/8" ot luel is visible (th; lotnumbers visible through the viewing window can serveas a guide).

. Allow two minutes after fueling before use.

Removing vapor lock in BLU butane lighterVapor lock occurs when air gets inside the sealed tuelchamber of the lighter. lt can occur if the lighter and can arenot inverted during the fueling process. To remove vapor Iock:

. Invert lighter.

. Point the lighter away from your face and anyrgnnon source.

. Carefully bleed excess air trom the tank by depressingfill valve with tip of small screwdriver, point of scissors,or other small tool

. Refill with Zippo premium butane luel or anotherpremium brand of butane.

How to send your Zippo lighter for repairIt works or we fix it lreer". We guarantee it.

For important instructions on sending your Zippo lighterfor repair, please call Zippo consumer relations, or log onto Zippo.com and click on Fepairs.

Your lighter must be empty of any fuel or butane beforeshipping. Package your windproof lighter or BLU lightersecurely in an oversized box or padded shipping bag. Includeyour name, address, telephone number and email address ona note inside the package, along with description of theproblem you are experiencing with your lighter.

Insure your package, send via a trackable method to:

Zippo Repair Clinic1932 Zippo DriveBradford, PA 16701

Zippo will acknowledge receipt of your repair, if you includeyour email address. Your lighter will be repaired and returnedto you in first-class mechanical working order. The finish of thelighter is not guaranteed.

. napr""" fli" *ia"iinotched side of catfirmly down.

Bottom Stamp Date CodesAs with most collectibles, the date of manufacture of a Zippo lighteroften afiects its value. VaLuable iniormation on the bottom of everyZippo lighter can help you determine its date of manufacture. l\,4osl

lighters labricated between 1933 and 1957 can be identified by sty eand model and the patent or patent-pending marks.

Starling In the mid 50s, date codes were starnped on the botlom. TheoriginaL purpose was for quality control. The date codes have since

become an invaluable too for Zi00o collectors.

'1984 \ \ \1985 \\\1986 €) \ \1986 G to L'1987 A to L

1988 A to L

1989 Ato L

1990 A to L

1991 Ato L1992 A to L'1993 A to L

1994 A to L

1995 Ato L1996 Ato L

'1997 Ato L Xlll

1998 Ato L XIV

1999 Ato L XV

2000 AtoL XVI

2OO1 @ AtoL 01

2042 Ato L 02

2OO3 AtoL rOS-

2004 Ato L 04

2005 o AtoL 05

2006 AtoL 06

2OO7 Ato L 07

2008 AtoL 08

2009 Ato L 09

2010 Ato L 10

l

vtlVIII

IX

X

XI

xll

ZIPPO(t933 - t9s4l

The appearance of ihe word "Zippo" in thebottom stamp provides another clue to dating.There have been three major changes, asshown in inset. From 1933 to the mid 50s theword Zippo was stamped in block letters. TheZippo scripi logo was deveLoped jn the late 40sand was phased-in on the lighter bottom stamparound 1955. In the late 70s the logo wasredesigned. lt was incorporated into thebottom stamp in 1980.

TPPOzipp

(1955 - 1979)

(1980 - 2010'l

Begular Lighter ldentitication Codes

1933 Patent Pending

1937 - c.1950 Patent 2032695

1942 - 1946 Black Crackle, Patent 203695. Oc.1950'c.1957@ Patenl2517191

c.1950 - c.1957 @ Patent 25171g1wiih patent pending

1958 Patent Pending

o@

@

@

0n s0me lighters, th s n!mber was stamped in error, should have beenPatent 2032695.

Zippo recofds ndicate an overlap 0l bottom stamp conii0urations lfom1949-1957.

S0me lighters produced between 1955-57 were date coded; however,specillcs remain unclear

ln I979 an error was made in the date code. one of the s ash marks wasremoved lrom the eft of the Zippo trademark instead of be ng removedfrom the r 0ht; thus the cod€ read: / //. This date code error was c0rrectedw thin the sarne year to read: // /Eflective July 1 1986 ihe dot and slash system was r€placed by year /m0nth code. Year is cOded by Roman numeral; etter designaies month(A=January B=February, etc.)

Beg fning in 2001, the Romaf num€rals indicating the year were r€placedwith r'r!mbers c0ffesp0nding t0 the last d 0its of the year ol manulacture.

Tlre f rst Zippo BLUrM butane cases were made n 2005. The date c0de sIl e sa

_e for-at as 'egular wrn0pro0' q_te.s.

Slim Lighter ldentification Codes

Slim lighters were first introduced in 1956, with a flat bottomand no date code. The first markings were added in '1957 andoverlapped into 1958. From 1 957- 1965 the code configurationon the slim lighters ditfered from the regular lighters. From1966 on, the configuration has been the same.

te,

oo

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1966

1967

1968

'1970

'10

Ittl

tt!

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1e79 @

1980

1981

1982

1983

tlI

I

I

1957

1958

1959

1960

'1961

1962'1963

1964

1965

ItlItlIl

Zippo BLUril butane lighter

In 2005, Zippo began production of the Zippo BLU'" premiumbutane gas lighter.

Many of the iconic characteristics of the classic Zippowindproof lighter are carried over in the Zippo BLU lighter,including the trademark flint wheel ignition system, ruggedmetal construction, hinged lid, one-hand operation and thedistinctive 'click'. In addition, the Zippo BLU butane lighterleatures sieek and contemporary designs, a signature "Z"patterned chimney, large fuel tank and quick refilling options.

The butane-fueled Zippo BLU lighter delivers a hot,consistent, clean-burning blue flame, unlike the traditionalwindproof lighter which sports a yellow llame fueled by liquidlighter fluid. lvlade entirely in the United States, the productuses a patented two-stage burner technology that createsthe blue Ilame.

151

Spectrum200BrushedChrome

221.540Green Matte

207Street Chrome

30039High PolishChrome

30001VerticalChrome

38004.5 ozButane Gas

30027DustedChrome

I$-l

ItE

II

38011.9o2Butane Gas

239.538Navy lvlatte




ffi205Satin Chrome

230BrushedChrome



4ClBealtre€ Hardwoods@

1935BrushedChrome

769Black lce@

't 941BrushedChrome


20442Black Matte

21035Street Chrome

21067Black Matte

208s0High PolishChrome

21055Sapphire

20454Brushed Brass

21032Moss Greenl\ilatte

Gr---I20492Black lce@

tI20493SDectrum

20331BrushedChrome

20904 21027High,PolishChrome Spectrum

PBXSTAL

20446Sapphire


21061Candy AppleRed

20831Pink Matte

6zoGPbybyPu@Y3ndF3s|8ed


21193Street Chrome

21195Toffee

21204Black l\ilatte

@0@PB&JDeloi'E.A]FllhsB*gryd'

24016Street Chrome




24321Street Chrome

24331Licorice

24339Satin Chrome


24330Black Matte

24354Street Chrome

@m5

w@24338Street Chrome


24068BrushedChrome

24335Satin Chrome

24346Street Chrome

24082Candy Apple Red

chldoMuelgred,adgi'E{e

24096Black lce@

24150Black l\ilatte

24308Candy Raspberry


24268Satin Chrome

24355BrushedChrome

24375BrushedChrome

d|4GdbyFdMdd

24457BrushedChrome

24479Satin Chrome

i;it1srAt-


ffiffi24478Satin Chrome

i;$HrAL

250JD.427 254JD.428High Polish Chrome High Po ish Brass

24482Black lce@

28OMABBrushedChrome


142226Individual LighterDisplay Stand

'121203

Sea Foam121275Cabernet

121290Pearl

12FC12 oz. LighterFluid

121202Pink

275BrushedChrome

Wick CardZippo Wick

6FDZippo Flint6/dispenser

Gas

4FC4 oz. LighterFluid

IH-T

38004.5 ozButane GastI

IT

3801'1.9 ozButane

2OOPLBrushed ChromePipe Lighter

18

Documents

Zippo Consumer Guide