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Welcome to theWorld of ZippoCollectiblesZippo windproof lighters representone ol the fastest growing categoriein the world of collectibles. ZiDoowindproof lighters are bought, soldand traded by thousands of enthusiastifans from nearly every continent.Since 1932 Zippo ManUfacturingCompany has manufactured over 25million windproof lighters. Unfortu-nately it as not possible to depictexamples of all the dilferent modelsof Zippo lighters. This guide illustrat€a selection of the most Dooularcollectibles. lt is not our intention totell you which lighters to collect. Acollectible is any Zippo lighter thatyou feel is worth keeping.The illustrations and coding chart, olpages 24-27, will help you determinlthe age ol the lighters you collect.The coding chart indicates, throughdating process of dots and slashes,when lighters were manufactured.This information is located on thebottom of each Zippo lighter.For further information contact:

Customer Service DeDartmenZippo Manutacturing Compan33 Barbour StreetBradford, PA'16701

'Build ]our prodrct rfl| i*gfu. . . stand behhd it lfi)% idsuccess will follow."

Geo.ge G. BlaisdellFounder Zippo Manliactu.r€ _-.r,-_i

See the zippo historical lighter collection and corporate memorabiliafrom Zippo and its subsidiary, Case Cutlery Co. at the Zippo Family Storeand Museum.

The Zippo Family Store and Museum is located on Congress Slreetnext to the Zippo Factory in Bradlord, Pennsylvania.Hours are 9:00-5:00 Monday-Friday (Saturday hours are seasonai.'

Please note that the Zippo lightetsshown in this guicle arc tot histo calinlomation only- Since we no longerptoduce these models, they are notavailable tor ,,lrchase lrcn ZippoManulactuing Company-

Phone: (814) 368-2863

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1935- 19361935 - This year marked the beqinninoof the specialty advertising buiinesilor Zippo. Customer trademarks weredesigned from small metaliques thatwere glued to the case and color filled.1936 - The hinge was removed fromthe outside of the case and Dlaced onthe inside. Only the hinge barrel wasvisible. This was one of the earlvsamples of personalization. The;ehave been many variations addedsince lhen.

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1932-19341932 - The lirst Zippo lighters weresquare-cornered and formed fromrectangular brass tubing. Top andbottom pieces were soldered to thehollow tubing to form the lid andbottom of the case. The hinge wassoldered on the outside and chrorne-DIated.

1933 - Although the lighter still hadsquare corners and the hinge on ttEoulside, it was shortened onequarEIncn.'1934 - D€corative diagonal lines urreengraved across the top and bottmof the lighters.

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1937 -19431937 - This was the beginning of ttrbrass drawn case with a rounded bpand bottom. As a result of the roun#edges, the lid and bottom could be to(rfd.as a whole, eljminating the solderingprocess necessary on earlier models.

1939 - The 14 karat solid gold lighterwas introduced. lt was available in bdr 'a plain model and an engine-tumed rnd1943 - Due to shortaqes of brass ardchrome during World-War ll, cases Emade of porous steel and oainted ',rat ablack crackle finish, Zippo'b entireproductjon was distributed to Armyexchanges and Naval ships'stores-WWll black crackle lighters werestamped "PATENT #203695". Otherlighters produced 1937-1950 werestamped "PATENT 2032695".

Praised in countless wartime stories. t€Zippo windproof lighter played an- rmportant oart in World Urar

ll lore. Ernie Pyle, the leg-endary war correspondenLwrote: "The Zjppo lighter is .in great demand on thebattlelield . . . (it) is the moslcoveted thing in the Army.-

1946- 1950

1946 - Following the war, caseswere drawn from nickel silver only.An indented can style bottom wasincorporated.

1947 - Town and Country designsfeaturing a pheasant, mallard, geese,sailboat, trout, setter, and horse wereadded to the line. These designs werethe first to be formed with Dlasticmasks and air brushed. They werethen colored with enamel paint andbaked to harden the paint.

1950 - Full cover leather lighterswere introduced. The colors availablewere red, blue, green, tan calfskin,and English Moroccan grain leatherwith a gold leaf border. A new seriesof sterling silver lighters also becameavailable in a plain finish or anengine-turned design.

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1951- 19551951 - During the Korean War, Zippocases were manufactured from sleeluntil late 1953 when they returned tothe chrome plated brass. The fullcov-er leather lighter was replaced by awrap-around application lorthe lid andbottom. These were available in brownalligator, red, brown and green reptileand black or blue Moroccan leather.

1955 - Silver filled and gold filledlighterswere designed and introduced-

1955- 1960

1956 - Late in 1956 the slim Ziooolighter was added to the line. ltaopeared as a drawn brass case with ahigh polish finish.

1957 - Slim lighters in gold filled andsilver filled styles were manufactured.Commercial trademarks on liohtersbecame available. The chemicaletching and color fill process wasperfected. This Drocess enabledZippo to produce the most intricateand detailed designs in any number ofcolors, A manufacturer's coding tablewas also developed in 1957. Variouscombination ot dots and slashesare stamDed on the bottom of alllighters. These marks indicate whatyear the lighter was manutactured(see pages 26 and 27).

1960 - The slim 14 karat gold lighterwas introduced.

There are millions of Zippo lightersetched with trademarks in existence today.

1959- 19701969 - In honor of the NASA moonlanding, a Moon Landing lighterseries was develoDed. The seriescontinued through the years into the1980's with the latest in the line belngthe Space Shuttle des:gn.

1970- In keeping with the jnterests olthe early 70's, Zippo introduced aZodiac lighter series. All twelveZodiac signs were available on slimlighters only.

1972-r974'1972 - Zippo developed a new andlasting concept in the application oflighter designs when the woodgrainmodel was introduced. Pressuresensitive vinyl appliques, simulating awoodgrain design, were placed onthe lighter case. Lighters featuringNational Football League helmetswere introduced this year.

1974 - During this year, the Venetiandesign lighter became available.

1'10

19761976 - In celebration of our nation's2o0th birthday, a commemorativeBicentennial lighter was manufac-tured. Also in 1976, the cotdenElegance series was introduced. Inkeeping with the clothing fashion atthat time, Zippo developed adenim-look lighter.

1977 -19801977 -The handsome Golden Tortoisewas added to the Zippo line this year.An acrylic chip was attached to alighter case, transforming it into theattractive Torloise. A small area of thelighter was reserved tor initials.

1978 - An acrylic chip is again used tomake the colorful Ultralite series.

1980- During this presidential electionyear, Zippo introduced two politicalmotif lighters. One design featured adonkey's head in representation ofthe Democratic party and the otherdesign featured an elephant's headfor the Republican party.

'li

1982 - 19841982 - ZiDoo celebrated its 50thAnniversary with an original designbrass Iighter, which featured the firstdiagonal lines and a seal reading,''Fifty years and glowing stronger".The Scrimshaw design lighters werealso introduced. For those whosmoke pipes, Zippo developed a pipelighter. This lighter was different fromothers because it was produced withone large hole in the chimney ratherthan several smaller ones. The largehole makes it easier to light a pipe byallowing the tlame to be drawnthrough it and into the pipe.

I

1

PBESIDENNAL LIGHTERSAmong the special Iighters developedby Zippo is a patriotic series thatcommemorates the Presidents of theUnited States.

EMBLEMSAlso making a handsome addition toyour collection are lighters decoratedwith the emblems ol many fraternalorganizations and the military.

1984 - The black powder coat wasiniroduced. lt is aDDlied electrostatic-ally to the brass case. Soon alter,Iourmore colors were introduced: blue,burgundy, green and grey. Ayearlaterthe imprinted Zippo logo and a borderwere added.

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1986 - 19881986 - The camouflage lighter wasintroduced. The design is surfaceprinted in two colors on the mattegreen powder coat. lt is available inregular and slim models. Manypowder coat lighters are surfaceimprinted with logos.

1988 - The 1932 replica was intro-duced. lt is an exact reoroduction ofthe original Zippo lighter produced in1932.

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1990 - 19921990 - In the Wild West Indians,gunfighters and sheriifs becamelegends. This series of six lightersdepicts the pony express, coveredwagons and the railroad opening newterritories in America.

1990 - Presidential Series

Zippo honored six popular presidents:George WashingtonDwight D. EisenhowerRonald ReaganJohn F. KennedyFranklin D. RooseveltAbraham Lincoln

1991 - CivilWar SedesThis collection featured beautif ulcolor illustrations of those courageoussoldiers who fought tor the Unionand Confederate armies of the U.S.Civil War.Union Army;

Militiaman - Infantryman - CavalryTrooper - Petty OfficerConfederate Army:

Cherokee Rifleman - Cavatry Trooper- Infantryman - Prison Guard

1993 - 1994Cool and contemporary, the GeometricCollection featured an exotic groupof six Zippo lighters consisting of -orange grid, symmetric circles,assorted symbols, varied geometrics,modern abstract and cartoon abstract.

Richly opulent, the Toledo Collectionleatured the ancientart of damasceneengraving. Damascene is the tech-nique of encrusting gold, silver orcopper wire on a surface of iron, steelor bronze. This technioue reached itspinnacle in design and beautythroughthe craftsmanship ol the artisans ofToledo, Spain. Zippo commissionedfourdamascenedesigns, eachwith plaques onthe front andback of thelighter.

rVintage Grand Prix of Watkins Glen. AIso new in1993 was the Zippo Motorsports Collection featur-ing popular NASCAR drivers and Winston Cupgraphics. The following year, Zippo signed on withTeam Kendall as an associate sDonsor of SabcoRacing s +40 NASCAR entry.

The Corvette Collection commem-orated the 40th anniversary of thepopular American sports car.Featured in the series were the1953-57-63-69-78-86 and the1991 models.

Zippo commemorated the breaking ofan 83-year tradition at IndianapolisMotor Speedway as NASCAR driverstook the track in the Inaugural Runof the Brickyard 400.

1993 - 1994

Smotortportt

Zippo entered the exciting world of motor- llsports in 1993 with sponsorship ol the U.S.

In tribute to Watkins Glen andthe U.S. Vintage Grand Prix,Zippo created a Vintage Collec-tion of thirteen special editionproducts imprinted with one ofthree racy Watkins Glen logos.

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COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEARIn 1992, its 60th Anniversary year, Zippo introduced the 6othAnniversary Commemorative Lighter in a collectible tin.Customer and collector response was so great thatthe traditionhascontinued with a newcollectible lightereach year. Availablefor only a limited time, the early sets have already becomehighly-prized editions for collectors.

1992-6OTHANNIVERSABYLIGHTERZippo introduced this limitededition midnight chromel:ghter with pewter 60thAnniversary emblem. Eachlighter was displayed onplush velour platform in adecorated tin.

1993 - THE VARGA LOOK

The Varga Girl, Windy, was introducedin 1937 in Ziooo's first national ad.The 1993 collectible lighter featuredWindy cast in pewter and attachedto the lighter as a two-surfaceemblem. She was also pictured on thelid of the collectible tin.

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1994. D.DAYCOMMEMORATIVELIGHTER

Zippo saluted the SOth anniversary ofD-Day with its 1994 commemorativelighter. lts black crackle surface replicatedthe famous World War ll iinish, and theantique brass emblem was patternedafter the sleeve patch worn by Alliedtroops. Gen. Eisenhower's inspirationalJune 6, 1944 message to the troops isreprinted inside the lid of the roundcollectible tin.

Also introduced in 1994 was theAllied Heroes Set which salutedthese legendary war heroes: Gen.Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen.Charles de Gaulle, Gen. Bernard L.Montgomery, and Lt. Gen. Omar N.Bradley (see page six for additionalinformation about Zippo wartimelighters).

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COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR1995 - MYSTERIES OF THE FORESTIMThe '1995 Limited Edition collectiblesmarked several firsts for Ziooo. For thefirst time, the images on lhe lighters in aset combined to present a larger picture.It was the first Limited Edition to useZippo's exciting new TechnigraphicrMprocess. And for the first time, the singlelighter, Jaguar and Cub at Turtle FallsrM,shared a graphic connection with the fourlighter Mysteries of the ForestrM set.

1996-ZIPPO SALUTES PINUP GIRLSSixty years ago, a beautiful young woman intro-duced the Zippo windproof lighter to the wofld inZippo's first national advertisement. Zippo SalutesPinup Girls paid tribute to "Windy" and the "wind-proof beauties" that followed her. Zippo's Pinup ofthe Year was Joan, the 1996 Collectible. The FourSeasons four lighter companion set introducedHolly, April, Sommer, and lda Redd, a collectiblebeauty for each season of the year

ZIPPO TABLE UGHTERS

A. BarcroftZppo's first table lighter, the #'10 Tall Table Lighter was producedbetwe€n 1938 and 1941. lt was 4.5" tall and 6eld four times as muchtuel as a pocket lighter.B. A slightly shorter *10 was introduced in 1947 as the Deluxe AllPurpose Table Lighter. In '1950, it was shortened to 3.5", and in 1953,began to utilize the same inside unit as a Zippo pocket lighter. The #10was renamed the Barcroft in 1954, and was produced until 1979.C. Lady BradlordThe elegantly curved Lady Bradford was introduced in 1949. lt had nobase, and used a large inside unit, both features that were changed inthe 1950 model. The Lady Bradford was discontinued in 1951 .

D..E. Moderne and CorinthianThe Moderne and Corinthian table liohters were both introduced in1960. each in three different finishes: Both were discontinued in 1966.F. tlandiliteIn 1979. Zppo introduced the Handilite, a pedestal base thatt-arFbrmed almost any pocket lighter into a table model. 2i

LIGHTER MUSE(IMSMan's first discovery was fire; his first invention was a way to make it. Asexplained in the book,The Bifth of the Lighlel:'The history of the lightercan be lraced back to the harnessing of lire, one of humankind's mostessential and Dowerful discoveries. Since the lirst sticks and stoneswere rubbed together in caves across Africa, Asia and Europe, lireplayed an unprecedented, pivotal role in the economies and religions ofcountless early civilizations."

Several museums are dedicated to lighter preservation and educationabout the history of portable flame, Lighter museums leaturing Zippoand other lighters are:

Zippo Family Store and MuseumLocated on Congress Street adjacentto the Zippo factory in Bradford, PA.

Mailing address:33 Barbour Street

Bradford, PA 16701Phone: (814) 368-2700

National Lighter Museum'107 South 2nd StreetGuthrie, OK 730,14

Phone: (405) 282-3025

BOfiOM

COLLECTORS CL(IBSlt lou're interosied in learninq more about the wortd ol lighter coll€cling. please contad oneor'these clubs. Members coilect Zippo lighlors and many other types of lighling devices

Zippo Club ]tallalnt.295Via Ciro Menotli, 2/A20129 MilanoITALY

L'Accendinovia L. Sartoria No. 531100 - TrevisoITALYAttn: Umbeno de concilioPresidentTeVFax:010 39 422 30 17 99

Lighter Club ol JaPan3-39-2 NakanoNakano-KuTolqo, JAPANAttni \tu,i HirayamaTel: 03 5385 5801Fax: 03 5345 5804

On The Lighter Slde (OTLS)lmsrnalional Lighier CollectorsPO. Box 536Ouitman, Tx 75783-0536 USAAtln:Judith SandersTel: 903-763-2795Fax: 903-763-4953

Pod(el Lighter Preservation Guild (PLPG)I 1 220 W. Florissant, #400Florissant, [4O 63033 USAAtln: Ronald EyerkussId:.314-731-2411Fax 314-831"3182

Liglrle. Club of Grcat Brllaln36'lA Whiteho6e FoadOqdon, SurreyM 2HS ENGLANDL'|: Ridard Ball&r 61 665,9578k 0€1 665-9579

Rr& und Flemme (FUDht rElional Lighter Collecto6' Clubfrsrh.f| 30CH€4'3 OBEREGGSIflffZERLANDlttr: Roll MullerTetlFax: O71 91 1322

Lighter Museum of HollandPostbus 27

5670 AA NuenenThe Netherlands

As the style ot Zippo lighters has changed overthe years, so has the design of the zippo logothat is engraved on the bottorn of each lighler.

Since the late 50's, the bottom ot every Zippolighter has featured a series of dots and slasheswhich serve as code marks. When matched tothe manufacturer's coding chart on the follow-ing pages, you can determine what year thelighters were produced. Here are representa-tive samoles.

G19/|i}re1946

ffi1953ffi1958

5F1980w1986

2524

1932

zJlp|m. LtcHrER tDENTtFtcATtoN coDESYEAR REGULAR sL VI

LEFT RIGHT RIGHT1932 Patent Pending1937 Patent 2032695*1950 Patent 25171911957 Fullstamp with patent pending

1958 Full stamp, no patent pending

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966 tl ll l l l

1967 ltl tl l

1968 l l l t

1969 l tl l tl1970 tl tl1971 tl I

19721973

197 4

1975't976

1977

1978

1979

26 'For description of dating code on WW black crackle light€r, see page 6.

Apnp. LTGHTER tDENTIFtcATtoN coDESYEAR LAR sL VI

LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT

1980

1981

1982

1983

19&t

1986

EFFECTIVE 7.1€6 THE ABOVE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED BYYEAR/LOT CODE, YEAR IS NOTED WITH ROMAN NUMERAL/

LETTER DESIGNATES LOT l\TONTH (A=JAN., B=FEB. etc.l

1$6 AtoL n SAME AS REGULAR

1S7 AtoL III SAME AS REGULAR1S AtoL IV SAME AS REGULAR

lSl AtoL SAME AS REGULAR

tg) AtoL VI SAME AS REGULAB

1Sl AtoL VII SAME AS REGULAB'tw AtoL VIII SAME AS REGULAR

1gt3 AtoL IX SAME AS REGULAR

194 AtoL x SAME AS REGULAR'r995 AtoL XI SAME AS REGULAR't9!16 AtoL XtI SAIVIE AS REGULAR

1S97 AtoL XIII SAME AS REGULAR

1S8 AtoL XIV SAME AS REGULAR

1gI9 AtoL XV SAME AS REGULAR

m AtoL XVI SAME AS REGULAB

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GILL$IF€,"\I\ITEE

Zippo lounder George G. Btaisdetl suffounded by Zippo memorabjtia.