Vintage Zippo Lighters date back to 1933. The Zippo Lighter gained its popularity during World War 2 when the Zippo company started releasing lighters with all the insignias off all of the navy ships in its fleet. This was the beginning as to why these Zippo Lighters became such collectibles. These Navy Zippo Lighters are some of the most highly coveted vintage Zippo Lighters around. Many of the Navy personnel and there families still covet these lighters which makes it harder to find these vintage Zippo Lighters for sale.
There is a date code on the bottom of a Zippo and that tells you how old your vintage Zippo Lighter is. When looking for a vintage Zippo Lighter for sale you may want to know what codes the Zippo Lighter has on the bottom to ensure that you have a truly authentic Zippo Lighter.
Below is a complete chart of the Zippo date codes.
| Year |
Regular
Lighter
Left Side |
Regular
Lighter
Right Side |
Slim
Lighter
Left Side |
Slim
Lighter
Right Side |
| 1933 |
Patent
Pending |
|
|
| 1937 |
Patent
2032695 |
|
|
| 1942-1946 |
Black
Crackle, Patent 203695
(This number was stamped in error, it should have been Patent 2032695.) |
|
|
| c.1949-c.1957 |
Patent
2517191
with patent pending |
|
|
|
Zippo
records indicate an overlap of bottom stamp
configurations from 1949-1957. Also, some
lighters produced between 1955-57 were date
coded, however, specifics remain unclear.
The date coding was fully in effect by 1959.
|
| c.1951-c.1957 |
Patent
2517191 |
|
|
| 1957 |
|
|
.
. . . |
.
. . . |
| 1958 |
Patent
. . . . |
2517191
. . . . |
.
. . .
. . . .
|
.
. . .
. . .
|
| 1959 |
.
. . . |
.
. . |
.
. . |
.
. . |
| 1960 |
.
. . |
.
. . |
.
. . |
.
. |
| 1961 |
.
. . |
.
. |
.
. |
.
. |
| 1962 |
.
. |
.
. |
.
. |
. |
| 1963 |
.
. |
. |
. |
. |
| 1964 |
. |
. |
. |
|
| 1965 |
. |
|
|
|
| 1966 |
| |
| | |
| |
| | |
|
| 1967 |
| |
| | |
| |
| |
| 1968 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| 1969 |
| |
| |
| | |
| 1970 |
| | |
| | |
| 1971 |
| | |
| |
| 1972 |
| |
| |
| 1973 |
| |
|
| 1974 |
//// |
//// |
| 1975 |
//// |
/// |
| 1976 |
/// |
/// |
| 1977 |
/// |
// |
| 1978 |
// |
// |
| 1979 |
An
error was made in the date code. One of the
slash marks was removed from the left of
the Zippo trademark instead of being removed
from the right; thus the code read: /
//.
This
date code error was corrected within the
same
year to read:
// /. |
| 1980 |
/ |
/ |
|
| 1981 |
/ |
|
| 1982 |
\\\\ |
\\\\ |
| 1983 |
\\\\ |
\\\ |
| 1984 |
\\\ |
\\\ |
| 1985 |
\\\ |
\\ |
| 1986 |
\\ |
\\ |
|
Effective 7/1/86 the above
system was replaced by year/lot code. Year is noted with
Roman Numeral, the letter on the left designates lot month
(A=Jan., B=Feb., etc.)
| Year |
Regular & Slim
Lighters
Left Side |
Regular & Slim
Lighters
Right Side |
|
| 1986 |
G to
L |
II |
|
| 1987 |
A to
L |
III |
|
| 1988 |
A to
L |
IV |
|
| 1989 |
A to
L |
V |
|
| 1990 |
A to
L |
VI |
|
| 1991 |
A to
L |
VII |
|
| 1992 |
A to
L |
VIII |
|
| 1993 |
A to
L |
IX |
|
| 1994 |
A to
L |
X |
|
| 1995 |
A to
L |
XI |
|
| 1996 |
A to
L |
XII |
|
| 1997 |
A to
L |
XIII |
|
| 1998 |
A to
L |
XIV |
|
| 1999 |
A to
L |
XV |
|
| 2000 |
A to
L |
XVI |
|
|
| Year |
Regular
and Slim
Lighters
Left Side |
Regular
and Slim
Lighters
Right Side |
Zippo Multi-Purpose
Lighter
|
|
Left Side
|
Right Side
|
| 2001 |
A to L |
01 |
|
| 2002 |
A to L |
02 |
D to L
|
|
| 2003 |
A to L |
03 |
A to L
|
03
|
| 2004 |
A to L |
04 |
A to L
|
|
| 2005 |
A to L |
05 |
A to L
|
05
|
| 2006 |
A to L |
06 |
A to L
|
06
|
| 2007 |
A to L |
07 |
A to L
|
|
| 2008 |
A to L |
08 |
A to L
|
|
| 2009 |
A to L |
09 |
A to L
|
|
| 2010 |
A to L |
10 |
A to L
|
|
|
 |
| Starting early in the year 2000, lighters produced feature the Zippo logo on the left, the month code in the center, and 2000 stamped above the Roman numeral XVI. |
|
|
| For 2001 and beyond, Zippo has introduced a new, easier to interpret date code. The letters A through L on the left of the Zippo logo still represent the month of manufacture. The year of manufacture, however, is now identified by the last two numbers of that year, stamped to the right of the Zippo logo. |
|
|
The
Zippo MPL was first produced in February of 2002.The
MPL’s manufactured in late February and March 2002
had a blank adjustment knob. The first MPL’s to have
a date code were those produced in April 2002 and thereafter. |
|
|
|
I would advise anyone looking for collectible Zippo Lighters for sale that they learn this list or just copy it to ensure that you are getting an authentic Zippo Lighter and that it truly is a vintage Zippo Lighter.
Zippo Lighters have held a lot of old memories for me. That is why, when this domain came available I had to have it. You see I grew up in an era prior to disposable lighters. Both of my parents smoked and they both had Zippo lighters of all types. We were of a generation when there were even coffee table lighters. They were quite ornate and adorned most peoples coffee tables way back in the day, whether you were a smoker or not.
Our house not only had several Zippo Lighters but we also had Zippo Lighter fluid, Zippo flints and Zippo hand warmers. I can remember we had about 3 very large Zippo hand warmers that we would take out in the woods or camping to keep our hands warm during hunting season and camping along the lakes and rivers. As a child I would take one of these hand warmers skating with me to keep my hands warm in the frigid winter weather we always had. They would keep your hands very toasty in your mittens. Today these would be classified as vintage Zippo Lighters. Very vintage! But these Zippo hand warmers definitely served there purpose.
How can I find out the value of some of my old zippo lighters when I can’t seem to another one like them? I have a 1957 zippo lighter that says Mustang White power, it has a red lasso/rope around a stallion/horse between the writing and lasso. Some of the paint is missing on the stallion. I don’t smoke, I just like collecting cool looking lighters. Times are tough and I sometimes think about selling off my misc lighter collection. I have the one small book that explains the dating with the lines, slashes etc. If you can help me out with a answer it would be very helpful. Thank You.
Mark, I would suggest that you check with a professional on this issue. I have checked around and cannot find any information on your 1957 Mustang Zippo Lighter. Vintage Zippo Lighters value can vary depending on the condition of the lighters. If I were you I would have someone appraise these that is certified to do so. You would be surprised at how much these Zippo Lighters sell for. Make sure you get the most value you can. There are several books on the market that specialize in Zippo Lighters. Perhaps you could find what you are looking for at your local library. If I can help further finding out about your vintage Zippo Lighters please do not hesitate to ask.
Great page, especially this table with date codes!
I was wondering, can anyone help me resolve my very old problem about zippos. I was searching the net a lot, and I didn’t find the answer. Actually, the problem is this: is it normal for original and new zippo to have insert with one date code, and the case with another date code? For instance, I have two zippos. One has insert code L 05, case code F 05. The other one has insert code D XIV, case code E XIV. I bought them in two different shops, and they are completely new. So, is it usual for Zippo company to put in a case an insert which is produced a few months earlier or later?