FAQ'S
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
QUESTION.
What do the markings on the bottom of my Zippo lighter mean?
ANSWER.
The markings at the bottom of our Zippo lighter cases are identification codes, which enable us to determine in what month and year a particular Zippo lighter was manufactured. These codes change from year to year. For details on these markings, please refer to “Bottoms Up” below.
Zippo Canada Bottoms Up!
Simple machines with timeless appeal.Zippo windproof lighters represent one of the fastest growing categories in the world of collectibles. Zippo windproof lighters are bought, sold and traded by thousands of enthusiastic fans from nearly every continent. Increasingly, collectors are growing to appreciate Zippo Canada products for their rarity, and therefore, their unique appeal as collectibles. In fact, it’s not unusual for collectors to designate a separate Canadian section in |
Counterfeit or Canadian?
It’s easy to understand why those unfamiliar with Zippo Canada’s history might dismiss the distinctive ‘Niagara Falls, Ontario’ bottom stamp as a fake. After all, Zippo USA produces over 16.8 million lighters per year, while Zippo Canada’s production was just over 500,000 units. Zippo Canada opened in August 1949 and was the only place other than Bradford, PA, where Zippo lighters were ever produced. A final production run signified the end of an era with the closing of the Zippo Canada production plant in July 2002, making Zippo Canada products more collectible than ever. The ‘Niagara Falls Ontario’ bottom stamp, like its Bradford, PA counterpart, is ‘your guarantee of our guarantee™’.
Since the late 50’s, the bottom of every Zippo lighter has featured a series symbols which serve as code marks. When matched to the manufacturer’s coding chart below, you can determine what year the lighters were produced. Here are some representative samples:
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.) |
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c.1949-c.1957 | Patent 2517191 with patent pending |
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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. |
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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 | / | // | // | / |
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 and Slim Lighters
Left Side |
Regular and 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 |
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.
Year |
Regular and Slim Lighters
Left Side |
Regular and Slim Lighters
Right Side |
2001 | A to L | 01 |
2002 | A to L | 02 |
2003 | A to L | 03 |
2004 | A to L | 04 |
2005 | A to L | 05 |
2006 | A to L | 06 |
2007 | A to L | 07 |
2008 | A to L | 08 |
2009 | A to L | 09 |
2010 | A to L | 10 |
2011 | A to L | 11 |
2012 | A to L | 12 |