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!

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:

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.