Zippo lighters are a fast-growing collectible that everyone can afford. You can find them in yard sales, boot sales, auctions, flea markets, pretty much anywhere in the world.
One of the fascinating aspects of this collectible is that it never seems to go out of style, Zippo’s were cool when Bogart used them and they still are today!
Determining the date of manufacture for a Zippo is somewhat like deciphering ancient, mysterious texts. Here is the rosetta stone.
The bottom of every Zippo lighter features a series of symbols which serve as code marks. When matched to the chart below, you can determine what year the lighters were produced.
Dating Zippo Lighters: Date Codes
| Year | Regular Lighter Left Side | Regular Lighter Right Side | Slim Lighter Left Side | Slim Lighter Right Side |
| 1932 | Patent Pending | |||
| 1937 | Patent | 2032695 | ||
| 1950 | Patent | 2517191 | ||
| 1957 | Full stamp with | patent pending |
. . . . |
. . . . |
| 1958 | Full stamp, no
. . . . |
patent pending
. . . . |
. . . .. . . . |
. . . .. . . |
| 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 | \\ | \\ | \\ | \\ |
Starting July 1, 1986 the system explained above 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 Lighter Left Side | Regular Lighter Right Side | Slim Lighter Left Side | Slim Lighter Right Side |
| 1986 | G to L | II | G to L | II |
| 1987 | A to L | III | A to L | III |
| 1988 | A to L | IV | A to L | IV |
| 1989 | A to L | V | A to L | V |
| 1990 | A to L | VI | A to L | VI |
| 1991 | A to L | VII | A to L | VII |
| 1992 | A to L | VIII | A to L | VIII |
| 1993 | A to L | IX | A to L | IX |
| 1994 | A to L | X | A to L | X |
| 1995 | A to L | XI | A to L | XI |
| 1996 | A to L | XII | A to L | XII |
| 1997 | A to L | XIII | A to L | XIII |
| 1998 | A to L | XIV | A to L | XIV |
| 1999 | A to L | XV | A to L | XV |
| 2000 | A to L | XVI | A to L | XVI |
Got a vintage Zippo you would like to know more about? Start your online antique appraisal now.