Vintage Zippo Value: How to Date One From the Bottom, and Which Sell for $100+

Most old Zippo lighters sell for $10 to $60. The ones worth real money are from the 1930s and 1940s, the wartime black crackle models, early advertising lighters, Town & Country enamels and sterling silver cases, which sell for $100 to over $1,000. Every Zippo made since the mid-1950s carries a date code on the bottom, so you can find out exactly how old yours is in about a minute. Here's how to read it, and what each era is worth.

How to date a Zippo from the bottom

Turn the lighter over. The stamp on the bottom tells you when it was made.

1933 to mid-1950s: patent marks. The earliest lighters say "PAT. PENDING" or carry a patent number, with "ZIPPO" in plain block letters. The main patent numbers to know are 2032695 (used from 1937) and 2517191 (used from around 1950). Lighters from this era have no dots or slashes.

1957 to 1986: dots, slashes and bars. Zippo started stamping date marks either side of its name in 1957. The system works in runs:

• Dots (1957 to 1965): four dots each side in 1957, then one fewer each year until no dots in 1965.
• Forward slashes (1966 to 1973): four each side in 1966, falling to none in 1973.
• Backslashes (1974 to 1981): the same pattern.
• Vertical bars (1982 to 1986): the same pattern again.

Within each run, the marks come off the left side first and then the right, so a lighter with three on the left and two on the right is from the second year of that run. Any Zippo date chart online will give you the exact year.

Mid-1986 to 2000: letter and Roman numeral. A letter A to L for the month and a Roman numeral for the year, where II is 1986 and XVI is 2000.

2001 onward: letter and two digits. A letter for the month and the year in plain digits, so "K 14" is November 2014.

The logo helps too. "ZIPPO" in block capitals is pre-1955 or so, the script "Zippo" logo arrived in the mid-1950s, and the redrawn logo with the flame appeared on the bottom stamp in 1980.

One more thing: the insert (the part you pull out) has its own date, and it's often not the original. Inserts get swapped at repair, so date the case, not the insert.

What Zippos are worth, by era

1930s lighters: $300 to several thousand. The earliest models have a squarer shape and an outside hinge. Even worn examples attract collectors, and a clean 1930s Zippo is the kind of thing that turns up at a sale for $5 and sells for $1,500.

WWII (1943 to 1945) black crackle: $200 to $600 or more. During the war Zippo made lighters from steel with a rough black painted finish, because brass was needed for the war. They're the most recognised collector Zippo. Beware of repaints and reproductions.

1950s and 1960s plain models: $25 to $60. Solid, common and easy to sell.

Advertising Zippos (1950s to 1970s): $40 to $150. Lighters with a company logo on the front. Oil companies, truck and farm equipment makers, railroads, beer and soft-drink brands are the most collected. Rare logos go higher.

Town & Country (late 1940s to 1960s): $50 to $175. Hand-painted enamel designs, often of animals or sailing scenes. The earlier, hand-done pieces are worth the most.

Sterling silver: $60 to $200. Check the bottom for a sterling mark, because a worn sterling case can look like chrome.

Vietnam-era engraved lighters: $75 to $400 if genuine. Lighters engraved with unit names and slogans by soldiers in Vietnam are heavily collected, and heavily faked. Thousands of "Vietnam Zippos" were made for tourists long after the war. Unless the date code, wear and engraving all match and you know where it came from, price it as a decorative piece at $15 to $40.

1980s to today, plain or common designs: $10 to $25. Solid brass models from the 1980s and 1990s do a little better, around $20 to $45. Limited editions and licensed designs vary a lot and are mostly worth what the design is worth to a fan.

Condition and originality

With Zippos, originality matters as much as condition. Things that help or hurt:

• Original insert. A matching date on the case and insert adds value. A replaced insert is normal but worth less.
• Finish wear. Light wear on an old lighter is expected. Heavy pitting, dents and a loose hinge cut the price.
• Engraving. A personal name or initials usually lowers the value of a plain lighter, but a military or advertising engraving can raise it.
• Working condition. Zippo repairs lighters free, so a non-working insert isn't a deal-breaker, but a cracked or warped case is.
• Box and papers. The original box, guarantee slip and sleeve add $10 to $50 to most lighters and more to early ones.

How to check what you have

1. Date the case from the bottom stamp using the guide above.
2. Note the finish (chrome, brass, black crackle, sterling, painted) and any logo or design.
3. Search that description plus the year on eBay and filter to Sold items. Prices for plain lighters are stable; prices for advertising and design lighters depend entirely on the design.

For a box of lighters, the Valued app can identify them from a photo and give you a starting estimate, which is a quick way to pull out the few that deserve a closer look. The general method is in our guide to finding out what an antique is worth.

Common questions

How do I know how old my Zippo is?

Look at the bottom. Patent numbers with no marks mean 1933 to 1956. Dots, slashes or bars either side of the logo mean 1957 to 1986, and the number of marks gives the year. A letter plus a Roman numeral is 1986 to 2000, and a letter plus two digits is 2001 or later.

Are old Zippos worth money?

Most are worth $10 to $60. Lighters from the 1930s and 1940s, wartime black crackle models, early advertising lighters, Town & Country enamels and sterling silver cases sell for $100 to over $1,000.

Is a Vietnam Zippo valuable?

A genuine one, engraved by a serviceman during the war, can sell for $75 to $400 or more. Most "Vietnam Zippos" on the market are later reproductions made for tourists and are worth $15 to $40. Check that the date code fits the war years and that the wear looks real.

Does Zippo still repair old lighters?

Yes. Zippo's lifetime guarantee covers repair of the lighter mechanism free of charge, though they may replace the insert rather than fix the original, which matters if you're keeping it as a collectible.