How to Date A Zippo Lighter

By Jon R. Warren. Last updated January 24,

This page helps you to determine the year or era a Zippo Lighter was made. If you have questions about Zippo Lighters or have a collection to sell, please contact us.

Who buys Zippo Lighter collections? We do.

We have been a top buyer of Zippo Lighter collections for many years. For large collections, we can travel to you. We are located in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Hundreds of sellers every year SHIP TO US for appraisal and offer. You use our Fedex account and we pay all the shipping. For details about our SHIP FOR OFFER program, contact us.

Zippo Lighter Year/Era List

From 1933 to the mid 1950's the word ZIPPO was stamped on the bottom of the lighter in BLOCK letters.

1933 to 1954

Zippos from this era always have a patent number of 2032695 stamped on the bottom of the lighter. They all have the old BLOCK LETTER ZIPPO stamped on the bottom as well. Unfortunately, getting an exact year in this era is difficult or impossible in most cases.

1942 to 1946

Only so-called Black Crackle Zippos were produced from 1942 to 1946, due to World War 2. These black crackle Zippos always have a patent number of 203695.

The Zippo script logo began appearing on the lighter bottom stamp around 1955. Exact dating is difficult because there was a gradual transition.

Zippo archives indicate an overlap of Logo/Patent Number configurations from 1949-1957. And some lighters produced between 1955-1957 have date codes, but specifics are not known at this time.

1951 to 1957

Zippos from this era always have a patent number of 2517191 stamped on the bottom of the lighter. They will have either the old BLOCK LETTER ZIPPO stamp or the newer Zippo script logo from 1955 to 1979.

1958 to 1986

Starting in 1958, the exact year of your Zippo can be determined by examining the DATE CODE stamped on the bottom of the lighter. The following list shows the date code and year for Zippo lighters from 1958 to 2010 (use the 2010 date system for every year after.)

1958 → **** [logo] ****

1959 → **** [logo] ***

1960 → *** [logo] ***

1961 → *** [logo] **

1962 → ** [logo] **

1963 → ** [logo] *

1964 → * [logo] *

1965 → * [logo]

1966 → |||| [logo] ||||

1967 → |||| [logo] |||

1968 → ||| [logo] |||

1969 → ||| [logo] ||

1970 → || [logo] ||

1971 → || [logo] |

1972 → | [logo] |

1973 → | [logo]

1974 → //// [logo] ////

1975 → //// [logo] ///

1976 → /// [logo] ///

1977 → /// [logo] //

1978 → // [logo] //

1979 → / [logo] // OR // [logo] / (both exist)

1980 → / [logo] /

1981 → / [logo]

1982 → \\\\ [logo] \\\\

1983 → \\\\ [logo] \\\

1984 → \\\ [logo] \\\

1985 → \\\ [logo] \\

1986 → \\ [logo] \\

A Zippo having the above logo on the bottom of the lighter was made after 1979.

1986 to 2000

Beginning in 1986, the year of manufacture is indicated by a Roman numeral on the bottom of the lighter. The letter on the bottom of the lighter indicates the MONTH of manufacture, from A (January) to L (December).

1986 → II

1987 → III

1988 → IV

1989 → V

1990 → VI

1991 → VII

1992 → VIII

1993 → IX

1994 → X

1995 → XI

1996 → XII

1997 → XIII

1998 → XIV

1999 → XV

2000 → XVI

2001 to Now

Beginning in 2001, the year of manufacture is indicated by a two digit number on the bottom of the lighter. If the number on the bottom is 01, the lighter was made in 2001. The letter on the bottom of the lighter indicates the MONTH of manufacture, from A (January) to L (December).

2001 → 01

2002 → 02

2003 → 03

2004 → 04

2005 → 05

2006 → 06

2007 → 07

2008 → 08

2009 → 09

2010 → 10

Which Zippo Lighters are worthless?

None. They are all worth money. However, not all are valuable. Over the years, we have sold many Zippos for less than $10 each. Condition is everything.

What is a valuable Zippo Lighter?

The current record for a Zippo Lighter is more than $14,000.00 for an early rare prototype in mint condition.