As with most collectibles, the date of manufacture of a Zippo lighter often affects its value. Valuable information on the bottom of every Zippo lighter can help you determine its date of manufacture. Most lighters fabricated between 1933 and 1957 can be identified by style and model and the patent or patent-pending marks.

Starting in the mid 50s, date codes were stamped on the bottom. The original purpose was for quality control. The date codes have since become an invaluable tool for Zippo collectors. The appearance of the word “Zippo” in the bottom stamp provides another clue to dating. There have been three major changes, as shown in inset. From 1933 to the mid 50s the word Zippo was stamped in block letters. The Zippo script logo was
developed in the late 40s and was phased-in on the lighter bottom stamp around 1955. In the late 70s the logo was redesigned. It was incorporated into the bottom stamp in 1980.

Below is a complete chart of the Zippo date codes.

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.) c.1949-c.1957 Patent 2517191 with patent pending 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. 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 An error was made in the date code. One of the slash marks was removed from the left of the Zippo trademark instead of being removed from the right; thus the code read: / //. This date code error was corrected within the same year to read: // /. 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 & Slim Lighters Left Side Regular & 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

Year Regular and Slim Lighters Left Side Regular and Slim Lighters Right Side Zippo Multi-Purpose Lighter Left Side Right Side 2001 A to L 01   2002 A to L 02 D to L 02 2003 A to L 03 A to L 03 2004 A to L 04 A to L 04 2005 A to L 05 A to L 05 2006 A to L 06 A to L 06 2007 A to L 07 A to L 07 2008 A to L 08 A to L 08 2009 A to L 09 A to L 09 2010 A to L 10 A to L 10