After 76 Years....

Zippo has produced over 424 million lighters since its founding in 1932. Except for improvements in the flint wheel and modifications in case finishes, Blaisdell's original design remains virtually unchanged today. Zippo has expanded its sales operations nationally and internationally through a wide network of sales representatives. In more than 120 countries throughout the world, Zippo is synonymous with American made quality and craftsmanship. Zippo windproof lighters enjoy a widespread and enviable reputation as valuable collectibles. The company produces the Zippo Lighter Collectors' Guide containing illustrations of the lighters and descriptions of the series, as well as an explanation of the date code found on the bottom of every lighter.

A Couple of Basic Zippo Tricks

1. "The Squeeze"The Squeeze is a quick and easy way to impress your friends by opening your Zippo lighter seemingly by magic. This trick is one of the most basic Zippo tricks in the book and requires very little time to master. Begin by holding the Zippo as you normally would when preparing to open the lid. Balance the Zippo on an angle in your most comfortably hand with the base of the Zippo that is on the hinge side resting in the center of you palm and your thumb on the outside edge furthest from the hinge. Rest your index and middle fingers on the top of the lighter. Quickly slide the top two fingers down the backside of the Zippo lighter, using just enough pressure to pop open the lid. As the lid pops open, the lighter will straighten itself in your hands as if by magic!
2. "The Lid Smack" The lid smack is a popular way to open the Zippo lighter and is featured in many Hollywood blockbusters. Basically, this move takes about two seconds to master, but looks excellent when any Zippo user does it. Simply hold the lighter firmly between your thumb and forefinger on each end (the opening end and the hinge end.) Using quick force, smack the Zippo lighter against your knee or a nearby tabletop (a friend even, if you're dying to impress.) As you smack the lid, quickly flip the Zippo lighter in the opposite direction of the hinge. Flipping the Zippo lighter simply causes the Zippo lid to flip open by sheer centrifugal force. When the lid flips open, the flame will pop right up. The whole move, take about one second - Just enough to please your date.

The First Zippo Ligther

The first "Zippo lighters" were square-cornered and formed from rectangular brasstubing. The top and bottom pieces were soldered to the hollow tubing to form the  lid and bottom of the Zippo case. The hinge was soldered on the outside of the lighter and the lighter was chrome-plated. The Zippo would go through many more design changes and become available in many more styles over the years.

The Anatomy of the Zippo Lighter

Contrary to the simple looking of the outside of the Zippo lighter, it is actually very intricate and detailed on the inside. This was the best picture I could find to represent all the inner workings of a Zippo.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Zippo

1. The lighter was given its name as a derivative of the word "zipper". Inventor George G. Blaisdell liked the sound of the word "zipper", and thought "Zippo" sounded more modern.
2. The original price for a Zippo lighter was $1.95
3. The first patent on the Zippo windproof lighter was given on March 3, 1936. Patent # 2032695.
4. The first corporate logo to be placed on a Zippo lighter was Kendall Refining Company in 1936, 500 lighters were branded.
5. The first national ad to be run for Zippo was in 1937 in Esquire Magazine.
6. The Zippo Factory located in Bradford, PA, makes nearly 70,000 lighter’s a day
7. In the 1950's a Zippo lighter was removed from the inside of a fish. The lighter lit the first time.
8. 21% of people who own Zippo lighters are collectors
9. Zippo produces about 15 millon lighters a year.
10. Since 1932 Zippo has produced over 300 Million lighters, if they were placed end to end they would reach half way around the world or from Los Angeles to New York City 3.5 times. If they were laid side by side they would pave the streets of Bradford, PA, 1.8 times. They would fill 122 football fields.

The Zippo Code

From mid-1955 Zippo started year coding their lighters by the use of dots (.). From 1966 until 1973 the year code was denoted by combinations of vertical lines (). From 1974 until 1981 the coding comprised combinations of forward slashes (/), and from 1982 until June 1986 the coding was by backslash (\).
In July 1986, Zippo began including a lot code on all lighters showing the month and year of production. On the left of the underside was stamped a letter A–L, denoting the month (A = January, B = February, etc). On the right was a Roman numeral which denoted the year, beginning with II in 1986. Thus a Zippo stamped H IX was made in August, 1993. However in 2000, Zippo altered this system, changing the Roman numerals to more conventional Arabic numerals. Thus a Zippo made in August 2004 was stamped H 04. There was a myth that Zippo lighters were made by prisoners, and the number identified the prisoner, or their crime and sentence length. Another myth was that a Zippo stamped 'H' was inferior to one stamped 'A'.

How Much is Your Zippo Worth to You?

Current Zippos carry a suggested retail price between US$12.95 up to US$8,912.58, depending on the rarity and materials used in the given Zippo lighter. In 2001, according to the fall 2003 issue of IUP Magazine, a 1933 model Zippo was purchased for $18,000 at a swap meet in Tokyo, and in 2002 the company bought one valued at $12,000 for its own collection. During the 2007 75th anniversary celebrations, Zippo sold a near mint 1933 model for $37,000.

Zippo Blu

In 2007 Zippo came out with Zippo Blu. It has a lot of the same characteristics of a traditional Zippo, like it still uses a flint wheel and has the famous Zippo click. It is fueled with butane rather than naphtha, which creates the awesome blue flame. It is the first butane gas lighter to have this ignition system. The chimney has the signature "Z" pattern and the lid line has a classy curve to it. The technology of the Zippo Blu delivers a consistent and clean burning blue flame.

George G. Blaisdell: Inventor & Founder

It is only right to start this Zippo blog with a little tribute to it's founder, George G. Blaisdell. Blaisdell formed the Zippo Manufacturing Company in Bradford Pennsylvania in 1932. The first Zippo lighter was produced in 1933. Blaisdell was born in Bradford in 1895 and when it came to his formal education, he didn't make it past 5th grade. He then spent 2 years in a military academy, and after that went to work in his fathers machinery shop. He eventually toke over the business and sold it in 1920. After spending time in the oil industry and having it go sour when the depression hit Blaisdell got desperate. The Zippo lighter was inspired by an Austrian cigarette lighter that was similar. Blaisdell's Zippo lighter hit it big with the military during World War 2, and has been big ever since. Here's to George G. Blaisdell, the inventor of the Zippo lighter.