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| What do you collect? | Fashion + Jewelry | Watches + Clocks | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Advertising | Autos + Transport. | Eras | Other » |
The Zippo Manufacturing Company was founded by George Blaisdell in Bradford, PA, in 1932. That same year he created the first Zippo lighter, in an attempt to make cigarette lighters easier to use. He moved the chimney, added a sturdy hinged metal case, and offered the world an affordable $1.95 price tag. Zippos soon became very popular.
Zippos originally had the hinge on the outside, but shortly after they moved it to the inside of the case. These early models are very rare today...
Zippos were standard issue during WWII, as their sturdy windproof construction made them ideal for soldiers. But these wartime Zippos are hard to find, as many were left behind or lost. Many of the lighters made for soldiers were covered in a 'black crackle' finish that soldiers could carve names and drawings into with knives or pins. This 'trench art' can increase the value of a Zippo lighter significantly.
Zippo became an aesthetic icon, and by the 1950s was making custom-decorated lighters for different companies, clubs, and teams to be used as advertising or gifts. Businesses gave monogrammed lighters to their employees for celebrations of service or retirements. Introduced in 1956, the Zippo Slim added a thinner, sleeker lighter to the company’s lineup. Today, Zippos can be found with any number of designs, ranging from sports team logos to tattoo-style art.
In addition to the wide variety available, Zippos are popular among collectors because each lighter since 1955 has been stamped with a date code, and for pre-1955 lighters, the year can be identified by a number of features of the stamping.
Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minute… [more]
At the very beginning, my interest in lighters was about the mechanism. I had my first lighter when I was 14.… [more]
This ambitious site showcases the 20,000-item Rankei Library matchbook collection, owned by the Japan Match Manufac… [read review or visit site]
Don Wearmouth and his wife showcase the 230 beautiful silk designs that were distributed free with Kensitas cigaret… [read review or visit site]
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [read review or visit site]
Jane McDevitt's huge Flickr photoset of matchbox labels, primarily Eastern European, from the 1950s and 60s. These … [read review or visit site]
This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]
James Lileks' gallery of 250 matchbooks from coffee shops, hotels, motels, bars, banks, restaurants and more. Lilek… [read review or visit site]
Puff on this... over 1,000 cigar bands from the 1890s through 1920s, organized into themed galleries such as Portra… [read review or visit site]
Tom Boblitt moderates this extremely deep, collaborative site dedicated to non-sports cards (tobacco, gum and candy… [read review or visit site]
This blog, entirely in Spanish, is an amazingly comprehensive and varied tribute to tobacco and cigarette advertisi… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Are we missing one? Tell us.
Gant Daily
A limited amount of numbered Zippo collectible lighters featuring a 2009 Kids and Cancer custom design will be on sale to registrants only. ...
Examiner.com
The Michael Jackson Zippo Lighter is actually very elegant – one of the more tasteful memorials you'll find. You'll find other memorial plaques as well ...
Daily Sentinel
GALLIPOLIS — A jewelry box containing miscellaneous jewelry, a silver Zippo lighter inscribed with Bosworth, three bottles of liquor, a .22 caliber rifle ...
Destructoid
Untapped Potential: Motion control
Destructoid
When the player selects it, a first person view comes up with Zack holding a Zippo-esque lighter in its closed position. Thinking for a moment of how to ...
Janesville Gazette
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Zippo lighter company did not renew its sponsorship of a stage at the annual festival. ...
Kingsport Times News
“Everyone had been issued a Zippo lighter. He lost the lighter in that crash. Evidently, someone came along and found it. And back a few years ago, ...
TECH.BLORGE.com
Top 40 best iphone apps of all time
TECH.BLORGE.com
Virtual Zippo Lighter: Customize your Zippo lighter as you see fit and then “light” it so you can hold up at concerts or just for the fun of playing with it ...
Charlevoix Courier
We were allowed to hold the tips to the flame of uncle Don's Zippo lighter until they caught in a thrilling resplendent burst. We suffered the singeing ...
WebWire (press release)
An old Zippo Cigarette Lighter that sold for $11000. When WhatSellsBest.com founder James Massey was asked what inspired him to publish the site? ...
PR Web (press release)
KISS launches virtual concert lighter app
Sync: the tech & gadgets blog
You don't smoke, so why should you carry a Zippo in your pocket at concerts, when that iPhone can do the job? For years now, concert goers who didn't smoke ...
KISS and Spark of Blue Software Team Up to Create New iPhone ...
