Zippo

Zippo is a legendary American brand of petrol lighters with the typical rectangular shape and a hinged lid. However, few people know that Mr Blaisdell introduced the original Zippo at the end of 1932. Back then, one Zippo lighter cost just $1.95. Today’s prices are of course significantly higher.

At the same time, all Zippo lighters sold come with a lifetime warranty, because Zippo follows its motto: “It works or we fix it free”. You won’t find such a guarantee with many other brands.

Advertising as added value

These legendary lighters have been used as promotional items since the mid‑1930s. Unlike the typical lighters of that time, they had an ideal shape that could be easily printed on or otherwise shaped. Today you will often see a Zippo with the logo of companies such as Harley Davidson or Jack Daniels. However, they can also be enhanced in other ways, for example with engraving or artwork. Among the rarest and most valuable collector’s pieces are lighters from the first commercial edition of a total of 500 lighters made for the oil company Kendall Refining Company.