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In the late nineteenth century Austrian scientist Auer von Welsbach combined the use of petrol together with the lighter flint and the modern lighter was born. But it wasn't until late1932 that one of the most famous lighters of all time was created by George G. Blaisdell and was produced in January or February 1933 by a company named Zippo Manufacturing.
The first Zippo lighters were square-cornered and formed from rectangular brass tubing. The top and bottom pieces were soldered to the hollow tubing to form the lid and bottom of the case. The hinge was soldered on the outside and the lighter was chrome-plated. It would go through many more design changes and become available in many more styles over the years. Some of the more notable changes are listed below:
1939:
The 14 karat solid gold Zippo lighter was introduced.
1949:
Town and Country designs featuring a pheasant, mallard, geese, sailboat, trout, setter, horse and lily pond were added to the line.
1950:
Full cover leather lighters were introduced.
1951:
The full cover leather lighter was replaced by a wrap-around application for the lid and bottom.
1955:
Silver filled and gold filled lighters were designed and introduced.
1956:
The slim Zippo lighter was added to the line.
1969:
In honor of the NASA moon landing, a Moon Landing lighter series was developed. The "Space Series" continued into the 1990's.
1970:
Zippo introduced a "Zodiac" lighter series. All twelve Zodiac signs were available on slim lighters only.
1972:
Lighters featuring National Football League helmets were introduced
1974:
The now classic Venetian design lighter became available.
1976:
A commemorative Bicentennial lighter was manufactured. Also in 1976, the "Golden Elegance" series was introduced, along with a "denim-look" lighter.
1977:
The Golden Tortoise model was added to the Zippo line this year.
1978:
An acrylic chip is used to make the colorful "Ultralite" series
1980:
During this presidential election year, Zippo introduced two political motif lighters.
1982:
Zippo celebrated its 50th Anniversary with an original design brass lighter. Also introduced in 1982 were the Scrimshaw design lighters, Presidential Lighters and Emblem Lighters. A pipe lighter was also developed.
1986:
The camouflage lighter was introduced
1988:
An exact reproduction of the original Zippo lighter produced in 1932 was introduced.
1990:
The "Wild West" series is introduced. The Presidential Series (different from those developed in 1982) was also released.
1991:
The Civil War series debuts.
1992:
The beginning of the "Collectible of the Year" series, presented in a collectible tin.
1993:
The Geometric Collection, Toledo Collection, Corvette Collection and Zippo Motorsports Collection were introduced.
1997:
65th Anniversary Personal Accessory Collection is launched.
Since 1932 Zippo has manufactured over 300 million windproof lighters with no end in sight. It also has become one of the fastest growing categories in the world of collectibles. If you are a collector, you can find more information at Zippo's Collector's Corner on their website.
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