Historical dating note
Terry Lyons photo reference: the photographed case and insert are plain (unplated) nickel silver. Chrome-plated nickel-silver case finishes also appear in late 1946, so the material/finish alone is not an exact-year code.
Historical year lookup
Zippo 1946
Historical Zippo references associated with 1946: 1 consolidated case/bottom stamp entries, 1 consolidated insert entries, and 18 individual photographic source records. Date codes, materials and insert construction should be assessed together, especially for transitional years.
Historical context and cautions
Bottom stamps and cases
1946 · Regular · Bradford
Case / bottom stamp · 1946
Insert references and construction
1946 · Regular · Bradford
Insert reference · 1946
Construction features documented for 1946
Typical US regular-production chronology from independent collector research by Hardi Döhler. The ranges overlap, and Canada, Slim, Replica, Sterling, Japan-market and special editions may differ. These are supporting observations, not a definitive date determination.
Case shapes
- Rounded wartime base 1943–1946 · approximate · Source: Hardi Döhler
Some wartime and immediate postwar cases feature an outwardly curved base; compare the complete case profile.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
- 1946 tall case and canned bottom 1946 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
A taller case form with a recessed (canned) base is documented during the immediate postwar period.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Case metals and finishes
- Polished nickel-silver case 1946 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Unplated/polished nickel-silver cases are documented in the immediate postwar period, especially early 1946 examples.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
- Chrome-plated nickel-silver case 1946–1947 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Chrome-plated nickel-silver cases appear by late 1946 and continue through 1947; the crossover is not a strict January boundary.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Hinge development
- Internal three-barrel hinge 1943–1949 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Three-barrel internal hinges are widely documented from later wartime production into the 1949 changeover.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Patent and bottom-stamp wording
- PAT. 2032695 case marking 1936–1953 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
PAT. 2032695 is associated with many late-1930s through early-1950s bottom stamps, with layout variations.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Insert materials
- Wartime steel insert construction 1941–1946 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Early-1940s inserts increasingly use steel, including plated and seamed wartime constructions.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
- Nickel-silver insert 1946–1951 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Nickel-silver inserts are documented for the immediate postwar years, including Terry Lyons’s 1946–1949 specimens.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Insert lettering
- Patent text on one insert face 1943–1959 · approximate · Source: Hardi Döhler
One-sided patent/instruction layout is common in several mid-century insert families; the exact layout evolved.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Chimney construction
- 14-hole chimney 1936–1947 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Fourteen-hole chimneys are characteristic of many prewar and immediate postwar inserts.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Cam springs
- Humped leaf cam spring 1937–1957 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
The arched/humped leaf cam spring is documented across several prewar and postwar decades.
The photographed 1947 Terry Lyons example has a modern replacement spring; never infer 1947 spring design from that component.
Flint-wheel cuts
- Early straight-cut flint-wheel teeth 1933–1946 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
The earliest flint wheels commonly show a predominantly horizontal tooth-cut pattern.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
- Cross-cut flint-wheel teeth 1946–2026 · broad · Source: Hardi Döhler
Cross-cut flint-wheel pattern becomes typical after the war, with possible overlap and replacements.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Flint-wheel rivets
- Hollow flint-wheel rivet 1933–1963 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Hollow flint-wheel rivets appear through the early 1960s; later examples may carry replaced components.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Felt pads
- Long round felt/filter 1943–1947 · transitional · Source: Hardi Döhler
Some wartime and immediate postwar examples use a long cylindrical felt/filter piece.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Wicks and packing
- Pre-copper-wire wick construction 1933–1980 · broad · Source: Hardi Döhler
Older wick styles can differ from the later copper-wire-interwoven wick; repairs commonly replace wicks.
Some historic wick materials may contain asbestos; avoid disturbing uncertain old material.
- Period cellulose packing 1939–1946 · exception · Source: Hardi Döhler
Some late prewar and wartime examples use flat cellulose or cotton packing materials; survival and originality vary.
Typical Bradford-made regular lighter; exceptions and overlapping production runs exist.
Case construction evidence
- Early 1946 long-centre 3-barrel hinge — Known period: 1946. Dating evidence: Secondary dating clue (Construction or material information that may narrow a period. Repairs, replacement parts and production overlaps can change the interpretation.). Sources: Glen's Zippo Page.
- Late 1946-1949 equal 3-barrel hinge — Known period: 1946–1949. Dating evidence: Secondary dating clue (Construction or material information that may narrow a period. Repairs, replacement parts and production overlaps can change the interpretation.). Sources: Glen's Zippo Page.
Insert construction evidence
- 14-hole chimney — Some 1946 inserts still used the earlier 14-hole chimney. Known period: 1930–1946. Dating evidence: Secondary dating clue (Construction or material information that may narrow a period. Repairs, replacement parts and production overlaps can change the interpretation.). Sources: Glen's Zippo Page.
14-hole chimney · Historical reference illustration · Source: Glen's Zippo Page - 16-hole chimney — Introduced during 1946; not useful as a precise clue on later inserts. Known period: 1946–9999. Dating evidence: Secondary dating clue (Construction or material information that may narrow a period. Repairs, replacement parts and production overlaps can change the interpretation.). Sources: Glen's Zippo Page.
16-hole chimney · Historical reference illustration · Source: Glen's Zippo Page - Humped cam spring — Known period: 1937–1957. Dating evidence: Secondary dating clue (Construction or material information that may narrow a period. Repairs, replacement parts and production overlaps can change the interpretation.). Sources: Moonlight Zippo, Glen's Zippo Page.
Humped cam spring · Historical reference illustration · Source: Moonlight Zippo, Glen's Zippo Page - Hollow flint-wheel rivet — Solid rivet introduced around 1961; hollow continued until around 1963. Known period: 1900–1963. Dating evidence: Supporting comparison (A useful illustrated or photographed comparison. The feature alone does not establish a unique production date.). Sources: Glen's Zippo Page.
Hollow flint-wheel rivet · Historical reference illustration · Source: Glen's Zippo Page
Similar years
Interpretation: References may cover multiple years. A documented insert date is not proof of its case production date, and special Replica stamps require separate interpretation.