Indicators of Fake Vietnam Lighters CAVEAT EMPTOR (Buyer Beware)

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Looking at all of the fake Vietnam lighters on eBay (about 99% of all supposed authentic Vietnam Zippos are fakes on there) and posting in different locations here on this Forum leads me to believe we need a separate thread to help new collectors avoid the minefields. Yokota57, an acknowledged Vietnam lighter expert with an extensive collection, and I (and anyone else that wants to join in) will post practical tips on this thread. In addition we’ll try to use pictures to illustrate the fake versus the real. Some of the authentic and some of the fake ones have already been posted on this excellent thread:

 

To kick things off here’s a list I’ve posted elsewhere on this Forum of several indicators of a fake Vietnam Zippo:

 

1. The location named and unit are not correct: for example, the First Infantry Division never had units at Danang, so a lighter indicating that location would be a fake.

2. Weird mis-spellings: no self-respecting GI would buy a lighter with the word "Infantry" spelled "Infanty" ... but, I've seen that several times. I've also seen mis-spellings of base names, military ranks, etc.

3. Wobbly engraving: the letters should be crisp and the linear portions nice and straight.

4. This isn't always so, but most of the authentic Army and Marine Corps Zippos will not have enamel or paint in the letters, themselves. On the other hand, many of the US Navy ship Zippos will have color enameled letters and logos, as will those of the USCG and USAF.  The Army and Marines, no. Also, note that other brands of lighters, such as “Penguin”, “Vulcan”, and “Wellington”, would often have the letters filled with black paint or color enamel.

5. Most authentic Vietnam Zippos will have some design element, whether it is done in cloisonné enamel, paint, engraving, or even an attached 'beer can' construction emblem. Whatever the method, the design should be of a professional appearance. (The 'beer can' designs usually are much less well-executed). A lot of the fakes have really sketchy (sorry) artwork.

6. The bottom stamp of the Zippo should actually be stamped, not engraved. Here's the Zippo Company's official listing, with photos, of the date stamps and codes:  http://www.zippo.com/about/article.aspx?id=1582

7. The date listed is incorrect: for example, the Ist Infantry Division was in Vietnam from 1965 to 1970. If a lighter shows a unit of that Division with a 1972 date that would indicate that it's a bad one.

8. Chrome partially or completely gone from the lighter, leaving a brass finish. The finish has often been ground off or chemically removed.

9. Sayings or quotes that just don't make any sense. Here's one I saw recently "The power never win the willing of the people" ... what the heck does that mean?

10. The lighter's insert should be a genuine Zippo one and marked as such.

11. Zippo lighters constructed solely in brass were not made during the period of the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. In fact, the first brass Zippos came out in ~1983. (With the exception of WWII, when Zippos were made out of a mild steel [which tended to rust] and then coated with a black crackle finish paint; the body of the genuine Zippo was/is, however, made of brass ... but, it is then usually completely covered in a chrome finish. Also, modern Zippos are now being made with a variety of finished from Glow in the Dark, to all enameled, to a Japanese Maki-e style, and so on.).

 

All right, here’s “Exhibit A” as an example of a fake:

 

 

Where to start? The usual wobbly letters with black paint. The “U.S.C.G” with the missing final period (this is a European style of punctuation, such as the French taught the Vietnamese). Or the massively egregious error of a US Naval Officer’s insignia on a supposed Coast Guard lighter. And, how did those artificial “aged” rub marks occur above that Naval insignia? And, yet, at the same time the supposed wear marks did not impact the paint-filled letters.

 

And more errors on the reverse: 

 

Let’s start with the missing apostrophe in the word “Charlies”. Then the usual wobbly letters with black paint. The two periods after the word “Coast”, which are supposed to be the three dots of an ellipsis. The artificial aging. The mis-location of Vung Tau (it should be way down the coast just off from where Saigon is).

 

OK, y’all, more to come.

 

[AustinO]

This was a much overdue primer on the subject.  Well done, and thanks!  

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Thanks, and stay tuned. Yokota57 has some great information, too.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

And another fake:

 

 

The Indicators:

 

1. Wobbly letters with black paint.

2. The artificially aged case (with the “worn” spots and scratches somehow not causing concomitant wear or scratches on the letters or graphic). 
3. The stilted language “… love you one you are with.”

 

 

[yokota57]

These photos illustrate point #6 on C6As great information for novice VN-Zippo collectors. First photo shows a fake ENGRAVED "VN-Zippo" base stamp. Second is a 100% authentic STAMPED example from my collection. Novices, avoid those engraved base stamp Zippos! They are Number 10!

[m151mp]

i find this a little amusing, after all these years, because of something i did in 1969. everyone in my platoon was getting a lighter, and engraving them with different sayings, units, names etc. i am 74 now, and i have never smoked in my life, but i also bought a zippo and carried it around. it has my name and unit engraved, but it has NEVER been filled with fuel. not even once. now it's framed on the wall with a few other trinkets from those days. one day i will be gone, and eventually someone will wonder if my lighter is a fake, because it looks so new! i will look down and laugh. it's in the bottom right corner. HHC MP's, 199th light inf bde, 69-70.

[AlexeiK]

Many thanks for the thread. There is at least one thing highly welcome in such a discussion IMHO. I mean a critical review of Buchanan's Vietnam Zippos (2007). Firstly, because Buchanan's book contains a lot of lighters with the same "wobbly" fonts with black paint filling (Cobra's #3-4). Secondly, Cobra 6 Actual (and yokota57 as well?) supposes that many lighters used by Buchanan are actually fake.

[AlexeiK]

Well. I have several "Vietnam" (or around) Zippos of atypical shapes and styles.

 

#1. Manufactured in 1966. "Viet-Nam 68-69 HTC". Undefined flag on the other side.

I failed to google that HTC could mean, but finally on another board a Vietnam veteran informed me that HTC is "High Tension Conflict" - a parody of government's "low tension conflict" wording.

 

#2 Manufactured in 1969. RMK-BRJ Vietnam Builders logo. 

 

#3 Manufactured in 1969. "Home of armor Fort Knox Kentucky". Tank track emblem 

 

#4 Manufactured in 1967. "Ft. Gordon GA". Ft. Gordon training center emblem with torch and snake, "This we'll defend".

 

What do you think about these? 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

3 hours ago, AlexeiK said:

Many thanks for the thread. There is at least one thing highly welcome in such a discussion IMHO. I mean a critical review of Buchanan's Vietnam Zippos (2007). Firstly, because Buchanan's book contains a lot of lighters with the same "wobbly" fonts with black paint filling (Cobra's #3-4). Secondly, Cobra 6 Actual (and yokota57 as well?) supposes that many lighters used by Buchanan are actually fake.

 

Thank you for bringing up this book, AlexeiK. I have a copy of it and have read it thoroughly. Yep, many of the lighters in that book by Buchanan, unfortunately, are fakes. For example, all of the lighters on the pictures you posted of her cover and a couple of the interior pages, are fakes. One of the issues she had was that she did not understand the American military, so her book has fake Zippo lighters in it with errors such as these: unit names along with the wrong engraved unit insignia, units listed in locations where they never served, military “sayings” that make no sense, unit mottos that actually are associated with a different unit, etc.

 

Also, just using the pics you posted, these lighters have many of the examples of fake indicators, such as artificial aging, wobbly lettering, and black paint filled lettering. Unfortunately, writing a book is no guarantee that it will be accurate. Please don’t accept my word on this book, but investigate the examples of lighters in it and compare them to the indicators we’ve posted.

[yokota57]

2 hours ago, AlexeiK said:

Well. I have several "Vietnam" (or around) Zippos of atypical shapes and styles.

 

#1. Manufactured in 1966. "Viet-Nam 68-69 HTC". Undefined flag on the other side.

I failed to google that HTC could mean, but finally on another board a Vietnam veteran informed me that HTC is "High Tension Conflict" - a parody of government's "low tension conflict" wording.

 

#2 Manufactured in 1969. RMK-BRJ Vietnam Builders logo. 

 

#3 Manufactured in 1969. "Home of armor Fort Knox Kentucky". Tank track emblem 

 

#4 Manufactured in 1967. "Ft. Gordon GA". Ft. Gordon training center emblem with torch and snake, "This we'll defend".

 

What do you think about these? 

IMHO your #2, #3 and #4 are good. Still mulling over #1. Thanks for your participation! YK57

[Cobra 6 Actual]

12 hours ago, m151mp said:

i find this a little amusing, after all these years, because of something i did in 1969. everyone in my platoon was getting a lighter, and engraving them with different sayings, units, names etc. i am 74 now, and i have never smoked in my life, but i also bought a zippo and carried it around. it has my name and unit engraved, but it has NEVER been filled with fuel. not even once. now it's framed on the wall with a few other trinkets from those days. one day i will be gone, and eventually someone will wonder if my lighter is a fake, because it looks so new! i will look down and laugh. it's in the bottom right corner. HHC MP's, 199th light inf bde, 69-70.

 

Thanks for your post, m151mp, and for your service. Actually, the new condition of your lighter wouldn’t necessarily be a factor. For example, I served in Vietnam as a grunt from 1968 to 1969. I didn’t smoke cigarettes, but I did smoke cigars. And the matches that came in the “comfort packs” with the C Rations never seemed to work, so when I was at our basecamp one day I happened to go to the Army Service Club and luckily they were handing out free Zippos that day:

 

 

This is the one I carried in the field for most of my tour. It has a ding or two right on and above the work “Club”. In fact, a bit of chrome flaked off on the letter “U” of “Club”. Otherwise it’s in pretty fine condition. Note also it has the letters filled in with black paint, often an indicator of a fake. But: 1) I personally got this in Vietnam, 2) The lettering is finely done, 3) The emblem, although not a common beer can one is correct for that organization. Later in my tour I also bought a couple of more lighters. As they “turn up” I’ll post them.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

38 minutes ago, yokota57 said:

IMHO your #2, #3 and #4 are good. Still mulling over #1. Thanks for your participation! YK57

Thanks, Yokota57! I’m with you on #2, #3, and #4. As an aside I have the exact same lighter as #3:

 

 

I found it on the drill field at Ft. Knox in ~1967. Goodness knows how long it had been out in the weather. The napkin covers my name, which I later had engraved on it.

 

As for AlexeiK’s #1 I believe it’s a fake. The indicator to me is the “6” in “68 - 69”. Notice the “over travel” in the wngraving in the center of the “6”? Also the slight tilting in the numbers is another indicator.

[m151mp]

42 minutes ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Thanks for your post, m151mp, and for your service. Actually, the new condition of your lighter wouldn’t necessarily be a factor. For example, I served in Vietnam as a grunt from 1968 to 1969. I didn’t smoke cigarettes, but I did smoke cigars. And the matches that came in the “comfort packs” with the C Rations never seemed to work, so when I was at our basecamp one day I happened to go to the Army Service Club and luckily they were handing out free Zippos that day:

 

 

This is the one I carried in the field for most of my tour. It has a ding or two right on and above the work “Club”. In fact, a bit of chrome flaked off on the letter “U” of “Club”. Otherwise it’s in pretty fine condition. Note also it has the letters filled in with black paint, often an indicator of a fake. But: 1) I personally got this in Vietnam, 2) The lettering is finely done, 3) The emblem, although not a common beer can one is correct for that organization. Later in my tour I also bought a couple of more lighters. As they “turn up” I’ll post them. big red one at Di An. went there once on road patrol with Miller, who had been in the 1st at some point. i'm sure you noticed the blue discs in my wall frame. i came out of ft lewis as 11B, and had a pretty good idea where i would be sent when i got to the nam. instead, i was sent to an MP platoon that did convoy escort duty, and was very short of people. as a result of that decision, i came out of the nam a year later, as 11B, but no CIB for me. that is probably unusual. those of you who were field troops had the absolute worst job in the nam. i had a pretty good tour by comparison. thanks for your service as well, welcome home, and remember what today is. i'll be at our museum here with other nam vets around 10 AM.

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Welcome home to you, m151mp! Always good to meet another 11 Bravo! And have a great Vietnam Veteran’s Day! Here’s another Zippo I got in Vietnam:

 

 

I received this when I got out of the field and into a MACV Team. I think it illustrates the finely engraved letters. (These are so thin you can barely see them.) And, of course, the beer can emblem is the usual cheap construction. But, this lighter looks brand new.

[AlexeiK]

@Cobra 6 Actual @yokota57, thank you! Just in case, I remind you that explicit criticism of Buchanan's Vietnam Zippos will be very useful for all.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

AlexeiK, thank you for that idea. However, I’ve already given my opinion overall of that particular book. Plus in Post #10 I explained several reasons why I thought the book had “issues”. If anyone wants to go page by page through it, they are welcome to do so.

 

I think we would be most helpful to respond to direct questions with photos about actual lighters that our Forum members have in their collections or are considering purchasing. I think we can post our opinions as to whether the lighters presented are one of three things: authentic, fake, or we can’t be sure one way or the other. On that last point the fakers are getting better every day, so sometimes even with multiple Forum members “weighing in” it won’t be a clear result. Although, for example, Yokota57 and I are pretty experienced collectors, we have to accept that there are limits to our knowledge. 

[AlexeiK]

4 hours ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

As for AlexeiK’s #1 I believe it’s a fake. The indicator to me is the “6” in “68 - 69”. Notice the “over travel” in the wngraving in the center of the “6”? Also the slight tilting in the numbers is another indicator.

Maybe a zoomed pic of my #1 can help. The carving is thin, no black paint or filling (only dirt).

[AlexeiK]

21 minutes ago, AlexeiK said:

Maybe a zoomed pic of my #1 can help. The carving is thin, no black paint or filling (only dirt).

As a historian (although my professional sphere lies deeper than the 20th century) I see several indicators of authenticity of #1, besides thin lines and the absence of paint filling.

1) The lighter was manufactured in 1966, but the inscription reads 68-69. The forger would rather engrave an earlier date, 66-67, to make the item more valuable.

2) A very modest design, no slogans, no pics.

3) A rare and unusual abbreviation HTC (High Tension Conflict?).

[Cobra 6 Actual]

AlexeiK, you are more than entitled to your opinion. But, I’ve given mine already so, unfortunately, I have nothing to add. 

[yokota57]

2 hours ago, AlexeiK said:

Maybe a zoomed pic of my #1 can help. The carving is thin, no black paint or filling (only dirt).

The pennant on this one is: Manhasset Bay Yacht Club (Long Island, NY). I'm not a fan of the engraving. If this one was offered to me, I would pass. 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

This fake is on eBay right now for only $634:

 

 

It is displayed on a ‘bed’ of other fakes. And, it has the wobbly black paint filled letters, the artificial aging, as well as the weirdly deformed “6’s” and “9’s”.  I’m pretty sure that it would also be extremely rare for a GI to want Winnie the Pooh as the graphic on his lighter, regardless of the profane word “balloon”.
 

The flip side has the word “incoming” spelled incorrectly, too. Notice also the scratch under the “H” in “THINK”. How could that happen?

 

 

Of course if you want to save a little money there is a different seller offering the EXACT same lighter (including the scratch under the letter “H”) for only $499:

 

[yokota57]

This "gem" illustrates C6As excellent Point #1: Zippo Weasels don't do their homework. The H-model B-52 was not used in Southeast Asia. Only the F, D & G-models.

[AlexeiK]

An interesting and atypical example. The Coastal Division 15 emblem is well engraved. The rest of the body is empty, no motto, no erotic pics. The body is apparently authentic, manufactured in 1971. The inconsistency is that this division was disestablished in 1969. 

[mtnman]

Excellent find Alex regarding identifying the spurious info! Well done sir

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Alexei, I think you’ve already identified a problem with the dating of the lighter versus the unit’s history. The engraving in nicely done, but I’m also always ambivalent about Zippo’s that have all of the paint missing, yet it happens (see my Post #13). 
 

By the way, earlier on this thread (Post #12) I put up a picture of a lighter I picked up at a US Army Service Club at the 1st Infantry Division’s basecamp. While looking for something else in my storage unit I found this pack of matches that I picked up at the same time as the lighter:

 

 

 

These are the kinds of related “artifacts” that add to the authenticity of another item. (Somehow over the past ~50 years this matchbook became separated from where the lighter was stored. They’re back together again now.)