Indicators of Fake Vietnam Lighters CAVEAT EMPTOR (Buyer Beware)

[Cobra 6 Actual]

I was just informed by another Forum member about some interesting information on the 173rd Airborne Armor lighter. He was sent an email by the seller that the lighter was made in 1969 after the soldier returned home from Vietnam.

 

So, this is not a fake, nor made with that purpose in mind. But, it is technically not a Vietnam-made (meaning “engraved in Vietnam during the War”) Zippo. Would I have it in my collection? Heck yes.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

These Vietnamese-made Sterling silver lighter covers come up occasionally. I bought this particular one in a Vietnamese ville in 1969. It is essentially a thin silver two-piece shell that fits over a lighter:

 

 

 

The usual designs are dragons and/or floral designs. The two I have are both bottom-marked “Viet Nam” and “Ster”.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here’s another fake on eBay with wobbly, black paint-filled lettering, and a supposed 1st Infantry Division logo for a location that unit never served at:

 

 

 

[Guest KingTim]

@Cobra 6 Actual Firstly thanks for the guide, it's helped me dodge a few close calls where I nearly ended up forking out for fakes! I'd appreciate your thoughts on this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304902775353

 

Now it's obviously not claiming to be Vietnam lighter. I believe it's a real zippo and legit stamp + the insert seems to match.

 

I'm wondering if you or others know anything more about the USN badge on it and what might be the origins of a lighter like this?

 

I'm looking to get my own engraving done on a zippo that's from the right era as the Vietnam war. I have a friend who's a Vietnam war buff and we travelled there together so am making a gift!

 

Thanks, Tim

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Hello, Tim. Thanks for the kind words. And, you’re correct: that is a legitimate Zippo with correct Zippo style date code and insert (red felt is a little rarer, but still accurate). Yokota57 has also checked in with me and he agrees about the authenticity of this Zippo.
 

The insignia is for a US Navy Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and is most probably something added on later. Still legitimate, but not soldered on by Zippo. These kinds of additions are pretty common. I’ve even done it myself by having jump wings soldered on to a Zippo. No worries. By the way, the price seems a bit high. Something like this would have been better priced at £30 to £40.

 

Please let me know if I’ve addressed all of your questions.

[Guest KingTim]

That's helpful, thank you, I've been off learning about CPOs now! When you say they're pretty common and that it's still legitimate, could you share any more information on what the origins of that might be? Is it usually something done by individuals or by third parties looking to sell them on? Or in bulk for servicemen to then purchase?

I take what you're saying to mean that it's not scrupulously done to try and make a quick buck on ebay but curious for any more details!

 

Thanks, Tim

[Cobra 6 Actual]

By “pretty common” I meant that many people add to or personalize their Zippos, Tim. If you look over one of the other threads on this Forum on lighters you’ll see plenty of examples. I referred to this one on this thread’s first page: 

 

Yokota57 also has some excellent threads with many examples of different lighters and their engravings and attachments.
 

I’m just speculating, but my guess would be that your lighter could have had that CPO insignia added by someone proud to be promoted versus being added on to sell on eBay or another such site. Usually such additions, in the past, would have been soldered on. But, now with “super glues”, it is equally possible that this was the attachment method.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here’s a fake on eBay for only $220 from an Australian seller with 100% positive feedback:

 

 

The usual fake indicators plus Tay Ninh was the Area of Operations of the 25th Infantry Division in 1968 and 1969, not the 1st Infantry Division.

 

Here’s the reverse with some stilted English:

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

And if you miss out on this fake, this seller has plenty more!

 

 

[Guest KingTim]

19 hours ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

By “pretty common” I meant that many people add to or personalize their Zippos, Tim. If you look over one of the other threads on this Forum on lighters you’ll see plenty of examples. I referred to this one on this thread’s first page: 

 

Yokota57 also has some excellent threads with many examples of different lighters and their engravings and attachments.
 

I’m just speculating, but my guess would be that your lighter could have had that CPO insignia added by someone proud to be promoted versus being added on to sell on eBay or another such site. Usually such additions, in the past, would have been soldered on. But, now with “super glues”, it is equally possible that this was the attachment method.

Thanks @Cobra 6 Actual - this is interesting and helpful. I’m clearer now on what to get for my friend.

Tim

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here’s an authentic Zippo on eBay that illustrates what the “real deal” should look like:

 

 

 

MACV Advisory Team 95 was at Bien Hoa. I believe that “T.M. 95” is a simple typo. It should have been “TM 95”. (After I got out of the field I was in a MACV Team and we never used the abbreviation “T.M.” for “Team.” However, perhaps others that served in MACV can give me some insight: might have been a local practice). And, “G-5” is for “Civil Affairs”.

[AlexeiK]

Another fake. The engraving is routine. But note the case which is not by Zippo: its bottom is stamped, not engraved. Probably it would be unwise to discuss the details here so as not to simplify the task for forgers. It is interesting that the forgers used several distinct stamps for this case, not a single one.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Excellent work, Alexei. Yep, a definite fake. Also according to the King James Version of the Bible, Psalm 23, Verse 4; the usual way you see the beginning of this quotation is “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death …” versus what is inscribed on the fake.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Another authentic Vietnam Zippo on eBay right now:

 

 

 

This one even includes a 1997 letter from the original owner:

 

[AlexeiK]

16 minutes ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

Another authentic Vietnam Zippo on eBay right now:

 

 

 

This one even includes a 1997 letter from the original owner:

 

What a cool thing. Unfortunately, eBay doesn't work with Russia.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Ah, I’m sorry to hear that Alexei.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

One of the things we haven’t covered yet is the unfortunate tendency of we collectors to get ahead of the facts. So, for example, I collect Vietnam stuff and as a Vietnam veteran I specifically collect from my old unit, the First Infantry Division. More than once I’ve caught myself getting ready to press the “Buy It Now” button on eBay because it has a Zippo attributed to my unit. And it may even have a cool graphic and equally cool quotation. 
 

At that point my finger is quivering over that “Buy it Now” button. But I stop myself (well, NOW I do) and look closer at the lighter. The fake above in Post # 84 is a good example: it’s supposedly a First Infantry Division lighter. It even has the Division’s motto. No wait, it sort of has the motto, but it is in the wrong order. The correct version is “No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, duty first.” Oh, and “DUTY” is actually engraved as “DUTV”. Oops! And the deal killer, as noted above, is that Tay Ninh was not the Division’s area of operations. I then look even closer and notice all of the other indicators of a fake. My finger moves away from the “But it Now” button and my money is safe again … for now.

 

Remember, don’t get ahead of the facts!

[Cobra 6 Actual]

On eBay there’s now an interesting fake:

 

 
 

Let’s take it apart: 1) Inconsistent spacing between the lines on the top portion , 2) “M.A.C.V” missing the final period as is common with the European style of punctuation; such as the French taught in Vietnam, 3) Wobbly black paint-filled letters on the bottom portion, 4) The word “CONFRENCE” should be spelled “CONFERENCE”.
 

The Thieu signature at the bottom looks good. In fact, the top portion with “From President Nguyen Van Thieu, Republic of Vietnam” and the signature at the bottom appear to have been loosely copied from an authentic Zippo:

 

 

Over the past ~50 years I’ve seen several of these authentic ones. In fact, I now own one. Notice the careful spacing of the original. Plus it has a 10kt gold seal in the middle.

[yokota57]

These two "Rare Treasures" currently on Ebay can be had for an opening bid of ONLY $1,000. My bid is in!!!

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Wow, those are ugly, Yokota57. Thanks for posting them. Here’s another eBay fake:

 

 

The usual wobbly lettering and artificial aging with the chrome totally removed. However, this has an interesting nonsensical twist: above the letters “U.S.” is the seal for the North Vietnamese Cảnh Sát (Security Forces). Go figure.
 

Here’s the reverse:

 

 

A saying that makes no sense, apostrophes that look hand engraved, etc. Meanwhile, the Zippo logo on the bottom is engraved instead of the way it should be, stamped:

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here’s another fake on eBay:

 

 

Indicators: paint-filled and wobbly letters, sloppy spacing of letters and words, etc.

 

Here’s the reverse:

 

 

Indicators: incorrectly quoted song lyrics (it should be “It’s been a hard day’s night …). Also the missing “g” from the word “workin_”. The spacing between “workin” and “like” is wrong, too. And the word “a” is missing between “like” and “dog”.

 

Another indicator is that any time you see a supposed Vietnam-engraved Zippo on a “bed” of similar ones; that’s a bad sign. By the way, if you want this gem it is for sale for only $532.92 plus $35 shipping from Japan.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

A troubling new trend: I’m seeing several fake “made in Vietnam” Zippos on eBay that do not have paint in the letters. Here’s an example:

 

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Fortunately many of these fake Zippos have engraved Zippo logos, instead of stamped:

 

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Another day, another fake:

 

 

All of the usual indicators, plus this lighter uses an approximation of a South Vietnamese military police patch design instead of a U.S. one. All on a brass case (remember, brass Zippos were not made during the period we were in Vietnam).

[Cobra 6 Actual]

Here’s the flip side, with the usual nonsensical saying:

 

And you can have this beauty for only $158.97 plus ~$30 shipping!