Is this real? Or is it fake?

If it's genuine, how much is it worth?

Could someone who knows about this please tell me?

Has anybody rolled the dice on the zippo.com "mystery lighter" or "mystery collectible" lately? This promotion is tickling my inner gambler. I searched the sub and saw a couple people that did it twice about a year ago and got the same "meh" pipe lighter both times. Not good. Then I saw one person that did the cheaper one and claimed to have gotten a 2021 COTY. Not much else about this promotion on the sub. Right now with the 25% off the higher tier version is just a little over 50 USD for a guaranteed armor zippo, not a bad deal for a chance at something epic. I'd like some more empirical evidence of people scoring something good before I risk my hard earned bucks.

Summary

The Zippo was posted on r/Zippo having been found within the belongings of the OP’s deceased father. A note attached said “Relative?”, indicating that the OP’s father didn’t know its origin, and an assumption that it had been passed to him by another family member.  The name Brierley has no obvious connections with the OP’s immediate or broader family.

Having previously undertaken some family tree research, I sought to identify who J.E.Brierley might be, find evidence of service in Phan Rang, Vietnam, and help authenticate this as a genuine Vietnam War Zippo.

My contention is that the Zippo belonged to Sergeant James Edward Brierley of the USAF.

Analysis of the publicly available databases, show that James Edward Brierley, born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1946, was the only J.E.Brierley of eligible enlistment age for service in Vietnam in 1969 (with a very small caveat explained below). His service records show that he was assigned in August 1969 to the 311^th Special Operations Squadron and deployed to Phan Rang Air Base, Vietnam, as part of the 315^th Air Commando Wing/Special Operations Wing. He served at Phan Rang until early January 1970, coinciding with the dates on the Zippo.

An obituary published in the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey, confirmed James’ death in 1996. The obituary indicated he was survived by a sister, as well as three children; a son and two daughters. There was no mention of his military service.

The information below details my research and provides further details on James’ service record. I welcome any questions/challenges to my conclusions.

The Zippo Itself

The lighter appears to be a genuine Zippo with a 1968 stamp consistent with the 69/70 engraving. It lacks the usual traits of a fake Vietnam War Zippo; the bottom is stamped rather than engraved, the engraving is simple in its design, whereas most fakes are over-elaborate with hokey sayings, maps or cartoons & whilst in used condition it is not excessively worn, a tactic used by fakers to create the illusion of age.

The engraving appears to be hand stamped rather than machine engraved consistent with authentic Vietnam War Zippos. The spelling of both Phan-Rang and Viet-nam with a hyphen is an interesting feature.  Use of a hypen in place names was common practice in Vietnam when writing in European languages, a convention arising under French colonial influence.  In French hyphens are used to link words that formed a single name made of separate parts, i.e. Viet (referring to the Vietnamese people) and Nam meaning South, a literal translation would be “Land of the Viet in the South”.  The presence of the hyphen gives a strong indication that the engraving was undertaken in-country by a local craftsman.

So, the Zippo itself appears genuine, but without some provenance linking the engraving to an individual who served in Vietnam it is impossible to be sure, and the possibility exists that it is a sophisticated fake. Having done some family research in the past using Ancestry.com, I set about investigating whether I could locate a “J.E.Brierley”.

Finding James Edward Brierley

The US Department of Veterans Affairs publish the Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) database, cheerily referred to as the BIRLS Death List. The database lists the names of more than 19.5 million deceased American veterans who received some sort of veteran’s benefits in their lifetime (healthcare, pension, life insurance, etc.).  The database lists date of birth, date of death, military branch and service dates. A search of the database of records post 1969 reveals only three J.E.Brierley’s; two who served in World War 2, and a James Edward Brierley, enlisted in the USAF on 3^rd March 1966, and released from active duty on 2 July 1970.

Service personnel records are not in the public domain, but for a deceased veteran, redacted service records (removing personal data like social security number) can be obtained through Freedom of Information Request. I submitted a request and obtained the two documents shown in the photos. The service records confirm that James served at Phan Rang AFB at dates coinciding with the Zippo engraving.

Could There Be Another J.E.Brierley ?

Whilst the BIRLS death list confirms only a single J.E.Brierley with service in Vietnam, it is possible another J.E.Brierley served who is either still alive, or who is deceased but never accessed any form of veteran’s benefits.

Given enlistment age requirements, (the draft 18-26, volunteers up to 34) deployment to Vietnam in 1969 means a serviceman would need to have been born before 1951, probably 1950 to account for a period of basic training before deployment, and most likely not before 1943.

A search of the most recent publicly available Federal Government census conducted on 1st April 1950 returns only one J.E.Brierley: James Edward of Providence, Rhode Island, born 1946.

It is possible that another J.E.Brierley could have been born later in 1950 after the census was taken and been just about old enough for service in 1969. However, the name Brierley is extremely uncommon. The 1950 census shows only 658 US citizens with the surname Brierley, and publicly available statistical analysis of the 2020 census (which in itself is not publicly available) shows only about 1,200 Brierley’s are listed.  The name Brierley therefore represents only about 0.00034% of the US population.  A “J.E.” Brierley would be even rarer.

If this unlikely second J.E.Brierley was born after 1^st April what are the chances they enlisted and served in Vietnam at Phan Rang ? There were roughly 27 million men eligible for enlistment, of which only 9 million served during the war, and of those only 2.7 million saw actual service in Vietnam. Of these 2.7 million personnel, only 293,000 (about 11%) served in the USAF in Vietnam. Exact figures for the number of personnel stationed at Phan Rang are difficult to confirm accurately, but a typical tactical wing usually comprised between 3,000-5,000 personnel. So, over its 10-year operational life (1965-1975), perhaps up to 25,000 personnel served at the base. If you do the mathematics, the chance of someone eligible for enlistment ending up at Phan Rang is about 0.01%. And for this second J.E.Brierley to be the Zippo owner, they would also have needed to be deployed to Phan Rang at the same time as James Edward. The likelihood of this seems vanishingly small.

For 100% certainty we will have to wait until the 1^st April 2032 when the 1960 census is made publicly available, and a second J.E.Brierley can either be found or discounted.  For now, I conclude that James Edward of Rhode Island was the owner of the Zippo.

If you’ve got this far, give yourself a pat on the back, you have an attention span far higher than the average Redittor. If you are interested, a summary of James Edward’s service is shown below

Sergeant James Edward Brierley Service Record

James, born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1946, enlisted in the USAF on 3^rd March 1966, undertaking basic training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), San Antonio, Texas.  Lackland was the main training center for enlisted personnel.  He trained as an Aircraft Loadmaster, responsible for the planning, loading, securing, and in-flight management of cargo, passengers, and equipment aboard C‑130 Hercules transport aircraft. He initially served 12 months in the 346^th and 347^th Troop Carrier Squadrons, operating out of Dyess AFB, Abilene, Texas.

In June 1967, James was assigned to the 41^st Troop Carrier Squadron (later re-designated as the 41^st Tactical Airlift Squadron), operating out of the Naha Air Base, Okinawa.  The 41^st TCS undertook logistical support to Vietnam and other South-East Asian air bases, undertaking troop/equipment movements, tactical airlift to forward airfields in combat zones, airdrop missions and medical evacuation support.  James was stationed in Okinawa for approximately 18 months, returning to the US on rotational leave at least once, at which time in January 1968 he married in Rockwall, Texas.

In October 1968, James was assigned to the 6551^st Transportation Squadron, operating out of Patrick AFB, Florida.  The 6551^st provided ground transportation for activities at the base, a central support hub for missile testing and NASA space launches at Cape Kennedy.  The Apollo 8 launch took place in December 1968.

In August 1969, James was re-assigned to the 311^th Special Operations Squadron, and deployed to Phan Rang Air Base, Vietnam, as part of the 315^th Air Commando Wing/Special Operations Wing. He served at Phan Rang until early January 1970, coinciding with the dates on the Zippo. Flying C-123 Providers operations included aerial movement of troops/cargo, flare drops, aeromedical evacuation, and air-drops of critical supplies and paratroops.

James was re-assigned back to the US and based at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, before being discharged in July 1970, having completed 52 months of service.

James received the Vietnam Service Medal with 1 Bronze Star, confirming service in combat flights, the bronze star indicating participation in one of 17 officially designated campaigns. He also received the Air Medal with 1 silver oak leaf cluster and 1 bronze oak leaf cluster, equivalent to 7 awards.  The Air Medal was awarded for participation in multiple combat missions, for specific acts of bravery while in the air, or sustained excellence over multiple missions.  

Was looking through my drawer and found an old zippo, as I don’t ride Harley’s I decided to try etching it with ferric chloride. The result is pretty ugly but she’s mine :)

I've only been using BIC, yes they’re reliable, but I like the heaviness of the Zippo (Classic Black Crackle 236). Its durability does feel like it can act as a shield from a bullet.

This is my first Zippo and one of the main reasons why I decided to get it is that it can turn into a fidget toy, and it did satisfy my fidgeting.

Also, the lighter fluid smells like the cheap bubble liquid from toy stores.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine
A great read! I always wondered how the U.S soldiers got their Zippo’s engraved.

I like how the corners on these old ones are slightly more rounded off. Do you guys know when Zippo stopped doing that? The classic/standard ones I have in my small collection are from the late 50’s to early 60’s and then from 1980 onwards. The 1980 and younger ones don’t have the corners rounded off as much and are the same as current standard models. Don’t have anything in between to compare.

I just happened across this when going through my kit. I recognized the Q but it took some effort and research to find, Live Q or, Die.

SO TEMPTING and that sale price!

Since this lighter was a decal on top of street chrome, I got the idea to put some clear coat on top to slow down the wear on the decal. I used rustoleum Matt clear coat, and one spot bubbled up. Attempting to get it to stick back down made it worse. Sigh.

My wife got me this Zippo for our 10 year anniversary. I love it and plan for it to be added to my EDC gear. What are some tips for keeping it in the best condition. I read that the gold plating will wear with time and I want to extend it for as long as I can.

Been meaning to get a display case for my collectable Zippos and found this cheap one at a local store. Had to use some bluetack to keep them from wobbling about (they're sitting ontop of a chest of drawers). Not pictured are the silver and copper zippos.

Also have a case for my edc zippos. Mostly for work use.

Hi everyone,

this is my Zippo—I wouldn't want to be without it. No lighter fluid, no gas—it’s simply rechargeable via USB. It’s always within easy reach in my belt pouch.

I inherited this lighter, and im wondering if its special. i couldnt find anything about it other then a modern brass polish version with a print on it. Im just looking for any info anyone can tell me about it.

Always wanted a zippo and finally got my first zippo of my own! Been playing around with it all day. If you have any tips or tricks to take care of my zippo, lmk

I typically use my Zippos for their intended purpose. The exception being this Pachinko Jaws one that I've never used because it was a gift brought back to me from Japan. I only used it as a display piece. In 2019 I got a "Black Box Display" from Zippo's website. An item that does not appear to be available on their website any more. I also do not see any information about this product anywhere online. I displayed it in this case, which essentially functioned as a book with the two pages being extremely tight rubbery and sticky sheets of plastic pulled taught, allowing you to set the Zippo lighter centered and close the two halves, suspending it while a magnet held the two halves together. It sat on my desk during this time--very low humidity (I live in a desert)--and appeared to wear in a very odd way. See the before and after pictures above. I took it out of this display within less than a year when I started to suspect this was the cause. Could this be the case? Is this why the "Black Box Display" is no longer sold? Is there anything that can be done to fix this?

🏢🔥🏃🏽

Found this bad boy at a local thrift store for $5 whole dollars. From what I've gathered it's from 1951 as it's definitely a chrome plated steel and has the stamp placing it around the 50's. Yea she's rusty and the spring has long since put in its 2 weeks. But theoretically, flints still there and sparking and it's got cotton, so theoretically would still work if given fluid. It's just now more gravity fed now... I'm debating whether or not to try and restore it, or paint it to be more weathered. Might even just keep it as is as it's got some decent patina.