"

But also let this be a word of caution. Collecting Zippo lighlers isa lot of fun. Try to keep it that way. Zippo Manufacturing Company

-

I\', "-'-.., 1"~-" .~~~.

•~~- A1'1"~".

One night in 1933 above a garage in Bradford, Pennsylvania,George Blaisdell pushed the first insert into the first case of whatwould be the first Zippo lighter. Thal was more than 300 millionZippo lighters ago. Mr. Blaisdell would be amazed to know that todaythere are thousands of Zippo lighter collectors all over the wodel,communicating lhrough newsletters and faxes, e-mail and web pages,as weH as gelting together al shows and conventions and at theZippo/Case International Swap MeeL

He would be dumbfounded to leamthat [or many, collecting Zippo lighters hasbecome a hobby, and for some, it has evenbecome a business. In light of the e er-growing international interest in the Zippo win pr 1 er, e 15

little book be a word of introduction to the novice lighter collector.This is a place to start It is nOl meant to be a complete guide to Zippolighter identification or collecting,just a place to enter theconversation.

What is beyond pnce is the JOY of agenuine coIlecLOr who find a rare 1933or a beaudful metallique or a powerfulWorld War nor aVietnam-era Zippolighl r. Every Zippo lighter teils a story

..iillIIII.......r and some of those slorie - and someer - are pnceless.

makes no claim as lO how much a single lighler,however old or in whatever condidon, is worth. Thecollectibles market is extreme! \"olatile and any givenpiece 15 worth only whatever someone eIse wanlS LO paylO begin or complete a collecdon. Yes, there are Zippolighlers that have brought quite a bIt of money to the fmder.Sm collecting Zippo lighters, 1believe, is abom fun, aboul history,aboUl people.

ote: Most or the Zippo

Zippo/Case Museum that vi iLorscome from around the world.

1he Zippo/Case VisiLorsCenter houses one or Lhecountry's mOSL unusual andspecial ~

collectionsorAmericanaThe isitors ~Centercomains lhe Zippo/ ~ The museumCase Museum, the Zip /Case displays the historrtore, and lhe Zippo Repait of the Zippo windproof

Clinie, \i here the legencLrry lighter, both the producl and~"7::~:;:::::;:,,=:r"""-~~~~~~ the people who have made

this an kon of Americanculrural history.

like Zippe, \ .R Case -,.Sens Cutlery, which was a qurredby Zippe in 1993, produces alegendary product which hasbecome one of the most

collectible items in the world.

windproof lighlers shown in thisguide are historical; many are

"Build JOur prodULt with integrity...stand behind it 100% and success willJollow."

- George G. BlalSdellFounder, ZIPPO Manufaaunng Company

The Zippo/Case VisitorsCenter is one of a handful ofrepositories whose mission is to

preserve and display lhe history ofportable llame-making devicescommonly called "lighlers."

Here are IWO other lightermuseums you may want lO \risit:

ational Lighter Museum107 50uth 2nd 5l., Guthrie, OK73044 405/282-3025Lighter Museum of HollandPostbus 27, 5670 AA uenenThe elherlands

extremely rare. 5ince weno longer produce these

)<. models, they are notavailable for purchase from

Zippo Manufacturing Company.

The Zippo/Case VISitors Centeris located at 1932 Zippo Drive,Bradford, PA 16701. Hours areMonday through Saturday,9a.m-5p.m

The visitor 'informationline is (888) GGB-1932.Or visil our website athttp://www.lIPPOmfg.com

_ he most importantinformation you want toglean from your Zippolighter is: what style it is,what conclition it is in andho\ old it is.

Here's what you need to

lmow to figure that out

For example, does it-have diagonal cuts or isit 1/4" taUer than the regularmodels, marks of some earlyZippo lighters? Does il wear ametallique? 15 il a Town &:Country? Thi book will helpyou determine that. Conditionmeans everything in lightercollecting (with the possible

owwhatdoes "conditionmean? To samecollectors, il means mal thelighler is as pristine as the dayit was made.« ever!il means

mint' to some

8

dots and/or slashes so hecould identify which TUnof lighters was beingreturned for repairs. Sowhat was a quality-eontrollool for Mr. Blaisdell hasbecome a collector's

dream anda way lOpreciselydate mostZippolighrers.We'veincludedthat codeon thenext pages.

Most lighters before 1957 areidentified by style and model, patentor patent-pending mark, and the logoof "Zippo" engraved on the bottom.(Note World War II Zippo lighterswith the black crackle finish,distributed only to the PXs for the

men and women in the service to buy,were stamped with a special patent number.)

Dating aZippo lighter isfun and easy.Because Mr.

Blaisdell offered a lifetimeguarantee on his lighters, he hadthe bottom of each Zippo lightermade since the

mid-1950'sencodedwith aseries of

"Good" to "Fair" to"Poor," depending onthese variables ofcondition. And finally,does the Zippowindproof lighter stillhave its originalpackaging? These original boxesadd considerably to the~-- ....... collectibility of

the lighter.

... )• • •••!fI • •

.. .. - .. .. - .. .. .. - ,- •• DPpo L1GHTER IDENTIFICATION CODES

YEAR REGULAR SLiM

• LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT1932 Patent Pendin~

41 1937 Patent 2032695'1950 Patent 2517191

41 While it seems thai some lighters produced between 1955-57 were date-coded,Zippo records remain uncertain on the specifics of the codes uses al that time.

41 1957 Full stamp with patent pendin~ •••• • •••1958 Full stamp, no patent pending •••• ••••• •••• • •• • •••• ...1959 ••• • ••• ... ...

41 1960 ... ... ... ..1961 ... .. .. ..

• 1962 .. .. .. •1963 .. • • •

41 1964 • • •1965 •

411966 1II1 1111 1111 11111967 1111 111 1111 1111968 111 111 111 111

41 1969 111 11 111 111970 11 11 11 11

41 1971 11 I 11 I1972 I 1 1 I

• 1973 I I1974 1111 1111 1111 1111

• 1975 1111 111 1111 111I

1976 111 111 111 111I

9

L. • • • • • • • • • • •Z:ppo L1GHTER IDENTIFICATION CODES •YEAR REGULAR SliM

I LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT •1977 111 11 111 11

I 1978 11 11 11 11~1979 1 11 11 1

,

1 1 1 11980~1981 1 1

1982 1111 1111 1111 1111~1983 1111 111 1111 111

1984 111 111 111 1111985 111 11 111 11 ~

I 1986 11 11 11 11Effective 7·1-86 the above system was replaced by yearllot code. Year is noted with ~roman numerallletter designates lot month (A=Jan., B=Feb., ete.)

1986 Glo L 11 Same as reQular~1987 A 10 L 11I Same as regular

1988 A10 L IV Same as regular~1989 Alo L V Same as reQular

1990 Alo L VI Same as regular~1991 A10 L VII Same as reoular

1992 Alo L VIII Same as reoular1993 AloL IX Same as regular ~1994 A 10 L X Same as regular

•1995 A 10 L XI Same as reQular ~1996 A 10 L XII Same as regular1997 Alo L XIII Same as regular

~1998 Alo L XIV Same as reQular1999 Alo L XV Same as regular ..2000 Alo L XVI Same as regular, • • ., . • • • • • • • 10

first lippo windprooflighler. We now knowhen lhal firsl lighter wasproduced, and the new "ure lO hock ome ZlppocollecLOrs and luslonans. While--_., ir. BlaiSdeli learly deve10pedrhe idea and began the Jrulialwork on lhe llppo

anufa ruting Company in1932, new e\iden e unearrhedirl the llppo archive,discO\"ered while researchirlgmaterials for rhe opening ofrhe ZlppO, Ca e tu eum inthe spring of 1997, ha

o single issue infiames (hecoUeclor or inspires such healeddebale a lhe curious queslionssUIToundmg lhe dales for '""henGeorge G. Blai deli produced lhe

answered the long-clebated produced untillaLe 1933. Ihequestion. hinge - one with four barrels,

clistinct from the soon-to-be­standard three-barrel one - was

hand-solderedon the outsideof the case.Ihe bOLLom ofthe lighterreads "Zippo"and "Pat.Pencling." Mr.Blaisdellapplied for theZippo lighterpatentin 1934 after

~~L' experirnenting

throughout 1933.,.----;II~~[ How do we know <bis' Some

J:- l'- ) -ll 1/ 1-/;~~aV~1~:~::)~;~~.I~_~L<.. __ --U ,1l. Austnan hghter

U J company fromI whom he acquired the

II was in 1933 ­not 1932 as long

believed - Lhat GeorgeBlaisdell first started LOproduce the Zippowindproof lighter ­the one both with andwiLhout diagonal cutson the corner. Ibislighter is 27/lt tall- aquarter inch taller thanthe current Zippo lighter- and continued to be

received your letter o[ December15 and have received the sampielighter.... It is quite likely that ,"vewill go into this business on arather !arge scale." Other lettersclearly confirmed this.

rights [or the proto-Zippo, clearlyshow that he was still makingcontacts in 1933 and could nothave been producing lighters anyearlier. One letter, [or example,datedjanuary 9, 1933, states: "We

Z4PP8NO.20D It9S

~/IVDPnOO1=

N"tionolly known Md accepted "s the' lighter foroutdoor use. Your best friend on " long crosscountry. Two-tone chrome case.

WhatlSimportant is thatthe people o[Zippo continue too[[er the truth, asbest we can and asquickly as weknow iL That's apledge that, likeGeorge Blaisdell'sguarantee,ourcustomers andour collectorscan count onevery time.

The companynow estimatesthat there wereapproximately

1,500 tall Zippo lighters made.That 1933 Zippo lighter soldfor $1.95.

Very few 1933 ZippoIighters remain, however-lessthan a hundred. They weremade at arguably the darkest,toughesl time for Americans ­righl in lhe middle of the GreatDepression. There were probablyvery few people in 1933 whopurchased lheir lighlers for $1.95and secured lhem away in adrawer, having lhe foresight thatthe Iighler would be highlycollectible in a half-century. Theselighlers for the most pan wereused a greal deal. As recently asthe early 1980's, if a tall Zippolighter was sent to the Zippoplant for repairs - and many ofthese might have been, as theywere all hand-soldered and had atendency to crack - Zippogenerally replaced the old lighterwith a new one. The customer

was happy and Zippo threw outthe old lighter!

One curiosity gets even"curiouser." In 1988 ZippoManufacturing Companyreissued a replica of lhe farnausoriginal 1932 Zippo lighler,what was then thought to be theinitialyearofproduction.Sothat 1988 "1932 Zippo lighterreplica" jusl got a lot morecollectible like the pennieswith the mistaken mint marks01' tbe stamps with the bOlchedimages. Then in 1997,juslbefore the facts of lhe 1933lighter were discovered,Zippo again reproduced theoriginal 1932 Zippo lighter forRJ. Reynolds and for thecollectors' group On The LighterSide eOTlS). All of lhese now"[alse replicas" are extremelycollectible and, let's say,among tbe more limiled runsin Zippo's invemory.

Trademarks&:. Logos- Thespecialtyadvertisinglighlers madetheir debut withan order of 500

lighlers in the world. BuL thereare other elements to lookfor. Early Zippo lighters caninclude the taU and the regular­size lighter.

Early Zippo lighters are thoseproduced from 1933 until1936,when Lhe [hree-barrel hinge platewas soldered Lo Lhe outside of thecase and then the whole casechrome-plated. These outer- Ihinr:=ge=dZ:-o:-iP~PO.....WUl,""-'_dP_roO-=fli"",:".gh,..-.,te_rs-1. 'l~l.e~ l,e:'in lhe most coUectible __~' _

The Early Years:In 1933, Mr. Blaisdell

produced the ni' tall Zippolighler, but he shonened it by aquarter inch by the end of theyear. This mid-1933-34 modelalso has the three-barrel outsidehinge.

.....------1 Kendall L1Zippo li hters in1935. ThroughoutZippo's hIStOry,

Ell.;~._r*businesses and

fraternal and milital)organizanoflS ha\'e honored andhighhghted their group by

I putring their logo, lheirimage, lheir initials or lheirmark on a Zippo \\findprooflighter From 1935 to the early1940' ,this was oflen done 1th

metalliqu and later with 1exa ring urface treatments. Inan case, these cu tom rtrademark Zippo li hter ha\'eproven lO be amon the mOSld irable collectibl or alllighters and represenl same or

16

hinge, one malstayed in useuntil1942.

- The gold-filledZippo lighter JS mtrodu ed.

The Zippo li hterwith the brass

lighter case v.rith a four-barrel case and rounded-7-j' m . gin at 2.05 oz.

\ hat is "metallique?" From 1935 unti11940, Zippo decorated lightelmeta/Ilques are metallace. hand-eraJted slices oJ chrome-plated brass, razthe late 1930's, but this surJace treatment was lalgely brushed aside b thexacting "line-etching" technique replaced the labor-illten ire metalliqueselld in all) lighter and have any avai!able metallique - illcludillg metalli

metaillque difficult. Some oJ the most Jamous and Jamiliar metalliques in1939 Wor/d's Fair. In 1997, in honor oJ its 65th annirersary, Zippo reilltn

producedfrom 1947-49,the thirdmodelfrom1949-54andthe rourthmodel from1954-79.

makes irs debut It is the now­classic Zippo design.

with special appliques calied "metalliques." These

r-thin atJive one-thousands oJ an inch. Metallique production peaked inepic Zippo production Jor World War H. During that time other lessThroughout the mid to late 1930's and early 1940's, customers could

)ue initials - applied to their lighter, thus making exaet dating oJ some:lude the Kendall, the two views oJ the Reveler, the Scotty dog, and thelduced aseries oJ six new metallique style lighters (see page 29).

- Zippo's firstrable lighter - the Barcroft - is

I produced These first rable lightersare 4.5 inches high and can hold

I rour tirnes the fuel of aconventional Zippo lighter. Theirfirst list price is $7.50. Thismodel is produced for only twoyears. The second Barcroft is

steel and thencoated with athick black paintlhal baked to a

black crackle fInish.11any soldIercustomized theirlippo Ughters,

scratchmg in names, places,

L3images, and messages of all kindsthal su est their hopes, dreams,fears and longings. These kinds 01images are ofLen considered a forrof"trench an." pecifically trenchan, a term from 70rld "ar Ird rs LO ltems made from therubble of 1,; r on the field ofbartle m the trench. Pieces oftrench an are extremely valuableand hisrorically importanl. anycollecLors, however, haveextended lhe concepl of "trenchan" Lo include Lhe changes to an

in combat around the world.Becau e brass and chrom were inshoTt upply, lippo windprooflighters were made with a porous

"Tt s the only lighter I've got that "' 19ht at all tim ..- Grnual IMl h( D. EI hOll"

.,...-"\..,.\'j~rld \ ar 11- horn 1943

until the end of World War lL allof lippo ManufacturingCompany' production washipp d LO the PXs fOT m oldiers

"11 1wen~ 10 lell you howmueh these Zippos areeo\'eted at the front and the gralitudeand dclight willl whleh lhe boys reeelveIllern, you would probably aecuse me 01exaggeraltOn. Ihere is truly notllinglhe avcra e soldia would ralher have."

- World \\ar II correspnndenlErnte Pyle

1inscriplions pUL on heretaforeexisling iLems, including lighLers.ome col1ecLOrs would nOL

consider Lhis genuine trench anbut would certainly considerthese addilions andembellishments interesting.

- The three-barrelhinge is introduced.

These Zippo lighters,personalized and cusLomized bysoldiers during war, havebecome extremely collectibleand are imponam pieces ofsocial history. Sometimes Lhisform of trench an was hand­engraved by the soldiel~ otherlimes engravers aL the war siLemade modifications. This is moreoften the case wiLh the ietrlamZippo lighLers (see page 25).

1 -_ - The onemillionth Zippo windproof lighteris produced

1

own &: Country - Town&: Country Zippo lighters werefirst offered to the public in1949 but have come torepresent the confidence andthe exuberance of the post-war

1950's. Town &: Country maybe the most luminous and oneof the most desirable collectors'series in the history of thecompany. Arnong the mostelaborate and labor-intensiveof all Zippo lighters. thesedeeply engraved and multi-

colored painred surfacesexpressed an Arnericanenthusiasm that has rarelybeen matched by Zippoartisans. Town &: Countryrepresenrs

the best of Zippo's surfacetreatment and lighter design.

Town &: Country employed a

I"paint-on-paint" process­sometimes up to 14 differemcolors for a single lighter - toachieve its rich texture. The colors

were air-brushed on lhe lighlerone at a um ,after the surfacewas engraved at four one­thousands of an inch deep.

The lassic series wasillustraled \\lth eIghl icons: themallard, the pheasant, the geesethe trout, the horse, the lrishsetter, the IUy pond and thesloop or sailboat lndividualclients and organizations usedthis engraved and "paim-on­paint" process for their logos andmilitary or fralernal insignias.The lighlers were producedthroughoUllhe 1950 s. In its fir tyear, a Town Country was amoderateI} expensive gilt at

7.50. Even though Zippo till

u ed the process until1964, theTown :T Counrry eries officiallycame LO an end m 1960.

Mint TO\\11 Countrieare extremely d irable forcoUecLOr not only becau lheyare among the mo t beautifullighter in the world, but alsobecause they are very rare. i-.1anypeople carried their lighters alongwith coins and key in pocketsand purses and, as a result; fewTown & Counrry lighters, despitetheir eleetro-baked finish,have survived the subsequemdecades withoUl somechipping or scratching ofth ir exquisitel)' painted surface.Throughout the 1960' Zippo

- The..__r- Zippo patent-pending number changes to2517191.

1 -5-57-ZiPPObegins to date code with dashesand slashes (see chan on page 9).

115 -The slim Zippolighter is introduced. Theselighters bring an eleganceand sophistication to thetraditional, moremasculine Zippo lighterdesign. To make the slim,Zippo makes a numberof modiRcations to thelighter, including a cut inthe chirnney, a wheel

continued to producelighters similar to theclassic 1950's Town &.Counny series, bUlthese were not asdeeply engraved, nordid they often ha\'e thenumber of air-brushed -_li·colors. Town &. CounnyZippo lighters repre ent a uniquetime and a unique product inAmerican industrial history ­and a classic phase of Zippoproduction.

Qlher Zippo windproofUghlers to spark your interest:

1 5 -57 -Fullleather Zippo Ughters. These are

nolto be confusedwith the leather

wraps, whichare producedfrom 1952-60and haveleather onlyaround the

Bottoms Up: Take a Look ­The botton! oJyour Zippolighter can tell you a lot aboutyour lighter. Lighters

::-======;~-~~ produced Jrom 1933through 1945generally have eitherajlat bottom 01' onethat is pushed out.In 1946, }lOweveT, Jor

-~---'I the most part, Zippolighters had whatcollectors oJten calla "canned bottom,"looking very muchlike the edge oJatin can, neitherbulged nOT jlat likeearlier models.

- The Zippo patentnumber officially changes to2517191.

guard placed on the spring toreduce heat, and by the secondyear of production, moving the"vick 1 '32 of an inch away fromthe llint wheeL These fim slimZippo lighters have flat bottoms.

1

inventory is more fascinatingto some than the many lightersdesigned and produced for themen and wornen in the military.During World War 1I andthe Korean War, and thenthroughout Viemarn and up tothe GulfWar, ZippoManufacturing VIETNAM

Cornpany has 6Jli~~rnemorialized the war ......--~efforts of American

forces and, in omecases, Amencan alliesas weil

Th e ~ghlers make up anentire sub-dass of Zippocollecling. The lighlersa ociated wirh lhe \ iemamWar, particularly lhe form oftrench an done during lhe warby \'ietnamese engravers andthe soldiers themse1ves.are extremely valuable botha ollectibles and as piecesof, erican social historysee trench an, page 19). These

Viemam Ii hters. howe\'er.because of the potential to

fabncate after-the-facl forgedtrench art, should beapproached by the novicecollector wilh extreme

Zippo hghtersI \\llh a "matte

finish" are inrroduced mlO be followed b)' bIue,

__rrr burgund)', green and gra).

Camoufla e Zlpplighter areinrrodu ed.

The first EhisZIppO li her._----­makes the

1; ; -The Zippolighter honoring the lOOthanniversary of the .RCase er ns Cutler)Companv· produ ed.

92ZippoManufacturingCompany has producedspecial Collectible of the YearZippo lighters in commemorativetins, available for a limited time

r::::::;=~and highly pnzed bylighter collectors.

1 _-The firstCollectible of the Yearcornmemorates Zippo's

------ 60thAnniversary.

when put together makeup a large canvas, a kind

\__.............=_of puzzle, whi hurprises and

delightscollector .

l~_lippo lutPinup GIrls. AsAmerican as aR.__......__r-:" B lty Grable

movie these pinup grrls nod backto Zippo's early nationalad\'erlisements,

1_ -" -The 65lh Anniversary

Commemorative.~=~~:::;::~ZlppO hghter Fbears anannque pe\\1eremblem in thean-deco sryle, ~UI;~~rrX1Hrecalhng the erofZippo'sfounding.

1- - The D-Da}Cornmem rau\e Zippo salut the50th arumtrsary of 'th greatest

- da)''' \\ith a black crackle surfaceand antique brass emblem

__ pauerned on leeve patchwom b ' thc Allied uoop .

ole: Ir you are a collectorand \\'1 h Zippo to atternpl torestore the mside lighting

receiYed. A single pa ka ecomaining the repairedlighter and the original insidelighting mechanism will bereturned to )'OU.

~'::;':~-=::::=-"'::'::r:l . h I' h""::!,,.::.:::.:::::::x:;-:.."::.~. mto l e 19 ler case.-/11-4 __

-,"=,"':..::::l":'~-:::.-- To preserve thezlppa ~-=---

;1t.fI!~~t!m=~collectibility ofyourvinta e windproof

lighter, the original inside lightingmechanism will be retumed to)OU in the same condition

For Zippo lighlers 25 earandolder:

The case of the lighter \"\ill berepaired as much as possible anda new insIde lighting mecharusm

\o\rill be-----"....... fit

~l.. ere i lhe Zipporepair poh') m theunlikely evem thalyour Zipp lighterneeds lO be fixed (please notethat the finish of the lighter is notguarameed:

mechanism of your hghter, youmust state this in your lener. If youfai! to communicate this in yOUTletter, your old hghting mechanismwill not be restored, however, itwill be retumed along with a newinside hghting mechanism.

For Zippo lighters Iessthau 25 years oId:

The case of Lhe lighLer will berepaired as much as possible, anda new inside Iighting mechanismwill be fiL into Lhe lighter case.Ir you requesL it in writing, wewill also return your originalinside Iightingmechanism to yOU.

We suggest you

)s~nd your 1ighter(s)VIa msured mai!. Yourlighter will be

retumed at our ~~~~~9expense. FOTsafety, please remove the flim fromthe Iighler and allow the melloevaporale far two to three daysbefore mailing.

~ople aU over the world sharean interesl in lighlers in generaland the Zippo windproof lighterin parti lar. Coll cling li hters isa window im hi tOl) and a waylO meel fa cinatmg people whoshare your inter LS. Here aresame of the organization :

On th Ughter ide (OTLS)1 ternaaonal LI hter CoUeclOrs13 Cir le DnveQuitman, TX 757 3-0536UAtm.:Judllh anderTet 903-763-2795Fax: 903-763-4953

Pocket Ughter Pr ervationGulld (PLPG)11220 . Flonssant, #400Florissant, .10 63033

AAtm: Ronald EyerkussTel: 314-731-2411Fax: 314-831-3182

Lighter Club of Great Britain351 Whitehorse RoadCroydon, SurreyCR02HEnglandAtm: Richard BaUTet 44 81 665 957Fax: 44 16659579

Funke und Flamme ( )International UghterCoUectors ClubPostfach 121CH-9-H3 Oberegg\\itzerland

Atm: Rolf uUerTeL/Fax: 41 71 91 1322

Club ltalia ~ccendino\ia L Sartoria o. 531100 - TrevisoltalyArm.: Umberto deConcillioTeL/Fax: 39 422 301799

· lippo Club ItaliaInt 295

I \la (lfO I tenolti 2 A2 129 lilanoi llal)'

ndenhor ter Zippo-ClubFlames~

GermanyAlm: Bnan obalTel: 49-2526-3 68

Zippo-Club Iron FlameLmdenstrasse 4047551 Bedburg-HauGermanyAtm: Andre Lou ee

park International (TM)PO. Box 41CH-5412 Gebenstorrwitzerland

Tel./Fax: 4156223 52 65

lippo Collectors ClubAmencan Original, 1a a::meDorpsweg 198373 CL [aarten dUkThe .etherlandsTel: 31 346 21369Fax: 31 3-+6 2135 4

T1us mformauon was currem as ofJun 1997

$2.00

33 Barbour Streel, Bradford, Pennsylvania 16701 USAPnnLed In USA COLL 6/97