I was fortunate to find this vintage engraved sterling silver Zippo lighter at a garage sale over the weekend for $2. All it needed was a fill and a new flint. Works great. Near as I can tell from my research, it was made about 1948 or 1949 based on the style of the bottom of the case with the solitary “Sterling 960” stamp, the patent number on the stamped insert, and the three-barrel case hinge. All are consistent with this vintage. Here are some shots next to a modern red lacquer Zippo: