ok i was looking through some of the valuables i have tucked away in a fireproof safe the other day and came across my grandpas WWII zippo. this thing is just awesome. It is very worn down and has no flint or wick. I looked at the date code and it was made in 1946 i believe.when the war was going on, the brass that they used to make zippos at the time needed to be used for the war, so the zippo manufarturers used steel casings and sprayed a quick coat of black paint over them and then put them in the oven to bake it on. this gave the lighters a rough black texture, known today as "black crackle". This particular lighter was carried by my grandpa overseas (im researching exactly where, but i know he was in germany). here it is, on the left, next to a 2007 matte black finish zippo. (this one is matte, but they have started making black crackle finishes again in honor of the WWII ones, and they have also made replicas of the 1941 case as it is different then todays cases)
note the slightly shorter case and more rounded off edges of the older one. other differences are less holes in the chimney area and a hollow rivet where the flint wheel attaches to the chimney.there have been some of the WWII black crackle zippos going on ebay for about $500 recently for ones that are in mint condition.
