How Collectors Can Tell If A Pez Dispenser Is Authentic
We all remember PEZ Dispensers, those iconic candies that came out of the adorable and unique dispensers. From their origins in Austria in 1927 to 1949 when the first "dispensers" were invented and sold, to now, these little treats have had quite a life and they're still popular today (via PEZ). According to CNN, PEZ creates more than 12 million candy tablets daily, and over 3 billion candies are consumed in the U.S. annually.
We had no idea that PEZ were still this popular with the masses, but it's obvious that there's a huge appeal. The dispensers are now collected and some of them can be incredibly valuable, the most expensive of which, is a political donkey with only two made that sold for $13,000. Collectors are always on the hunt for vintage and limited edition PEZ dispensers and they can identify whether or not it's authentic using a few tricks.
PEZ Dispensers have a few key elements that help collectors discern their legitimacy
True collectors have a good trick for checking to see if a PEZ dispenser is authentic and to tell when it was created. Dream Life 90 PEZ has some key information for identifying PEZ dispensers and us how to be sure it's real. According to their site, "You can tell how old a Pez dispenser is by looking at the Patent Number on the side of a Pez Stem. If the Patent Number reads: 2,620,061 then it was produced from 1952-1968. If the Patent Number reads: 3,410,455 then it was produced from 1968-1974. If the Patent Number reads: 3,845,882 then it was produced from 1974-1976. If the Patent Number reads: 3,942,683 then it was produced from 1976-1989."
Starting in the late 1980s, PEZ started adding "feet" to the dispensers to help them stand up better. Any dispenser without these feet is considered more rare and is more desirable to collectors. If you have any PEZ dispensers and have considered selling them, check the sides to make sure they're authentic and find yourself a buyer. Or, you just keep on enjoying those candy tablets, they're honestly pretty good.