PEZ Collecting

PEZ candy was originally created in 1927 by an Austrian confectioner named Edward Haas III. The candy was made in peppermint flavor only, and was intended to be marketed as a way to help people give up cigarette smoking. Haas named the candy after the German word "pfefferminz," meaning peppermint, and took the first, middle, and last letters of the word to create his candy name: PEZ The first PEZ candies were packaged in small tins, and were sold this way until the end of World War II. After the war, sales began to decline, and Haas began packaging his candy in a small mechanical dispenser resembling a cigarette lighter. The dispenser was patented by Oscar Uxa in 1948 and debuted at the 1949 Vienna Trade Fair. Haas continued to target an adult market.

PEZ began its first operations in the United States in 1952, when it opened its New York City distribution plant. The product, which was still imported from Europe, struggled until the mid-1950s, when Haas introduced the first dispensers with three-dimensional character "heads" in an attempt to appeal to American children. The marketing strategy was a hit, and transformed the identity of PEZ from candy to toy. Some of the earliest PEZ characters included Santa Claus, a Space Man, and Mickey Mouse.

In 1973, PEZ Candy, Inc. began to manufacture candy in the United States. In 1978 it moved its New York City plant to Orange, Connecticut. The plant continues to run 24 hours a day, producing candy and toy dispensers. The company's international headquarters are located in Traun, Austria. A direct-to-consumer mail order system was created in 1996. The company does not do traditional advertising campaigns, but its products are found in retail stores around the world.

Since the earliest PEZ were created, well over 1,500 unique dispensers have been created. Numerous variations of most characters exist. Unique dispensers are often released in Europe, Japan, and Australia, and are generally more expensive than those released in the United States.

Today, standard PEZ candy flavors in the United States are strawberry, orange, lemon, cherry, raspberry, sour candy, and peppermint. Cola and chocolate flavors are also available in European countries. Kosher PEZ candy is produced in smaller quantities. Over the years, the PEZ company has experimented with several other flavors, but these were not popular enough for the company to continue producing them. Among these experimental flavors were coffee, anise, lime, cinnamon, flower, chlorophyll, and eucalyptus.

Things to Look For

The ideal PEZ dispenser for any collector is one that is complete in all of its parts and is in working condition. A standard PEZ dispenser consists of the following parts:

Head: The head is the very top of the dispenser, where the character face is located. Some character heads are made in multiple pieces, and dispensers missing any of these pieces are considered less desirable to collectors. Variations of dispensers are usually determined by the character head shape, color, and detail markings. A "floppy head" dispenser is one in which the spring is broken or malfunctioning, or the head is physically heavy and prone to remaining open.

Cheeks: Located at rear of head, cheeks can either be partial or full, and determine the general shape of the head. It is possible to find dispensers that are identical except for the shape of the cheeks; such a difference may be noted by collectors.

Candy pusher: The candy pusher is also located in the head of the dispenser and is the device which pushes candy out when head is pulled back.

Stem: The stem is the main portion or body of the PEZ dispenser, and is where the injection mold code and patent numbers are located. Variations of dispensers are also created by simply changing stem colors.

Inner sleeve: Located within the stem, the inner sleeve is the container which holds the PEZ candy.

Candy button: This device is located at base of inner sleeve and is what pushes the candy upward in order to be dispensed.

Feet: Feet are found on all newer PEZ dispensers and are located at the very base of the stem. PEZ dispensers created before 1985 did not have feet; this part of the dispenser was added in an effort to prevent dispensers from tipping over.

Springs: Located in head and the inner sleeve, springs should be tight in order to keep the dispenser in working condition. Loose springs are often less desirable to serious collectors, and are usually found in older PEZ dispensers.

Collectors look for irregularities in color in heads/stems, rareness, or theme (such as sports, Disney, etc.). Dispensers that have melt marks, are faded, cracked, or not in working condition are not as desirable as those in perfect condition, and such defects are reflected in their price on the secondary market.

Each PEZ dispenser is also marked with a patent number and an injection mold code (IMC) that determines when it was made and its location. All patent numbers are noted either as "U.S. Patent" or "DBP" (European patent). The earliest PEZ patent appears as "BOX patent" and can be found on the very first PEZ dispensers manufactured. Additional patent numbers include:

• 1st series, dated 1952 – 2.620.061
• 2nd series, dated 1968 – 3.410.455
• 3rd series, dated 1974 – 3.845.882
• 4th series, dated 1976 – 3.942.683
• 5th series, dated 1990 – 4.966.305

In the 1970s and 1980s, many dispensers were created without patent numbers.

The IMC codes indicate the plant where the dispenser was created. The following are IMC codes utilized by PEZ:

• 1 – Austria/Hungary
• 2 – Austria/Hong Kong
• 3 – Austria/Hungary
• 4 – Austria
• 5 – Yugoslavia/Slovenia
• 6 – Hong Kong/China
• 7 – Hong Kong/Austria/Czech Republic
• 8 – Austria
• 9 – Vermont, U.S.A.
• V – Yugoslavia

In addition to patent numbers and IMC codes, the country of origin is also printed on the dispenser stem. The "made in" countries include the United States, Austria, Spain, China, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.

Trends

PEZ collectors look for various things when adding to their collections. A major trend in collecting PEZ involves the type of packaging that the dispenser comes in, and even whether or not that packaging is in good condition. PEZ dispensers are packaged in either plastic bags or on cardboard backings with plastic bubbles around them. Dispensers that are sold in plastic bags that have never been opened are referred to as mint in bag, or MIB. Dispensers that are still packaged in the cardboard backing and are unopened are referred to as mint on card, or MOC; if in this case the packaging is also in mint condition, the example is referred to as mint on mint card, or MOMC.

The age of the dispenser is often of great importance to PEZ enthusiasts, as older dispensers are harder to obtain than newer ones. Most PEZ that have no feet (NF) were made prior to 1985, and are quickly identified as being "vintage."

Collectors may also choose to acquire PEZ in certain themes. Sports fans may look for dispensers issued at professional sporting events. Other commonly collected themes include holidays, cartoon characters, or animals. Collecting "misfits," or PEZ that were made with incorrect color variations, is also quite popular. Some collectors may select a common character, such as Santa Claus, and attempt to obtain all of the various colors, releases, and sizes of that particular dispenser. In addition to dispensers, vintage PEZ advertisements, candy packs, licensed products, and ephemera are also collected and traded by enthusiasts.

Collecting for Fun vs. Profit

PEZ dispensers are frequently sold on online auction sites such as eBay, where value is determined by those who are bidding on the item. PEZ conventions, such as Pezamania, occur several times a year, giving collectors the opportunity to trade and sell their dispensers with other enthusiasts. PEZ expert Shawn Peterson suggests that beginning collectors start by collecting modern dispensers in order to build a collection without spending a lot of money. Collectors should consider what they want to do with their dispensers before removing the packaging. Peterson recommends leaving older dispensers in their original packaging and suggests that modern dispensers are best left in their original packaging if collectors intend to trade them. On the other hand, for collectors whose primary intent is to display their dispensers, it is often easier to do so after removing the packaging. Peterson also advises against buying dispensers that have been altered in any way from their factory-original forms, especially if one intends to sell or trade them.

Learning More

Museums

Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia in San Francisco, California

PEZ Visitor Center, in Orange, Connecticut

Books

Belyski, Richard. PEZ® Collector's News: 20 Years of Collecting PEZ®. Belyski/PCN, 2016.

Chertoff, Nina, and Susan Kahn. Celebrating PEZ, Sterling, 2006.

Peterson, Shawn. Collector’s Guide to PEZ: Identification and Price Guide. 3rd edition, Krause Publications, 2008.

Peterson, Shawn. PEZ: From Austrian Invention to American Icon. The History Press, 2016.

Peterson, Shawn. Warman’s PEZ Field Guide. 2nd edition, Krause Publications, 2009.

Geary, Richard. PEZ Collectibles. [Atglen]: Schiffer, 2000.

Geary, Richard. More PEZ. [Atglen]: Schiffer, 1999.